Color blindness – What is it, Symptoms and Treatments!

Color blindness – What is it, Symptoms and Treatments of this visual impairment in which the individual is not able to recognize and differentiate some specific colors. In addition, the disorder is named after the English chemist John Dalton, who was the first to study the characteristics of color blindness .

Colorblindness , also known as partial color blindness, is a sex-linked abnormality caused by a gene located on the X chromosome. The name Colorblindness comes from the name of English chemist John Dalton, who in 1974 published a study revealing that he had difficulty the green color from red.

color blindness

Three types of color blindness are known:

  • In the first type the person does not distinguish the purple color from the red color. This type of color blindness is conditioned by a recessive gene located on an autosome chromosome, remembering that autosome chromosomes are those that do not differ between males and females.
  • In the second type of color blindness , the person sees red as if it were green.
  • In the third type of color blindness , the person cannot distinguish green from red, seeing both colors as brown.
  • The second and third types of color blindness are conditioned by genes located on the X chromosome, that is, they are sex-linked.

Color vision is thanks to light-sensitive pigments ( proteins ) found in cones (special cells in the retina). In each cone there is a type of pigment produced by the action of a specific gene: there are those that are activated by the wavelength of red light, those that are activated by the green light and those that are activated by the blue light.

From mutations, altered alleles of these genes can arise in the population, which are incapable of producing one or the other pigment. Thus, we can say that color blindness is conditioned by a mutant allele on the X chromosome of the gene responsible for producing one of the visual pigments.

Causes of Colorblindness: The signs and symptoms of Colorblindness usually vary in intensity depending on the person and according to the type of disorder. In general, the most common signs can include:

  • Difficulty seeing colors and their different shades and brightness in a normal way
  • Inability to distinguish the difference between shades of the same or similar colors

Often the symptoms can be so mild that some people may not even realize they are colorblind. But it is very common for parents to notice signs of color blindness when a child is learning to differentiate between colors.

Symptoms of Colorblindness: Colorblindness is a relatively easy condition to diagnose, and its symptoms have different intensities according to the type. If you or someone you know has trouble seeing colors or can’t tell the difference between shades, it’s likely color blindness . Sometimes the symptoms are so mild that some people don’t even realize they are colorblind. In children , color blindness is usually identified at the age when children begin to learn colors.

Colorblindness Treatments : Color vision problemsthat are inherited cannot be treated or corrected.
For the most common type of color blindness , namely a deficiency in the colors green and red, no treatment is needed because people function normally. The person may not be aware that he does not see colors as they are seen by others.

Some acquired color vision problems can be treated, depending on the cause. For example, if a cataract is causing a problem with color vision, surgery to remove the cataract can restore normal color vision .
You can find ways to help compensate for a color vision problem , such as:

The use of colored contact lenses. These can help you see the differences between colors. But these lenses do not provide normal color vision and can distort objects.

Wearing glasses that block glare. People with severe color vision problems can better see the differences between colors when there is less glare.

Learn to control cues like brightness or location rather than color. For example, you can learn the order of the three colored lights on a traffic light.

Illnesses:

Some conditions can lead to color blindness. See the main ones:

Useful links: 

Other eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration can also contribute to the problem.

  • Medicines
  • Drugs used to treat high blood pressure and some psychological disorders can increase a person’s chances of developing color blindness .
  • Chemicals
  • A person who is exposed to certain chemicals, such as carbon sulphide and some fertilizers, may also be more susceptible to color blindness .
  • Aging
  • The ability to see, distinguish and recognize colors can slowly deteriorate as a natural part of the aging process.

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