Different Types Of Colour Blindness

There are three types of color blindness; Red-Green color blindness indicated by a limited function of either the red or green cone photopigment. (Cone cells are responsible for detecting color). Blue- Yellow color blindness causes a person to confuse blues with green and yellows with violet. Then there is complete colour blindness where a person is unable to distinguish any colour. They only perceive colour in shades of gray.

How Does Red And Green Affect Your Vision?

The ability to distinguish colour is determined by cells in our eyes called cones. There are three cones that help a person to see color; red, green and blue. Red-Green blindness therefore follows that a person has reduced sensitivity to red light and green light. This means that they have difficulty differentiating between reds, greens, browns and oranges. They also find it difficult to distinguish hues of blues and purple.

Causes Of Color- Blindness

A lack of ability to perceive certain colours in the spectrum is a common condition in a large percentage of males worldwide. The most common condition is where the red cones and/or green cones are not working properly. Color blindness is largely caused by; Genes inherited from our parents. Ageing, Physical injury to the eye, Optic nerve damage, Cataracts damage to the part of the brain that processes colour information.

How Does Colour Blindness Affect My Life

Color blindness is not a prison sentence. Life doesn’t abruptly come to a halt once you discover you are colour blind. A vast population of mankind does not realise they are colour- blind. It is, however, important to know if one has this condition especially if they are involved in certain professions which require one to perceive and differentiate different colours in products, items or signage.