Color Blindness
By Gretchyn Bailey;
reviewed by Dr. Vance Thompson
Color blindness is not a form of blindness at all, but a deficiency in the way you see color. With this vision problem, you
have difficulty distinguishing certain colors, such as red and green or blue and yellow. Red-green color deficiency is the most
common form of color blindness; a less common form is blue-yellow color deficiency.
Color Blindness Symptoms and Signs
Do you have a hard time distinguishing if colors are red and green, or blue and yellow? This is the primary sign of this vision
problem. Contrary to popular belief, it is rare that a color-blind person would
see only in neutral colors or shades of gray.
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Eye doctors often use Ishihara plates to determine
the severity and type of color deficiency. Someone with normal color perception
can see the numeral among the dots. But someone with red-green deficiency
would have trouble discerning the red among the green.
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What Causes Color Blindness?
Color blindness occurs when certain cells in the
retina
that normally respond to color do not respond as they should.
Usually, people with a color deficiency are born with it, and the problem affects
more men than it does women. Color blindness is caused by a common
X-linked recessive gene. This means, if you're color-blind, your mother must either be color-blind or have
normal vision but carry the color-deficient gene. Color-blind fathers pass the gene to their daughters only, who
will have normal color vision unless their mother also carries the color-deficient gene.
Aging or disease can also damage retinal cells and in extreme cases can lead to almost total color blindness.
Color Blindness Treatment
Color blindness cannot be cured. However, if you have difficulty
distinguishing colors, or you've observed this difficulty in your child, see
your eyecare practitioner.
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Drivers who can't tell red from green can still recognize
the order of colors on traffic lights. Photo: Serengeti.
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Diagnosing color-vision deficiency early may prevent learning
problems during the school years, since many learning
materials rely heavily on color perception. If your child has a color deficiency,
be sure to speak with his or her teachers about it, so they can plan their lessons accordingly.
Some people use special lenses for color blindness, which are filters available in
either contact lens or eyeglass lens form. They are available from a limited
number of eyecare practitioners in the United States and other countries.
You can also learn ways to work around your inability to pick out certain colors.
For instance, you might organize and label your clothing to avoid color clashes. (Ask friends
or family members to help!) And you might remember the order of things
rather than their color (for example, the red light is at the top
of a traffic light).
[Page updated June 2007]
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