Prosopagnosia (Facial Blindness) and Alzheimer’s Disease

By Lynn Marie Witt, MSOT

2 min read

Did you ever wonder why your loved one or patient with Alzheimer's disease has difficulty recognizing their loved ones? Or why they have difficulty recognizing someone's facial expression or facial cueing?

It is very difficult to watch people with Alzheimer's disease lose their ability to recognize their loved ones. It is truly devastating for everyone involved. I have experienced this both as a healthcare professional and a caregiver to both my parents with the Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Defining prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia, facial blindness or facial agnosia, is defined as a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces. The term comes from the Greek words for "face" and "lack of knowledge."¹

There are 3 potential causes of prosopagnosia:^2,3

Acquired prosopagnosia – A person develops this at some point in their life due to lesions on the brain
Congenital prosopagnosia – A person does not have brain lesions but does have mutations in their genetic makeup
Potential connection to developmental disorders, but more research is needed to confirm this

Alzheimer's link to prosopagnosia

Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible neurologic disorder that affects various parts of the brain. Researchers believe that damage to a person's neural systems is what causes acquired prosopagnosia.^2,3

The right fusiform gyrus is an area of the brain located in the temporal and occipital lobes. It controls a person's ability to perceive information from another person's face. This means that the person can visually see the other person. But their brain is unable to process that information correctly.^2,3

This is an important distinction. Prosopagnosia does not occur because a person cannot remember an individual. Most researchers believe it is less involving memory and more related to a person's inability to process the visual information they see.^2,3

So, what can I do to help?

I know that encountering a patient or loved one when they do not recognize you is heart-wrenching. There is no cure or reversal once the damage from Alzheimer's disease has occurred. However, there are a few things I have learned from research and experience that have helped me.

Here are 5 tips that can help when interacting with someone who has acquired prosopagnosia:

When walking into a room, use your voice as soon as your loved one or patient has visual contact with you. Sometimes when people do not recognize your face they still recognize your voice.
If you have facial hair, keep it consistent. Any changes in the length and color of facial hair can affect someone's ability to recognize you.
Always introduce yourself to the person you are encountering. For example, as my mom's Alzheimer's progressed, I would say the following, "Hi Mom, it's Lynn Marie, your daughter."
If you are a healthcare professional, show your healthcare ID badge as you are vocalizing who you are.
Always be positive when entering a room, and keep questions very simple.

Awareness is key

I hope this helps educate and bring more awareness to the many complicated issues that result from Alzheimer's disease.

If any of you in our community have any additional tips that have been helpful, please feel free to share! I would love to know what is working for those within our community.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The AlzheimersDisease.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.

CareMDay Member
I suffer from facial blindness and it's very difficult! I cannot recognize you in if I haven't seen you for more than a year but I do you from a picture. I have 2 walls full of pictures of my entire family. That way when I miss them I can sit on the steps and look at them anytime that I like for as long as I like. I understand that it is not the same as a visit from them. I have a brother that lives in Georgia so it's unlikely that he will visit me anytime soon. My other brother live in Buffalo, NY and as I understand it he is under 3 feet of snow at this time. So no visit from his family either. My daughter in NC is coming for Easter but she doesn't realize that for people with Alzheimer's that might as well be like saying that she is going to visit me from the moon in the year 2030. My other children and grandchildren that are closer rarely visit. There is just this assumption that I am doing the same things that I have always done. The truth is that I have become a reclusive person. Our society doesn't really embrace people that don't remember people,places and things very well. The less I remember the more reclusive I have become, I have tried to stay connected to people but the effort has become to great. My energy is too depleted. It takes so much to engage in a conversation or to greet people in situations and maintain some semblance of dignity that I find the recovery time harder and harder. I know that I am slipping away. I feel it. I am so less engaged with the people I used to care so deeply about but my mind just can no longer comprehend their emotions. My mind seems to generally lack the huge amounts of empathy that it once contained. I am gravely disappointed to let that part of me go. She was the best part of me. She was so kind, compassionate and intelligent. She knew how you felt and could really empathize with you. But she is fading so quickly because she no longer recognizes expressions. So I can't tell if your mad at me, if your happy with me, I won't lie to you because I am no longer capable of it. If I make a mistake, it's just an honest mistake please don't hold me accountable for an honest mistake that I didn't have any control over. Don't forget that I truly don't remember what you are talking about and I am afraid that I don't remember. I am afraid that I don't recognize you. I am so sorry and sad that I don't recognize your beautiful face. That's why I am looking at your picture. I remember you. I know you. I love you. I want to be with you. I miss you. My heart is breaking just as your's is breaking. @LynnMarieWitt @DonnaFA @PattyDay @ScottMatheny
1. Lynn Marie Witt, MSOT Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="CareMDay" user-id="9758072"/> Thank you so much for your sharing and your vulnerability. It really gives me more understanding of how the disease is effecting you when you share from your perspective. I wish you were able to see your loved ones more. However, what a great idea of having pictures of your loved ones on your wall. That's a great tip that many from our community can benefit from. I can confirm that your brother in Buffalo has been dealing with lots of snow. I am from that area and winter has arrived. Appreciate you reaching out. Just Keep Swimming....Lynn Marie, Team Member. 
2. CareMDay Member
 <inline-mention username="Lynn Marie Witt, MSOT" user-id="2377336"/> I wish I could see them so much more. When I saw pictures of my granddaughters at Halloween I was really sad because 2 of them had grown up so much that I no longer can recognize them. I don't speak to them on the phone so when I do see them I will have to have help to identify who they are and that for me is so heartbreaking. I know that I am becoming more isolated and reclusive. I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen but it's so hard to hold even simple conversations in my head that I protect loved ones from the pain. I am lonely. I do have a couple of very loyal friends that visit religiously. My friend Lori will be here on Thursday. Our lunches together are something I look forward to because I can leave my home, have conversation with an adult that treats me like an adult and I feel like myself. I am not depressed, I am just progressing. No one told me that I would be self aware of the progression. That's a tragedy. <inline-mention username="bahdvm" user-id="4192649"/> @KathyMatheny @PattyDay @DonnaFA