Colour blindness or colour vision deficiency is the inability to identify differences between some of the colours that others can distinguish. It doesn’t mean they can’t see any colours at all like a black and white movie, it means that they have trouble seeing the difference between certain colours. It may make it harder to learn and read, and to take up certain careers. It is most often of genetic nature, but may also occur because of eye, nerve, or brain damage, or exposure to certain chemicals.
What Causes Colour Blindness:
Colour vision depends on the absorption of light by visual pigments contained within specialized cells in the eye called photoreceptors. Inherited defects result mainly from missing or incorrect visual pigments. There are different types of inherited defects, with different levels of severity.
A colour vision problem is not always inherited. In some cases a person can have an acquired colour vision problem. This can be caused by
Aging
Some diseases affecting the eye
Injury to the eye
Side effects of some medications
How Common Is It?
It is more common in males. Red green colour blindness is by far the most common form blue yellow colour deficiency also exists but is much rarer.
When Should Children Be Screened?
Children 6 years and older should be checked for colour perception or at least once during the school going years.
What Problems Do Affected People Face?
Affected people have difficulty in identifying indicators, traffic lights, purchasing clothing, difficulty in making simple observations in everyday life like colours of flowers, crayons, toys, etc. It can be a hindrance for taking up certain occupations.
How does it affect career choices?
Certain career choices may need to be considered these include:
Driver
Pilot
Armed forces
Colour matcher in textile, paints & cosmetics.
Electrical work
Navigation
Hence early detection & career counseling is necessary for proper guidance.
How Do You Test For Colour Vision Deficiency?
Colour blindness is normally diagnosed through clinical testing.
These simple tests basically involve identifying certain colours against a background and finding a pattern in them such as a number or a letter, or arranging a set of colours in a particular pattern.
The patterns you see help your doctor determine which colours you have trouble with.
How Can It Be Managed?
Although there is no treatment for inherited colour blindness, most colour deficient persons compensate well for their defect and may even discover instances in which they can discern details and images that would escape normal sighted persons, for instance they are better at spotting camouflage than normal individuals who are fooled by it.
There may be something you can do to help compensate for a colour vision problem like using specially tinted contact lenses and eye glasses which may help you see differences between colours. Colour vision problems cannot be prevented. Some acquired colour vision problems can be treated, depending on the cause.
What Causes Colour Blindness:
Colour vision depends on the absorption of light by visual pigments contained within specialized cells in the eye called photoreceptors. Inherited defects result mainly from missing or incorrect visual pigments. There are different types of inherited defects, with different levels of severity.
A colour vision problem is not always inherited. In some cases a person can have an acquired colour vision problem. This can be caused by
Aging
Some diseases affecting the eye
Injury to the eye
Side effects of some medications
How Common Is It?
It is more common in males. Red green colour blindness is by far the most common form blue yellow colour deficiency also exists but is much rarer.
When Should Children Be Screened?
Children 6 years and older should be checked for colour perception or at least once during the school going years.
What Problems Do Affected People Face?
Affected people have difficulty in identifying indicators, traffic lights, purchasing clothing, difficulty in making simple observations in everyday life like colours of flowers, crayons, toys, etc. It can be a hindrance for taking up certain occupations.
How does it affect career choices?
Certain career choices may need to be considered these include:
Driver
Pilot
Armed forces
Colour matcher in textile, paints & cosmetics.
Electrical work
Navigation
Hence early detection & career counseling is necessary for proper guidance.
How Do You Test For Colour Vision Deficiency?
Colour blindness is normally diagnosed through clinical testing.
These simple tests basically involve identifying certain colours against a background and finding a pattern in them such as a number or a letter, or arranging a set of colours in a particular pattern.
The patterns you see help your doctor determine which colours you have trouble with.
How Can It Be Managed?
Although there is no treatment for inherited colour blindness, most colour deficient persons compensate well for their defect and may even discover instances in which they can discern details and images that would escape normal sighted persons, for instance they are better at spotting camouflage than normal individuals who are fooled by it.
There may be something you can do to help compensate for a colour vision problem like using specially tinted contact lenses and eye glasses which may help you see differences between colours. Colour vision problems cannot be prevented. Some acquired colour vision problems can be treated, depending on the cause.
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