The Recognizability of Cropped Unilateral Upper Face Photographs

Purpose: Facial photographs are invaluable medical teaching tools, but patient privacy must be respected. The degree to which unilateral cropped upper face photos are recognizable is not known. Methods: Oculofacial surgeons were canvassed on a societal email to participate in an online study in February 2025. The surgeons were shown 4 famous individuals. Each of the 4 celebrities was presented initially as a cropped unilateral periorbital photograph with an iris mask, then without an iris mask, and then finally as a full face photograph. For each photograph, the surgeons were asked to identify the celebrity and rate how confident they were in the identification. Results: Eighty-seven surgeons completed the study with a response rate of 62%. Overall, the cropped, unilateral upper face photographs of famous celebrities were correctly identified on average 4.9% of the time, with a mean prediction confidence level of 69 ± 15%. Unmasking the iris did not improve recognition. Mistaken identification of the cropped, iris-masked, unilateral upper face photographs occurred approximately 20% of the time. On average, there was a 16.8-fold increase in recognition of the full face of famous celebrities compared with the cropped unilateral upper face photo. Conclusion: In the vast majority of cases, the identity of cropped unilateral periorbital photos is not discernible. Notwithstanding, patient informed consent remains mandatory to obtain and use photos for publication.