Color blindness is a condition where a person’s eyes are unable to perceive color in the same way as most other people. Approximately 300 million people worldwide have some form of color blindness, and the condition is far more common for men than for women – 1 in 12, versus 1 in 200.
Most of the time, color blindness is caused by genetic inheritance. That’s to say, most people are simply born with color blindness, due to genes passed down through (usually) their mother.
Despite being fairly common, color blindness is often misunderstood. Let’s address a few questions we often hear.
Why Are People Color Blind?
It has to do with how our eyes take in light and interpret it.
The back of our eyes have structures which are called cones, because they look like tiny cones. There are three types of cones, with each ‘tuned’ to receive a different wavelength of light. These roughly correspond to the colors red, green, and blue.
So, for example, if the red cones failed to develop properly, the person becomes unable to perceive the color red. So their view of the world is entirely based in greens and blues.
Is Color Blindness All-or-Nothing?
No, it’s a spectrum. Some people may have mild forms of color blindness, where one color spectrum is muted, but still present. They’d see the color as less bright or vibrant than other people, but can still perceive it.
At the far other end, there are people who effectively view the world in shades of gray, with no color perception at all.
Most commonly, however, people with color blindness are missing one color in particular, while still being able to perceive the other colors in a normal way.
Can You Develop Color Blindness Later In Life?
Yes. It is possible to become color blind through outside factors. These include:
- Direct damage to the eye.
- Exposure to chemicals that harm the nervous system
- Long-term exposure to especially bright lights, such as welding. (ALWAYS wear a mask when welding!)
- Certain medications like hydroxychloroquine.
- Various eye diseases such as glaucoma or cataracts.
- Neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s and MS.
Most of the time, acquired color blindness causes loss of blue and/or yellow vision.
Color blindness cannot be cured, but mild forms can sometimes be countered with specialty lenses. If you believe you or your child is color blind, contact Valley Eyecare Center for tests and to discuss your options!
