Color Blindness
Written by: Chelsea Boyd, Period 9
What is Color Blindness?
Color Blindness is the inability or decreased ability to see color and color differences under normal conditions.
Discovery
In 1794, John Dalton, as shown on the left, said that he wanted his eyes to be checked after his death. He wanted this because he was thinking that the colors of other people and how people precept colors differently.
Color Blindness Chromosome
When affected by color blindness, the chromosome had chromosomal abnormalities. This disorder can be found on the X chromosome called the 'cone cell',found on chromosome number 23. Color blindness is an inherited disorder. It is most likely is found in males. If there are members in your family that have been affected by color blindness then there is a chance that you will be affected too. On the right, there is a chart showing the outcomes of a family with a mother that is a carrier of color blindness.
Types of Color Blindness
There are some different types of color blindness that can affect you. There is protanopia, deuteranopes, tritanopes. Furthermore on protanopia, they confuse black with some dark reds, dark brown and green, dark red and orange, purple and dark pinks. In deuteranopes, they mix up light blue and light purple, pale pinks and grays, some greens and yellows, and lastly some greens and reds. Finally, with tritanopes, they get light blues and grays, oranges and reds, and blue and greens mixed up. On the left, there is a chart showing what the effects are of multiple types of color blindness.
Determining if an Individual has Color Blindness
There are multiple ways that pediatricians can tell if an individual has color blindness. One thing is that when you go for your yearly check up, they give you a card with colors on it and you have to tell what color is on the card. Another test is the Ishihara Plate test. During this test you are given plates with numbers that are colored. You are asked that color the number is in the middle of the plate. This test has been shown to be accurate in determining color blindness. In the picture to the right, it shows the Ishihara Plate test showing the number 29 in red with a green background. This is only one of the may tests they use when determining color blindness.
The Impact of Color Blindness
Most disorders that are diagnosed in this day and age most likely limit you life span. Although, color blindness does not. Living with color blindness does not have an impact of your life expectancy.
Symptoms
If an individual has color blindness, there are some symptoms that come along with it. Having color blindness increases the chance of glaucoma. Taking medication for color blindness can also damage your retina and optic nerve. All together, people will color blindness have trouble telling the difference of colors.
Living with this Disorder
There is no real treatment or medication that can cure color blindness. Although, if you have an underlying problem that is causing this disorder and is making it worse, by fixing, curing, or preventing that problem can help. There is a brad of contact lens that can also help. These contacts reduce the symptoms of color blindness and help show more colors that you could not regularly see. Shown on the right are the contact lenses that can help with color blindness.
Support
There is a organization by the name The Color Blindness Awareness Organization that helps people with color blindness. If you have color blindness or you know someone with color blindness they are a very helpful and reliable resource you should look into. To the right, there is the Color Blindness Awareness Organization's Logo.