Micropsia

1. D I S C L A I M E R :
T H I S A P R O J E C T F O R A H I G H
S C H O O L A P P S Y C H O L O G Y
C O U R S E . T H I S I S A
F I C T I O N A L I Z E D A C C O U N T O F
H A V I N G A P S Y C H O L O G I C A L
A I L M E N T . F O R Q U E S T I O N S A B O U T
T H I S B L O G P R O J E C T O R I T S
C O N T E N T P L E A S E E M A I L T H E
T E A C H E R , L A U R A A S T O R I A N :
L A U R A . A S T O R I A N @ C O B B K 1 2 . O R G

2. MICROPSIA
M Y D I S E A S E

3. MICROPSIA IS
COMMONLY CALLED
ALICE IN WONDERL AND
SYNDROME

4. WHAT IS MICROPSIA?
• Caused by changes in the brain,
micropsia affects human visual
perception making things appear
much smaller than their true size.
• There is also a disease called
macropsia in which human visual
perception makes things appear
much larger. This disease is the
opposite of micropsia.

5. WHO USUALLY
HAS
MICROPSIA?M O S T L Y A D O L E S C E N T B O Y S

6. HOW CAN WE DIAGNOSE
MICROPSIA?
• Neurological testing
• Symptoms are usually caused by
– Migraines
– Epilepsy
– Drug Use Brain Tumors
– Etc.

7. CAN IT BE TREATED?
• There are many causes of micropsia, so
the treatments for this disease vary.
– Degenerative- requires surgery
– Psychiatric conditions- psychoactive
drugs
– Migraine- usually disappears when
migraine fades
– Epilepsy- anti-seizure medication I take Carbatrol to help my
seizures, but I still suffer from
micropsia.

8. DO PEOPLE SUFFER FROM MACROPSIA OR
MICROPSIA OR BOTH?
USUALLY, BOTH…
• Different people have
different experiences, but
micropsia is usually
experienced along with
macropsia episodes.
VISUAL FIELDS’ EFFECTS

9. WHAT PERCENT
OF PEOPLE ARE
AFFECTED BY
MICROPSIA?E P I S O D E S O F M I C R O P S I A O R M A C R O P S I A
O C C U R I N 9 % O F A D O L E S C E N T S .

10. MY EXPERIENCE
WITH MICROPSIA

11. WHEN I WAKE UP…
•I wake up to a
loud alarm
coming from a
tiny clock…

12. WHEN I TAKE A SHOWER…
At this point, I’ve
begun to adjust, but
it is still hard to
wrap my head
around what is
happening.

13. WHEN I BRUSH MY TEETH…
•While I am well aware
that the toothbrush
isn’t this small, my
brain perceives it this
way, so I can’t
perceive it any other
way.

14. WHEN I EAT BREAKFAST…
• Everything looks like a
meal for a small animal.
I feel like I shouldn’t be
full after my meals, but I
always am.

15. WHEN I GO TO SCHOOL…
•Because micropsia
throws off my depth
perception, I am
unable to drive, so
my mom has to drive
me.

16. WHEN I’M AT SCHOOL…
• Everything is so small. I
struggle to see the
board, so I have to sit
really close to the
board. Because I have
special seating, I don’t
get to spend much time
with friends.

17. AFTERSCHOOL…
• I am unable to participate
in many extracurricular
because of my disease, so I
usually go straight home.
Its hard to play instruments
and extremely difficult to
play sports.

18. DOING HOMEWORK…
• Doing homework is harder
with my disease, but to
maintain a normal life, it is
necessary. It takes longer
than it should and I
sometimes need help when
typing a paper.

19. HOW MY FAMILY HELPS…
• My family helps me get through
a lot. My mom and dad are both
committed to me leading a
normal-as-possible-lifestyle. I
can tell they are worried about
me though. I don’t want to
make them help me for forever.

20. MY MICROPSIA
•Micropsia has changed my life. It has made my
life much more difficult, but there is a chance I
will grow out of it. I’m worried about my future,
but I will always have a great support system
through my family.

21. MICROPSIA
CHANGES LIVES
T H I S A P R O J E C T F O R A H I G H S C H O O L A P P S Y C H O L O G Y
C O U R S E . T H I S I S A F I C T I O N A L I Z E D A C C O U N T O F
H A V I N G A P S Y C H O L O G I C A L A I L M E N T . F O R Q U E S T I O N S
A B O U T T H I S B L O G P R O J E C T O R I T S C O N T E N T P L E A S E
E M A I L T H E T E A C H E R , L A U R A A S T O R I A N :
L A U R A . A S T O R I A N @ C O B B K 1 2 . O R G