Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS)
What this condition is and how it affects you
- Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a rare condition.
- It temporarily changes how the brain understands the world.
- It affects vision, hearing, touch, and sense of time.
- It usually happens in kids and teens.
- The name comes from the book Alice in Wonderland.
- In the book, Alice goes to a strange land where things look weird.
- People with AIWS have similar strange experiences.
What are the symptoms of AIWS?
There are 3 types of AIWS:
Type A
- Affects touch, temperature, and pain senses
Type B
- Affects visual perception
Type C
- A mix of types A and B
- Patients may feel like they grew or shrank
- Or that things around them grew or shrank
- This is not hallucinating — it’s distorted perception
Visual symptoms
- Seeing lines as wavy, blurry, or missing
- Depth perception issues
- Objects appearing too small (micropsia)
- Objects appearing too large (macropsia)
- Objects appearing closer (pelopsia)
- Objects appearing farther (teleopsia)
Other symptoms
- Time feeling sped up (tachysensia)
- Sounds seeming louder
What causes AIWS?
- AIWS is a neurological condition
- That means the nervous system is disrupted
Causes may include:
- Migraines
- Infections like mono or influenza
- Epilepsy
- Brain trauma
- Tumors
- Medications
- Recreational drugs
- AIWS does not indicate mental illness or stroke
How is AIWS diagnosed?
Doctors will:
- Do a physical exam and interview
- Run tests like bloodwork, MRI, EEG
- Look for links between symptoms
How is AIWS treated?
- Symptoms often go away on their own.
- Treatment depends on the cause.
- Medicines may include migraine drugs, anti-seizure meds, antibiotics.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor if you suddenly have any shifts in perceiving:
- Your body
- Objects around you
- Passage of time
This could indicate an underlying condition needing treatment.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome is a strange and unsettling condition. While it primarily affects children and often resolves on its own, it can indicate serious underlying neurological issues. Anyone experiencing sudden shifts in their perception of their body, surroundings, or the passage of time should seek medical evaluation.
With proper diagnosis and treatment of the root cause, the disturbing symptoms of AIWS can likely be resolved. Though brief episodes may seem harmless, it is important not to ignore changes in perception that could signal larger problems.
Being attentive to these symptoms and consulting a doctor can help get to the bottom of AIWS and restore a normal view of the world.
References:
What is Alice in Wonderland syndrome?. MedicalNewsToday. June 2020.
Neurologic diseases. MedlinePlus. September 2014.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome. EyeWiki. American Academy of Ophthalmologists. October 2022.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome. NeurologyLive. August 2016.
Somesthetic senses. Annual Review of Psychology. January 2010.
Perception. Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed December 2022.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome: A systematic review. Neurology Clinical Practice. April 2016.
