Synonyms
Definition
Macropsia is a condition in which visual objects are perceived to be larger than they are objectively sized.
Macropsia can be a clinical feature of migraine, stroke, or temporal, parietal, or occipital lobe epilepsy. Macropsia can also be caused by disorders in areas throughout the visual system. For instance, retinal rod and cone cells can become spaced closely together (e.g., due to macular scarring, tumor). With increased density of photoreceptors, an observed object is perceived as being larger than usual. Macropsia is also thought to occur as a result of impairment of ocular accommodation (i.e., focus), caused by spasm or natural functional variation. The impaired accommodation causes a close object to be judged to be at a distance, but since the actual retinal image is large, macropsia occurs. Also, macropsia can be induced by recently prescribed presbyopic correction or by drug effects.
Macropsia, together with micropsia and distortions of...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References and Readings
Park, M. G., Choi, K. D., Kim, J. S., Park, K. P., Kim, D. S., Kim, H. J., & Jung, D. S. (2007). Hemimacropsia after medial temporo-occipital infarction. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 78(5), 546–548.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Laudate, T.M., Nelson, A.P. (2011). Macropsia. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1380
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1380
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-79947-6
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79948-3
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science