Meet a man with a rare malady that distorts faces: ‘It's like staring at demons'

For a 59-year-old individual named Victor Sharrah, the terrifying symptoms started on a winter day in Nashville. Sharrah’s roommate and his girlfriend’s faces appeared distorted, with elongated eyes, scars, and pointy ears. Sharrah later discovered he had a rare condition called prosopometamorphopsia (PMO), which causes parts of other people’s faces to appear distorted. While some individuals with PMO struggle to recognize faces, others can still identify familiar faces despite the distortions. PMO can be triggered by brain injuries, tumors, infections, or seizures. Research has shown that interventions like colored lenses and showing symmetrical faces could help alleviate the symptoms of PMO.