Color blindness is a genetic visual deficiency that limits an individual’s ability to detect certain colors, usually red and green. It occurs when cones misinterpret wavelengths, and there is no cure. Approximately 8% of males and less than 1% of females are affected. It can be problematic for certain professions.
Color blindness is most often a genetic visual deficiency that limits the colors an individual can detect. Most people with the condition don’t just see in black and white. The colors affected are usually limited to green and red, which often appear as shades of brown or brown. Less often, the blue color can also be affected.
The human eye detects color with photoreceptors located on the retina at the back of the eye. These photoreceptors are of two types, rods and cones. Rod cells fill the peripheral edges of the retina and are used in low light conditions, such as in night vision. Rod cells don’t detect color well, but they allow people to see in the dark.
Cones appear throughout the retina and contain pigments that respond to certain colors. Pigments communicate with the brain when fired. This is how a person detects color. Cones require brighter light to function than rods, which is why we can’t see colors well in the dark.
Color blindness is the result of some cones misinterpreting the wavelengths that correspond to their respective colors. The colors red, green and blue have corresponding wavelengths. Red wavelengths are the longest, green colors generate medium wavelengths, and blue colors consist of the shortest wavelengths. If green cones, for example, only respond to slightly longer wavelengths, green will be interpreted by the brain as red.
There is no cure for color blindness, but it is usually not an inhibiting condition. Red and green traffic lights might look like similar shades of the same color, but those who are colorblind use the position of the light as an indicator of when to stop or go. Color blindness becomes more of a problem if the job requires color separation. This might be the case for an artist or designer, for example, or for an electrician who needs to see red, green, and yellow wiring diagrams.
Studies suggest that approximately eight percent of the world’s male population is genetically colorblind, while less than one percent of the female population is affected. In addition to genetic inheritance, some eye diseases or damage can cause color blindness. As we age, color sensitivity may decrease due to macular degeneration, cataracts or other conditions.
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