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Synonyms

Megalopsia

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...

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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.

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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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

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  • 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

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