Through Their Eyes: Understanding Color Vision Deficiancy
All humans are born colorblind. What differentiates babies who grow up to maintain their colorblindness from those who eventually lose it is the development of cones. A common misconception is that being colorblind means seeing only in black and white. In reality, the percentage of the population who can only see in black and white is actually less than 0.0001%.
From Colorblind Awareness
What is color blindness?Color blindness, also known as color vision deficiency, means that colors are perceived differently. The cause of color vision deficiency is an underdevelopment of a person’s cones. Cones are photoreceptor cells that allow us to see different colors and are classified as red, blue, or green. In some rare cases, none of the cones develop, meaning only the rods are functional. Both cones and rods are located in the retina of the eye. Color vision deficiency is a hereditary trait that can be passed on to family members, meaning that if one parent lacks red cones, it is likely that their child will also lack red cones.
From American Academy of Ophthalmology, the picture shows where cones and rods are located.
Forms of color vision deficiencyThe three different types of colorblindness are:
1. Anomalous trichromasyIn this disorder, all cones and rods are present in the eye however a specific color is weaker or less receptive than the others. These are usually not severe conditions that would change daily life. - Protanomaly: the eye cannot detect red light
- This condition does not get in the way of daily life; however, protanomaly is a more common version of colorblindness
- Deuteranomaly: the eye does not respond well to green light
- This condition does not severely impact lives; however, once again, very common
- Tritanomaly: the eye is limited when responding to blue light
- This condition is difficult to live with; however, it is extremely rare and is found in about 0.01% of people
From Midtown Optometry2. DichromasyThis is a type of color vision deficiency in which a person is completely missing a cone color. It is harder to live with due to the absence of an entire color in the retina.- Protanopia: the eye completely lacks red cones
- Since people with this condition do not have the ability to see the color red, red is replaced by black while green, orange, and yellow all appear as a singular shade of yellow
- Deuteranopia: the eye suffers from the absence of green cones
- This condition causes the color green to seem like beige while red appears as a color with a brownish hue
- Tritanopia: the eye does not have any blue cones
- People with this condition see variations of the color blue as green. In this condition, yellow will also appear as a pinkish or light-gray color.
From Colorblind Awareness
What is color blindness?
Color blindness, also known as color vision deficiency, means that colors are perceived differently. The cause of color vision deficiency is an underdevelopment of a person’s cones. Cones are photoreceptor cells that allow us to see different colors and are classified as red, blue, or green. In some rare cases, none of the cones develop, meaning only the rods are functional. Both cones and rods are located in the retina of the eye. Color vision deficiency is a hereditary trait that can be passed on to family members, meaning that if one parent lacks red cones, it is likely that their child will also lack red cones.
From American Academy of Ophthalmology, the picture shows where
cones and rods are located.
Forms of color vision deficiency
The three different types of colorblindness are:1. Anomalous trichromasy
In this disorder, all cones and rods are present in the eye however a specific color is weaker or less receptive than the others. These are usually not severe conditions that would change daily life.
- Protanomaly: the eye cannot detect red light
- This condition does not get in the way of daily life; however, protanomaly is a more common version of colorblindness
- Deuteranomaly: the eye does not respond well to green light
- This condition does not severely impact lives; however, once again, very common
- Tritanomaly: the eye is limited when responding to blue light
- This condition is difficult to live with; however, it is extremely rare and is found in about 0.01% of people
From Midtown Optometry
2. Dichromasy
This is a type of color vision deficiency in which a person is completely missing a cone color. It is harder to live with due to the absence of an entire color in the retina.
- Protanopia: the eye completely lacks red cones
- Since people with this condition do not have the ability to see the color red, red is replaced by black while green, orange, and yellow all appear as a singular shade of yellow
- Deuteranopia: the eye suffers from the absence of green cones
- This condition causes the color green to seem like beige while red appears as a color with a brownish hue
- Tritanopia: the eye does not have any blue cones
- People with this condition see variations of the color blue as green. In this condition, yellow will also appear as a pinkish or light-gray color.
From Animate Your Science
3. MonochromasyThis condition is categorized as complete color blindness. in the two different types of monochromasy, the vision of the people with this disorder is black and white. Their vision relies solely on their rods due to a lack of cones. Both types of this condition are exceptionally rare. - Rod monochromasy: the eye has no developed cones
- Also known as achromatopsia, rod monochromasy is when none of the usual cones develop in the retina causing the person with the condition to see in black and white
- Cone monochromasy: the eye has one developed cone
- In this condition patients, once again, see the world in black and white however this time one of their cones has actually developed. The problem with this is that all colors are combinations of at least two colors meaning that to be able to see anything you would need to have at least two functioning cones with different colors. Though people with cone monochromasy lack the ability to differentiate colors it is not as grave as achromatopsia (rod monochromasy).
From Site by Julia H.
3. Monochromasy
This condition is categorized as complete color blindness. in the two different types of monochromasy, the vision of the people with this disorder is black and white. Their vision relies solely on their rods due to a lack of cones. Both types of this condition are exceptionally rare.
- Rod monochromasy: the eye has no developed cones
- Also known as achromatopsia, rod monochromasy is when none of the usual cones develop in the retina causing the person with the condition to see in black and white
- Cone monochromasy: the eye has one developed cone
- In this condition patients, once again, see the world in black and white however this time one of their cones has actually developed. The problem with this is that all colors are combinations of at least two colors meaning that to be able to see anything you would need to have at least two functioning cones with different colors. Though people with cone monochromasy lack the ability to differentiate colors it is not as grave as achromatopsia (rod monochromasy).
Effects on daily lifeBeing color-blind presents challenges that go beyond seeing colors differently. In fact, 66–90% of colorblind people find it difficult to complete some everyday tasks. Here are some simple ways that it affects daily life:- graphics, maps, piecharts
- slides used in presentations
- recognizing color-coded traffic symbols
- patients with color vision deficiency are not allowed to obtain a driver's license in Romania, Turkey, or Singapore
- driving jobs and running industrial machinery are some of the jobs that are not available to the colorblind
- problems with appearance and relationships
- cooking and baking
- education (specifically science and subjects that include color)
- emotions and approach to different subjects
- poster or flyers
Treatments/SolutionsThough there is no panacea for color vision deficiency, there are some glasses and lenses that people with these conditions can wear to reduce the effect on daily life and activity.PurposeColorblindness is a common condition with about 300 million patients around the globe. One of them happens to be my PE teacher and coach for both volleyball and basketball. During one of my basketball practices, a conversation about colorblindness arose. I thought colorblindness meant that, for example, instead of seeing the color red, these people see the color green; however, since their childhood, they have been told that that color is red, so they call it red as well. When the coach said that she could not see the sunset, I was confused. Wouldn't she still be able to see the sunset just in another color, like purple? She explained how it just seemed like the same color as the building (which was white). She elaborated and said it just looked like there was a slight hue of haze. My coach's red cones are not developed, so she couldn't really see the truly beautiful sunset. Right then, I decided to understand what being colorblind actually means.
References:
Effects on daily life
Being color-blind presents challenges that go beyond seeing colors differently. In fact, 66–90% of colorblind people find it difficult to complete some everyday tasks. Here are some simple ways that it affects daily life:
- graphics, maps, piecharts
- slides used in presentations
- recognizing color-coded traffic symbols
- patients with color vision deficiency are not allowed to obtain a driver's license in Romania, Turkey, or Singapore
- driving jobs and running industrial machinery are some of the jobs that are not available to the colorblind
- problems with appearance and relationships
- cooking and baking
- education (specifically science and subjects that include color)
- emotions and approach to different subjects
- poster or flyers
Treatments/Solutions
Though there is no panacea for color vision deficiency, there are some glasses and lenses that people with these conditions can wear to reduce the effect on daily life and activity.
Purpose
Colorblindness is a common condition with about 300 million patients around the globe. One of them happens to be my PE teacher and coach for both volleyball and basketball. During one of my basketball practices, a conversation about colorblindness arose. I thought colorblindness meant that, for example, instead of seeing the color red, these people see the color green; however, since their childhood, they have been told that that color is red, so they call it red as well. When the coach said that she could not see the sunset, I was confused. Wouldn't she still be able to see the sunset just in another color, like purple? She explained how it just seemed like the same color as the building (which was white). She elaborated and said it just looked like there was a slight hue of haze. My coach's red cones are not developed, so she couldn't really see the truly beautiful sunset. Right then, I decided to understand what being colorblind actually means.
References:
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