hemimicropsia

   The term hemimicropsia comes from the Greek words hèmi (half), mikros (small), and opsis (seeing). It translates roughly as 'seeing objects in one half of the visual field as smaller'. The term is used to denote a rare disorder of visual perception in which the perceived size of objects within the contralesional hemifield is reduced. Individuals who suffer from hemimicropsia tend to be fully aware of their condition. They usually report a perceived smallness and/or distortion of objects on one side, and during drawing tasks they compensate for this perceived smallness by portraying objects on that side as larger than their contralateral counterparts. Hemimicropsia tends to be attributed to lesions and/or a malfunction in specific areas within the visual association cortex. Although phenomenologically there is a certain overlap with " hyperschematia, the two conditions differ in that hyperschematia tends to affect the left hemifield, individuals with hyperschema-tia are generally unaware of their condition, and the left-sided expansion in their drawings is seen as a result of neglect rather than perceptual distortion. Hemimicropsia is classified as a type of "metamorphopsia, more specifically as a variant of " micropsia. The term is used in opposition to " hemimacropsia.

   References

   Rode, G., Michel, C., Rossetti, Y., Boisson, D., Vallar, G. (2006). Left size distortion (hyper-schematia) after right brain damage. Neurology, 67, 1801-1808.