Abstract

SYKES, LM  and  BERNITZ, H. The Paradox of Perception - You do not need THE EYES to SEE the person. S. Afr. dent. j. [online]. 2025, vol.80, n.7, pp.385-387. ISSN 0375-1562.  https://doi.org/10.17159/sadj.v80i07.24237.

Covering the eyes of patients in reports or public images is often done to preserve anonymity, dignity and confidentiality. However, human recognition is a complex process involving a variety of sensory inputs that extend far beyond mere visual processing. One can often identify a person based on other non-visual cues, including auditory, tactile, social, contextual, cultural, and emotional dimensions. With regards to the face, blocking out the eyes alone does not guarantee that a person's identity will be concealed. This is because there are many other geometric and anatomical features that the brain is attuned to recognising. In addition, modern AI programmes can often be used to re-insert blocked-out features. This paper suggests that from both an ethical and legal perspective, we need to develop more sophisticated ways of treating patient facial photographs to ensure that they are truly not recognisable to others.

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