What condition is characterized by an inability to recognize objects despite being able to see them?

The condition characterized by an inability to recognize objects despite being able to see them is visual agnosia. This disorder arises from damage to specific areas of the brain responsible for visual processing, particularly in the occipital and parietal lobes. Individuals with visual agnosia can see and describe the details of an object but cannot identify or name it, indicating that their visual perception is intact but their ability to process and interpret that information is impaired.

In contrast, conditions like hippocampal damage are primarily related to memory functions and do not specifically affect visual recognition. Expressive aphasia and global aphasia relate to language difficulties rather than visual recognition, affecting an individual's ability to produce or understand language. Thus, visual agnosia is specifically linked to the recognition deficits within the visual modality, making it the correct choice for the question presented.