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Signs and symptoms
Eye components are entirely normal. The AIW syndrome is a result of change in perception as opposed to the eyes themselves malfunctioning. The hallmark sign of AIWS is a migraine, and may in part be caused by the symptom itself. Using psychoactive drugs (notably dextromethorphancitation needed) may also produce micropsia. Although mostly limited to the eyes, AIWS also affects the sufferer's sense of touch, hearing and sometimes one's own body image.
The most prominent and often most disturbing symptom is that of altered body image: the sufferer will find that they are confused as to the size and shape of parts of (or all of) their body. The parts usually mentioned are the head and hands; growth seems more usual than shrinkage. This phenomenon seems to have the medical term 'metamorphosis'.
The second major symptom is the distortion of visual perception. The eyes themselves are normal, but the sufferer 'sees' objects with the wrong size or shape and/or finds that perspective is incorrect. This can mean that people, cars, buildings, etc. look smaller or larger than they should be, or that distances look incorrect; for example a corridor may appear to be very long, or the ground may appear too close.
Other symptoms which have been referred to as part of AIWS include: Distorted time perception; time moving quickly or slowly. Distorted touch perception, e.g. a feeling that the ground is 'spongy' under the feet or that the sensation received from touching something is simply incorrect or unrecognised. Distorted sound perception.
Diagnosis
There is no distinct diagnosis of AIWS due to it being a perception issue rather than one which causes a specific mechanical change to the body's systems. The assumption could be made if all physical causes have been denied notability and if the patient presents with migraines, altered senses and complains of onset during darkness (although it can occur in light).
Delirium tremens, a serious complication of withdrawal from alcohol, can also cause lilliputian hallucinations - visual hallucinations of small animals or people. DTs requires urgent medical treatment.2
Treatment
Treatment regimes consist of treating the underlying cause of AIWS which, in turn, usually stops the condition from progressing and, in most cases, recess. Some migraines can be controlled using NSAIDs (such as Ibuprofen) or, if severe, serotonin receptor agonists such as Sumatriptan.
Epidemiology
No studies are available that display any correlation between age, gender or race. AIWS is thought to be relatively common among migraine sufferers.
References
- ^ Longmore, Murray; Ian Wilkinson, Tom Turmezei, Chee Kay Cheung (2007). Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, Oxford. pp.686. ISBN 0-19-856837-1.
- ^ Kumar, P; Clark, M (2005). Clinical Medicine (6th ed.), Elsevier Saunders. p.1304. ISBN 0-7020-2763-4.
- PMID 12207198
- Kew, J., Wright, A., & Halligan, P.W. (1998). Somesthetic aura: The experience of "Alice in Wonderland", The Lancet, 351,p1934
