Color Blindness
WHAT IS COLOR BLINDNESS / COLOR VISION DEFICIENCY
Color blindness is a term used to describe an inherited condition when color-sensing pigments in the eye cannot distinguish certain shades of color. Color blindness does not mean that one is completely blind since very few people are entirely blind to colors. Color blindness is characterized by the ability to recognize only specific colors. It means that if you’re color blind, your eye is unable to perceive the normal spectrum of colors the way it should.
Colorblind people find difficulty distinguishing between red and green. Some color blind people cannot separate yellows from blues, and some rare cases can only see black and white colors (a form of monochromatism).
HOW DO YOUR EYES SEE COLORS?
The photoreceptors present in your retina are responsible for color vision. The retina is covered with specific nerve cells that have two photoreceptors:
Rods: are specifically sensitive to low light levels. They only have one pigment that enables us to see at night.
Cones: help us recognize colors with their light-sensitive pigments. Different pigments found in cones react to separate wavelengths. Each cone is sensitive to red, green, or blue light and recognizes colors based on different wavelengths. The pigments inside the cones send signals to our brain through the optic nerve. The brain then helps us identify various colors. The absence of one or more light pigments leads to color blindness.
WHAT CAUSES COLOR BLINDNESS?
Most people with color blindness inherit it because of an X-linked recessive gene that passes from mother to son. Inherited color blindness does not cause complete blindness or loss of vision.
Some other causes include:
Diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, leukemia, macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma).
Damage to the optic nerve.
Medications that cause problems with color visions and difficulty recognizing colors.
Aging processes that damage retinal cells.
Damage to some brain parts that process color information.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF COLOR BLINDNESS
Males are more susceptible to color blindness than females. It affects about 1 in 200 women, and about 1 in 20 men.
Some common symptoms of color blindness include:
Inability to distinguish between the shades of the same colors.
Vision changes.
Finding it hard to differentiate between the red and green color of traffic lights.
HOW IS COLOR BLINDNESS DIAGNOSED?
A regular eye examination by your optometrist can diagnose the condition. During the comprehensive eye examination, the patient is shown pseudoisochromatic plates composed of colored dots with symbols or numbers embedded within them. People with color blindness will be unable to see a number or symbol, while those with normal vision can easily see it.
TREATMENT FOR COLOR BLINDNESS:
There is no treatment for inherited color blindness. If an injury or illness is the cause, color detection can be improved by treating the cause.