What is metamorphosia?

Answer 1

Metamorphopsia is a visual defect that causes people to see objects in a distorted manner. When an individual has metamorphopsia, he typically sees lines as wavy or curly instead of straight and flat surfaces as curved. For example, an individual with metamorphopsia may look at a telephone pole and see it as curvy or see a bunch of trees as if they form a rounded group. Sometimes telephone poles and trees look as if they are bending over rather than standing up straight.

Sometimes a person develops metamorphopsia as one of the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration. This condition typically affects individuals who are at least 50 years old, causing loss of vision in the center of the affected person's retina, which is tissue that lines the back of the eye. This part of the eye is called the macula, and loss of vision in this area is often the result of retinal damage. When an individual has macular degeneration, faces appear blurred, printed words are difficult to recognize, and other visual distortions may occur.