Color blindness describes a condition that causes a person to have a deficiency in their ability to view color. A color blind person is not blind and can otherwise see normally. A red and green deficiency is the most common, while blue and yellow deficiency is rare. Prevent Blindness America estimates that around 8% of males and less than 1% of females are color blind.
The Symptoms of Color Blindness
How does a person determine that they are color blind if they were born with the condition and never saw color the way others do? Color blindness is inherited and can be diagnosed early in childhood. An eye doctor can use HRR (Hardy-Rand-Rittler) and Ishihara Color Plates screening tests to evaluate patients.
The only real symptom of this condition is a deficiency in how a person interprets colors. Most patients see a washed out hue. It is rare for someone to only see gray tones.
The Cause of Color Blindness
There are six to seven million cones in our eyes that are responsible for letting us see color. They are found in the center of the retina in an area called the macula. When these photoreceptors do not respond as they are supposed to, it prohibits the eye from seeing certain colors properly.
If you had normal sight and suddenly notice an inability to see colors, contact Eye Michigan immediately for an appointment. This is not normal and could be an indication of another health issue, like cataracts.
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