Colour blindness
Symptoms
- It’s hard to see the difference between colours, their brightness
Diagnostics
Determined by a thorough eye examination
Treatment
- No specific treatment
What is colour blindness?
Also known as colour vision deficiency, it is a condition in which it is difficult or impossible for a person to distinguish between certain colours, usually shades of red, green, yellow and, less commonly, blue. Also known as colour blindness, total colour blindness is very rare.
- Protanomaly is a type that affects sensitivity to red light;
- Deuteranomaly – affects sensitivity to green light;
Both are known as “red/green” colour deficits and are the most common types of colour vision impairment. People with these colour vision deficits may have difficulty telling the difference between red, orange, yellow, brown and green, different shades of purple, or they may confuse red and black.
- Tritanomaly is a rarer type, also known as “blue/yellow” deficiency, which causes difficulty in distinguishing between blue, green and yellow;
- Monochromia – in very rare cases, colour vision may be completely absent, leaving only the various shades of white, black and grey.
What are the symptoms of colour blindness?
The main symptom of colour blindness is not seeing colours as most people do. If you have colour blindness, it can be difficult to see:
- The difference between colours;
- Colour brightness;
- Shades between similar colours.
What causes colour blindness?
Colour blindness is usually an inherited eye condition. However, a disease or injury to the eye that damages the optic nerve or retina can also affect colour blindness. Diseases that can cause colour deficiency:
- Diabetes;
- Glaucoma;
- Macular degeneration;
- Parkinson’s disease;
- Chronic alcoholism.
Colour blindness does not cause blindness.
How is colour blindness diagnosed?
There are two main tests used to diagnose colour blindness:
- Ishihara test – you are asked to read a number from a picture made up of lots of coloured dots;
- Colour placement test – there are different forms of this test;
These include matching or arranging coloured objects or images in the book according to their shades. Colour vision tests are not usually part of a routine eye examination, so please be sure to let us know if you would like to have such tests performed.
What help is available?
There is no cure for genetically transmitted colour blindness, but most people find ways to adapt to it. However, if colour blindness is caused by disease or eye injury, treatment for these conditions can improve colour vision. Lack of colour vision can be frustrating, but in most cases it is not a serious threat to vision. With time, patience and practice, people can adapt.
- With the help of family members or friends, mark clothes or other coloured items to make identification easier;
- Remember the order, not the colour e.g. red at the top of the traffic lights, yellow in the middle and green at the bottom.
Take care of your eyes!
Visit your nearest Optikos pasaulio showroom or register for an ophthalmologist consultation at Familia Clinica in Vilnius (Nemenčinės pl. 4D) and get a 15% discount with your Optikos pasaulio loyalty card.
Frequently asked questions
Ar galima išgydyti spalvinį aklumą?
Specifinio gydymo spalviniam aklumui nėra, tačiau daugelis žmonių randa būdą, kaip prie jo prisitaikyti.
Ar sergant spalviniu aklumu žmogus iš vis nemato spalvų?
Visiško spalvinio aklumo atvejai yra itin reti, dažniausiai žmogui turinčiam spalvinį aklumą, sudėtinga arba neįmanoma tarpusavyje atskirti tam tikrų spalvų, įprastai raudonos, žalios, geltonos ir, rečiau, mėlynos spalvos atspalvių.
Kaip diagnozuojamas spalvinis aklumas?
Spalvinio aklumo nustatymui naudojami du pagrindiniai testai, kurie apima spalvotų objektų ar atvaizdų derinimą ar išdėstymą knygoje pagal jų atspalvius.
