Color Blindness

Color blindness is a deficiency in the way you see color. It’s not blindness in the traditional sense — you can still see but have difficulty differentiating between red and green or blue and yellow. There’s also a severe type of color blindness in which you can only see gray, called monochromacy or achromatopsia, but it’s rare. 

Color blindness can range from mild to severe, depending on how many light-sensitive pigments your eyes lack. It’s more common in men than in women and is typically hereditary. However, there are occasions when someone may become color blind as a result of a disease, such as Alzheimer's or multiple sclerosis. 

If you or someone you love is color blind — or you think you may be — scheduling an appointment at your neighborhood EyeCare Center can help you answer important questions like: What is color blindness exactly? And can I do anything about it?

Types of Color Blindness

Color blindness occurs due to the absence or malfunction of certain color-detecting cells in the eye, known as cones. However, there are several types of color blindness:

Red-green color blindness 

This is the most common type of color blindness and can be further divided into two types: protanopia, which involves an absence of red cones, and deuteranopia, which involves an absence of green cones. 

People with red-green color blindness may struggle to distinguish between reds, greens, and oranges, which can impact activities like choosing ripe fruits and reading traffic lights.

Blue-yellow color blindness

Also known as tritanopia, this type of color blindness is less common and affects the blue cones in the eye. Individuals with this condition have difficulty distinguishing between blues and yellows, as well as greens and pinks. 

This type of color blindness can affect tasks like reading maps and working with digital displays.

Complete color deficiency 

Achromatopsia is a rare condition where individuals see no color at all, perceiving the world in shades of gray. It can also cause light sensitivity and blurry vision. It occurs when none of the cone cells function properly, and it significantly impacts daily life. 

Color Blindness Symptoms

While symptoms can vary for each person and type of color blindness, the most common include:

• Colors appear washed out: Individuals may perceive colors as less vibrant or faded.
• Confusing colors: Difficulty distinguishing between specific colors, such as reds and greens or blues and yellows.
• Seeing only in shades of gray: In extremely rare cases, people see the world entirely in shades of gray, without any color perception.
• Trouble coordinating clothes: Color-blind individuals often have mismatched outfits.
• Difficulty identifying fruit: Challenges identifying the ripeness and types of fruits are a common color blindness symptom.
• Difficulty with color-coded materials: Interpreting graphs, charts, maps, and other materials that rely on color coding can be difficult.

What Causes Color Blindness?

Color blindness is usually inherited from birth and caused by an X-linked recessive gene. Men are at higher risk if their mother is a carrier or color blind due to an X-chromosome mutation. 

If you haven’t had color blindness since birth, it can also be caused by: 

• Diabetes
• Glaucoma
• Macular degeneration
• Alzheimer's
• Cataracts
• Parkinson’s
• Multiple sclerosis
• Chronic alcoholism
• Leukemia
• Sickle cell anemia
• Aging
• Chemical exposure
• Certain medications

If you develop symptoms of color blindness after seeing a full range of colors, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor immediately. Any sudden loss of color vision could be an indicator of several underlying health conditions. A comprehensive eye exam can help diagnose the problem and get you the right treatment before it becomes a serious issue.

How to Tell If You’re Color Blind

You may be wondering if there is a color-blind test to help determine if you have this deficiency, and the answer is yes. While only a doctor can truly confirm a diagnosis of color blindness, there are two types of tests you can take at home:

• The Ishihara Test is the most commonly used to identify color blindness. It requires a person to view a booklet containing a number of palates with dots of various colors and sizes that reveal a number. A color-blind person will be unable to see the number or will view a completely different number than someone who isn’t color-blind.
• The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test can help determine a person’s ability to perceive colors accurately. In this test, a person must arrange disks in a tray to create a series of gradually changing hues.

How Is Color Blindness Treated? 

While color blindness cannot be cured, an optometrist can help you determine the best way to adapt to and manage the condition effectively. 

 Your eye doctor might recommend the following: 

• Medications: Doctors may prescribe medications to address underlying conditions that contribute to color vision issues. However, there are no medications for genetic color blindness.
• Color blindness glasses: These specially designed glasses can enhance color perception by filtering certain wavelengths of light.
• Apps: Various apps and tools for computers and smartphones help identify colors for certain tasks, like matching clothing or reading a graph.
• Gene therapy: This experimental approach, which is currently being tested, aims to correct the genetic mutations causing color blindness, potentially restoring normal color vision.

While complete restoration of color vision isn't possible yet, these treatments and tools can improve your quality of life. 

Got Questions About Color Blindness? We Can Help.

Color blindness can make life complicated: Sometimes, your clothes might not match, or you won’t be able to decode a map. If you think you might be color blind, make an appointment at your neighborhood Pearle Vision EyeCare Center to consult an eye doctor who can diagnose and cater to your unique vision needs.

Color Blindness FAQ

What are the main types of color blindness?

The main types are red-green color blindness, blue-yellow color blindness, and complete color deficiency, which means you see in shades of gray.

Why are some people more likely to experience color blindness than others?

Color blindness is often inherited and linked to genetic mutations on the X chromosome, making it more common in males. Family history increases the likelihood of color blindness.

Can color blindness be corrected?

While it can't be cured, adaptive tools like special glasses and apps can help. Gene therapy is a potential future treatment under investigation.

Can color blindness affect driving?

Yes, it can make distinguishing traffic lights and signs challenging. You can usually still get a license, but you may need adaptive strategies to compensate.

How does color blindness affect daily life?

Color blindness can impact activities requiring color discrimination, such as coordinating clothing, cooking, and reading color-coded information. Tools and adaptive strategies can help manage these challenges.

When can you test for color blindness?

Color blindness testing can be done at any age, often starting in early childhood. Eye doctors use special tests to diagnose the condition.