6 minutes
There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding what color blindness is. We show you what it is exactly, its types and characteristics.
Color blindness, also known as color vision deficiency, is a condition in which the ability to appreciate color is partially or totally diminished. It is a relatively common condition, since the studies they suggest that up to 8% of people of European descent can get it. We teach you everything you should know about this condition.
Men are more likely to develop color blindness because the gene that conditions the condition is located on the X chromosome. For example, and in contrast to the prevalence reported, it is believed that only 0.4% of women with ancestry European develop it. The condition has no cure, but there are treatment alternatives to achieve a normative life.
What is color blindness?
As the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), this condition is characterized because patients have a different appreciation of color. The human eye has two cells specialized in receiving and interpreting color: the rods and the cones. These, especially cones, react to different wavelengths of color.
At this point it should be remembered that colors are distinguished by the length of the frequency of their wave. Hues close to red (orange and yellow) have long wavelengths, while tones close to violet (indigo and blue) have shorter frequency lengths. Green, being in the middle of the spectrum, has a medium length.
In a person with color blindness, the pigments located in their cones have problems receiving or interpreting wavelengths. Therefore, the condition is caused by a misalignment of the cones of the retina of the eye.
There are several types of color blindness, although they are generally classified as red-green (the most common of all), blue-yellow and total color blindness. Each of these has sub-classifications according to the characteristics of the spectrum perception. For example, four are distinguished in the red-green, two in the blue-yellow and two in the complete one.
For all this, it is wrong to say that it is a homogeneous condition. Not all color blind is the same, so not everyone appreciates colors in the same way. In accordance with The experts, only 1 in 30,000 people develop achromatopsia, the full variant of the condition.
Causes of color blindness
We have already explained the mechanism by which the mismatch in color perception is created. Now, why does this imbalance occur? Broadly speaking, we can determine two processes: one acquired and one inherited. Acquired color blindness describes the manifestation of the condition due to environmental causes or diseases; while the inherited one is due to a genetic predisposition. Let’s look at it in more detail.
Genetic disorders
The congenital color blindness describes those deficiencies in the perception of color that have been inherited by the parents. It is more common in men and most cases correspond to red-green deficiencies. Patients usually have a stable condition (it does not improve or worsens) and usually affects both eyeballs.
Intake of some medications
Taking some medications can cause mild or moderate color blindness. Certain drugs used to treat nervous disorders, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, infections, and mental disorders can predispose some patients to developing it. For example, it’s known ethambutol has been able to generate it for decades (used to treat tuberculosis).
Age progression
Our vision naturally deteriorates as we age. Therefore, the ability of the cones to distinguish the wavelengths of color decreases. This is why some patients develop the condition as a result of aging, without any other cause involved.
Infections or diseases
Certain underlying diseases can impair the ability to perceive or interpret colors. Patients diagnosed with glaucoma, Parkinson’s disease, leukemia, macular degeneration, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, and chronic alcoholism can manifest this eye condition.
Exposure to chemicals
These products can be those contained in fertilizers, for example. Exposure to some toxic chemicals can temporarily or permanently impair your ability to distinguish colors.
Symptoms of color blindness
If you have the condition congenitally, you probably don’t know it. This occurs in principle when it manifests itself in a mild way, since all your life you have interpreted the world with a minimum difference in the hue of some colors.
The most common form is red-green color blindness. Therefore, you may have trouble distinguishing these colors from each other (it can be mild, moderate, or severe). Differentiating the red and green of a traffic light is often not an easy task for a color blind with this type.
Most people with color blindness become accustomed to their perception and make automatic relationships with colored objects. For example, they know that the grass is green because they have learned that it is; although in practice they may not be competent in differentiating it.
Colors may appear less saturated, sharp, or bright. This also happens with blue-yellow color blindness. The total variant is very rare, characterized by the fact that patients cannot distinguish any color. In essence, they perceive their reality in different shades of gray.
Treatment options
Acquired color blindness can be reversed by treating the underlying disease, the infectious process, prescribing different drugs, and so on. This at least in most cases, since in some the collateral damage is permanent. The hereditary condition has no cure, although there are alternatives to facilitate the day-to-day life of patients.
For example, there are mobile applications and special glasses that help distinguish colors. Although they do not allow perfect vision, they are of great help when crossing the color blind barrier. In Google Play and the App Store you can download dozens of tools that help color blind people to appreciate how a person distinguishes colors without their affection (and vice versa).
In practice, most color blind people find a way to cope with the condition. Learning color patterns (like the order of colors at traffic lights), labeling your clothes, distinguishing additional color factors, and so on. It is a condition that limits in many ways, but with some effort it does not have to condition all of the patient’s life experiences.
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