Color blindness

What is color blindness? Color-blindness is the inability to distinguish the differences between certain colors. This condition results from an absence of color-sensitive pigment in the cone cells of the retina, the nerve layer at the back of the eye. Most color vision problems are inherited and are present at birth. Approximately 1 out of 12 males and 1 out of 20 women are color blind What causes color blindness? The human eye has three types of cone cells, with each one sensing red, green, or blue light. These cones are found in the macula, which is connected to the main part of the retina. For those who with colorblindness, typically, either one of these cone cells are not working properly, or simply ceases to exist. A person will either not see one of the three basic colors (red, blue, or green), or, may see a different shade of that specific color. Color blindness can be inherited genetically. The majority of people who are colorblind inherited this condition from their parents, and is present at birth. It is most commonly inherited from mutations on the X chromosome but the mapping of the human genome has shown there are many causative mutations mutations capable of causing color blindness originate from at least 19 different chromosomes and many different genes. These are some of the inherited diseases known to cause color blindness: Cone dystrophy, Cone-rod dystrophy, Achromatopsia (aka Rod Monochromatism, aka Stationery Cone Dystrophy, aka Cone Dysfunction Syndrome), Blue cone monochromatism, Retinitis pigmentosa (initially affects rods but can later progress to cones and therefore color blindness), Diabetes, Age-Related Macular degeneration, Retinoblastoma, and Leber's congenital amaurosis. However, colorblindness is not always inherited. Color blindness can also be caused from a variety of vision problems, including: Acular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or cataracts Injury to the eye Aging Side effect of some medicines. UV Damage: Typically caused during childhood where over-exposure to UV rays causes degeneration of the retina, this is the leading cause of blindness in the world Shaken Baby Syndrome: This can cause retina and brain damage and therefore can cause color blindness in infants and children. The damage is permanent so the effects will be carried on into adult life.

Men inherit colour blindness 10 times as often as women do. Color blindness "shows up" in men because they have only one X chromosome.

 Types of color vision deficiency Based on this knowledge about our visual system we easily can put together the list of different forms of color blindness. All of them have a direct relation to the available photoreceptors in your eye and are accordingly categorized. Monochromatism: Either no cones available or just one type of them. Dichromatism: Only two different cone types, the third one is missing completely. Anomalous trichromatism: All three types but with shifted peaks of sensitivity for one of them. This results in a smaller color spectrum. Dichromats and anomalous trichromats exist again in three different types according to the missing cone or in the latter case of its malfunctioning. Tritanopia/Tritanomaly: Missing/malfunctioning S-cone (blue). Deuteranopia/Deuteranomaly: Missing/malfunctioning M-cone (green). Protanopia/Protanomaly: Missing/malfunctioning L-cone (red). For a better understanding you can also call them blue-, green-, or red-weakness respectively -blindness. Symptoms of Color Blindness The symptoms of color blindness are often observed by parents when children are young. In other cases, symptoms are so slight; they may not even be noticed. Common symptoms of color blindness include: Difficulty distinguishing between colors Inability to see shades or tones of the same color Rapid eye movement (in rare cases) How is color blindness diagnosed? Tests measure how well you recognize different colors. In one type of test, you look at sets of colored dots and try to find a pattern in them, such as a letter or number. The patterns you see help your doctor know which colors you have trouble with. In another type of test, you arrange colored chips in order according to how similar the colors are. People with color vision problems cannot arrange the colored chips correctly Treatment: Inherited color vision problems

cannot be treated or corrected. However, Gene therapy for color blindness is an experimental gene therapy aiming to convert congenitally colorblind individuals to trichromats by introducing a photo pigment gene that they lack. 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 may restore normal color vision. You can find ways to help make up for a color vision problem, such as: Wearing colored contact lenses. These may help you see differences between colors. But these lenses don't provide normal color vision and can distort objects. Wearing glasses that block glare. People with color vision problems can see differences between colors better when there is less glare and brightness. Learning to look for cues like brightness or location, rather than colors. For example, you can learn the order of the three colored lights on a traffic signal