‘It's like staring at demons': Meet a man who lives with a disturbing condition

For a 59-year-old individual, terrifying symptoms began on a winter day in a city. Each face appeared grotesque, with elongated eyes, deeply etched scars, and pointy ears. The condition is called prosopometamorphopsia, or PMO, where parts of faces appear distorted. The person who experienced it described how distorted faces were in motion, contorting, and making gestures. PMO is different from face blindness, as it does not hinder face recognition but distorts familiar faces. PMO can be triggered by brain injury, tumor, infection, or seizures. Treatment options include colored lenses and showing symmetrical faces.