Ophthalmologist explains how metamorphopsia distorts drivers' perception of the road

Distorted perception of the road as a symptom

Perceiving a straight road as curved may be linked to metamorphopsia — a condition in which the shape and size of visible objects become distorted. Speaking about this, ophthalmologistKonstantin Baryshev, a junior researcher at the Krasnov Federal State Budget Scientific Institution, told Gazeta.Ru in an interview. According to him, the disease can develop in one eye or in both eyes at once.

How the condition manifests itself

'Metamorphopsia can essentially be compared to a distorting mirror: an object may appear smaller or larger than it actually is, and the contours of objects — or, in this case, of the road — may look wavy or bent. People often describe seeing objects shaped like hourglasses, and so on,' the outlet quotes the doctor as saying.

One-sided damage and a case from practice

If the distortions affect only one eye, a person may not notice the problem until they close the healthy eye; however, sometimes distortions in one eye severely interfere with vision even when the second eye is completely healthy. Baryshev noted that his practice included a driver with metamorphopsia in both eyes, because of which the man saw a straight road as curved.

Prognosis and age

According to the ophthalmologist, such phenomena are more often observed in older age groups, but they also occur in fairly young people. He emphasized that even with correct and timely treatment, metamorphopsia does not always fully disappear: often it is only possible to stop further deterioration and fix the changes in the state they were in at the time the patient sought care.