Not being able to recognize people by their faces is what loosely defines face blindness or prosopagnosia — a cognitive disorder that Shenaz Treasury recently revealed she has been diagnosed with. “To start with, it is nothing serious,” the actor-travel influencer tells us, sharing how she’s been inundated with calls ever since she spoke about the condition on Insta recently.

The actor, best-known for her Hindi film Ishq Vishk (2003), adds, “I just can’t recognize people’s faces, my brain doesn’t put faces together. I’d always think, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ But, turns out it is an issue. Even if I am used to seeing a friend and I see them out of context elsewhere, I won’t be able to recognize them immediately.”

One couldn’t help but notice how her post called for people to be “kind” and understand the situation. “When I discovered I have face blindness, it all made sense. I understood why I couldn’t recognize faces. I’ve offended people in the past. People thought it was something that I made up or that I was being snobbish or stupid. Even my own parents don’t believe me,” says the actor, who can pick up people’s voices and mannerisms. Mentioning how she has now learnt to deal with it all, she adds, “I just wave and say, ‘Of course I know you’ to everyone I meet.”

Has this issue ever affected her work life? “Sometimes it has, especially when I’ve got to host a red and green carpet. It’s been nerve-racking for me, thinking what if I don’t recognize someone? But, I’ve managed to pull it off. I just have a friendly chat and within the time that I’m speaking, I realize who the person is, by their voice,” she ends.