People share a common color vision sensory, but a few have a lack of color sensory, in which their sight of colors is different from the rest of us. This is called color blindness and people with it are not aware of differences in colors compared to others. People with mild types of color blindness won’t be aware until they’re tested in a clinic. Color blindness is the inability to see red, green, blue, or any mix of these colors. The majority of people who are colorblind inherited this condition from their parents. The eye has three types of cone cells, sensing red, green, and blue light. These cones are connected to the main part of the retina, the center of our vision.
Types Of Color Blindness
The most common types of color blindness are inherited, a result of genetic defects in the eye’s photopigments sensitivity to color. Other defects can mean no photopigment adaptation. Depending on the type of defect, they can be affect our red, green, or blue color vision.The most common form is the loss of the red cone and green cone photopigments, also called red-green color blindness. Blue-yellow color blindness is another form in which the blue-cone photopigments are not present. People with complete color blindness, also called monochromacy, see no color at all.
Treating Color Blindness
There is no cure for color blindness, but people with red-green color blindness can use special lenses to help them look at colors accurately. The lenses only be used outside under bright conditions. Visual aids have also been made to help people with color blindness, as well as apps, that help those with color blindness be able to identify some colors. They take a picture and tap the image to see the color and even its shade. These different apps can be really be helpful in selecting fruits or finding certain colors when picking out clothing and furniture.
Causes Of Color Blindness
Color blindness is a genetic condition caused by how one or more of the light-sensitive cells found in the retina responds to certain colors. The cells, or cones, sense wavelengths of light, giving us the power to note different colors; however, the change in sensitivity in one cone can make someone color blind. It can also be caused by physical damage to the eye, optic nerve, or any part of the brain that can process colors. Color vision can also be affected as we get older because of cataracts, the clouding and yellowing of the eye’s lens.
An estimated 9 percent of people in North America have the common form of red-green color blindness, making regular everyday tasks a challenge. Traffic lights, TV screens, maps, and other colored objects can cause a major challenge. But continuing research is advancing the cause to improving the lives of the color blind and make it easier for them to work in everyday settings.
If you have any questions about color blindness or would like to schedule an appointment with an optometrist in Centralia, contact Innovations in Eyecare today at (360) 736-7385