Color Blindness
How to Identify Color Blindness?
Color blindness describes a condition in which a person cannot
identify color properly. There are a couple of types of color
blindness and each one is related to a problem with the functionality
of the cells inside the retina that deal with processing light
sensitivity. The rod cells can be activated by low light while
the cone cells are activated by daylight.
The pigments inside each of the 3 cone cells react and respond
respectively as each absorbs light. Each pigment processes
a special wavelength, which are short, medium and long. In
a normal eye, this interaction and overlap between the cones,
pigments and the amount of light each absorbs as the eye processes
a variety of images is what makes it possible to create the
wide spectrum of color which most individuals are able to
view.
Color blindness occurs when one or more of the 3 cone systems
fail to function properly or at all. Some affected individuals
cannot detect any color and the life they see is monochrome.
It's as though these individuals continually view black and
white movies. Called monochromacy, this is the rarest form
of color defect. Dichromacy (red-green defects) of which there
are 3 different types and anomalous trichromacy (blue-yellow)
are usually more common.
Symptoms of Color Blindness
The major symptom of color blindness is an inability to differentiate
and/or correctly identify colors, particularly reds and greens
and blues and yellows.
In most of the cases, color blindness is hereditary, which
is something that runs in the family. However, color blindness
could be a result of damage to the optic nerve, the eye (specifically
the retina) and even the brain. In some cases, this eye condition
has been traced back to chemical exposure which includes exposure
to medicines and poisons.
Interesting enough, color blindness happens to men more than
women. Age plays a role in partial color blindness. As our
eyes age, the lens tends to become darker which translates
into images taking on a darker hue.
How to Detect Color Blindness
Basically, color blindness is very easy to detect with Pseudoisochromatic
Plate tests. The plates contain colored dots, with the background
dots being one color. Another dot color forms the image of
a number. Someone with normal color vision will be able to
identify the number whereas someone with a color defect cannot
distinguish the pattern which has been created using the different
colored dots.
Color blindness which is passed down from parent cannot be
'cured' because pigments are lacking. In cases of acquired
color blindness, vision might be successfully corrected if
the underlying problem can be treated.
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