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Has your friend ever tried to show you a specific colour, but you failed to recognise it? Has it ever happened to you? If yes, then you probably have colour vision deficiency. In generic terms, we call it colour blindness. In this condition, you may be unable to perceive certain colours and even find it difficult to distinguish between specific shades. The severity of colour blindness usually varies from one person to another. Let us learn more about this deficiency with this blog.
Synopsis
Understanding Human Colour Vision
Around 3% of the world's population is likely to have colour blindness. Men are typically more affected than women. While it is 1:12 for men, it is 1:200 for women.
The entire human body works in a complex manner. Our vision is no different. It involves our eye’s ability to perceive and differentiate between different wavelengths of light. Our retina is the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of our eyes. They contain specialised cells called photoreceptors. These photoreceptors contain cone cells, which can detect colours and convey messages to the brain.
Below is a brief overview of the different types of cone cells:
|
TYPE |
SENSITIVITY |
RESPONSIBILITY |
|
Long-wavelength Cones (L-cones) |
Long wavelengths of light |
Detects and distinguishes between shades of red, orange, and other related warm colours. |
|
Medium-wavelength Cones (M-cones) |
Medium wavelengths of light |
Detects and distinguishes between shades of green, yellow & other colours perceivable in the middle spectrum. |
|
Short-wavelength Cones (S-cones) |
Short wavelengths of light |
Detects and distinguishes between shades of blue, violet, and other related cool colours. |
So, when these cones collaborate, your eyes can perceive a wide range of colours. The light enters your eyes and then strikes the retina, stimulating the cone cells. Finally, it triggers a neural response towards your brain and the brain interprets that signal and helps you perceive the colors.
Colour blindness occurs when any of these cone cells become less sensitive, absent, or malfunctioning. Now that you know about the basic principles of the color vision process let us understand the reasons behind color blindness.
Causes of Colour Blindness
Usually, color blindness is congenital. However, there can be acquired factors, as well. Let us dissect both these contributing aspects.
1. Genetic Factors
Genetic mutations are the most common cause affecting your cone cells. It is often linked to the X chromosome and follows an X-linked inheritance pattern. In India alone, congenital colour blindness affects around 8% of males and 0.5% of females.
It is more likely to affect men, as they have only one X chromosome. Usually, this condition impacts your perception of red/green or blue/yellow colours. Research has found that mothers are the primary carriers of such mutated genes of the X chromosome.
If your colour vision deficiency is inherited, your condition will stay more or less the same throughout your life. It will neither get better nor get worse.
2. Acquired Factors
Various aspects throughout your life can also result in colour blindness.
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Age: As you get older, your central retina part gets degenerated. This macula is responsible for a sharp vision. This deterioration often changes your colour perception. Most people experience a decline in colour vision after 70 years of age.
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Accidents: Accidents or strokes can damage your retina and may also impact part of your brain, resulting in colour blindness. Eye injuries can traumatise your optic nerves and cause permanent or temporary colour blindness.
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Chemicals: Industrial toxins have several negative effects. Colour blindness is one of them. Carbon disulphide, carbon monoxide, or other lead-containing chemicals are the most responsible.
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Eye Diseases: Cataracts can severely affect your colour vision. These are blurry areas developed in your eye lens. Other than that, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, retinal detachment, etc., can also damage your colour-perceiving power.
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Medications: Color blindness may occur as a side effect of several medications like antibiotics, anti-tuberculosis drugs, barbiturates, medicines for high blood pressure, etc.
These acquired factors usually affect you in the later days of life. A proper understanding of these causes will help you in the colour-blind testing and management of the condition.
Consult: The best eye hospital in Whitefield, Bangalore, for complications related to your eyes
Symptoms of Colour Blindness
Your symptoms will vary depending on the type and severity of color vision loss. Here are the common signs of this condition.
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Difficulty differentiating between colours, especially red/green or blue/yellow
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Trouble identifying different objects and even traffic signals
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Inability to distinguish subtle colour variations
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Reduced vision in low light, making it difficult to identify objects
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Impact on daily activities (clothing selection, food identification, etc.)
With mild colour blindness, you will be unable to perceive the different shades of colours. However, if your condition is severe, you will have a near-complete to complete inability to perceive colours.
Consult our top ophthalmologist in Whitefield for a colour deficiency test.
Types of Colour Blindness
Let us delve deeper into the characteristics of the different types of colour blindness.
| Dichromatism | Trichromatism | Monochromatism |
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How to Live with Colour Blindness?
There is no cure for genetic colour blindness, but there are some ways to manage them and live with this condition.
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Glasses: Medical science has come up with colour vision correction glasses. They are designed to enhance your colour perception and improve your ability to differentiate between colours.
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Application: Technology has come a long way. There are several mobile apps that can help identify colours with image recognition.
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Organisational Systems: You can always label the objects using non-colour cues. For example, their shapes, patterns, texture, etc.
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Accessibility: Your digital devices are built-in with accessibility features. For example, colour filters or contrast modes. You can utilise them to enhance your visibility and readability.
It is important to note that colour blindness can rarely cause complete disability. With a little support, you can live with them. It is important to spread more awareness about colour blindness. The more knowledge people will gather, the better the management procedure will be.
To receive the best colour deficiency treatment plan for your colour blindness, you can consult our best ophthalmologists at Manipal Hospitals Whitefield, Bangalore today.
FAQ's
There are specifically designed tests to diagnose colour blindness. You will be given an image made up of coloured dots. Your doctor will ask you to read them. Another method is to arrange objects in order of their colours.
If your condition is genetic, unfortunately, there is no cure for it yet. However, the doctor follows different approaches to manage the issue. This includes treating your underlying health condition or adjusting your medication.
Here are certain factors that are majorly impacted due to colour blindness:
- Interpretation of traffic lights
- Reading maps
- Interpretation of color-coded information
- Identification of food
- Reading or creating presentations and diagrams, etc.
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