What Are The Symptoms of Color Blindness?

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EyeQue Team

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April 19, 2021

Color Swatches

Color Blindness Symptoms

Color blindness, or color vision deficiency (CVD), is the inability to perceive colors in their true form. There are different types of color blindness that affect different colors (Tritan, Protan, and Deutan). There are also different severities of CVD – some people can have very mild symptoms, while others can have severe symptoms.

Color blind person

The most common symptoms of color blindness include:

  • Trouble distinguishing between colors
  • Colors not appearing as bright as they actually are
  • Difficulty discerning the difference between similar shades and hues

The colors most commonly affected are red, green, blue, and yellow. Color blindness does not usually affect the clarity or sharpness of vision except for in the most severe cases.

There is a rare condition called achromatopsia that causes people to see exclusively in shades of gray. There are a few eye conditions that could be associated with achromatopsia, including amblyopia, nystagmus, light sensitivity, and poor vision.

Who Is At Risk for Color Blindness?

Color blindness is much more prevalent in men than in women. In fact, one in 10 men suffers from some variation of this condition. It is also more common for people of Northern European descent to have color vision deficiency.

These eye conditions and systemic problems are often associated with color blindness:

  • Glaucoma
  • Macular Degeneration
  • Diabetes
  • Leukemia
  • Sickle Cell Anemia
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Chronic Alcoholism

There are also drugs that can damage color vision. Plaquenil, or hydroxychloroquine, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is one such medication. People taking this medication should have their color vision checked at their yearly eye exam.

Diagnosing Color Blindness

There are several different eye tests that can help you determine if you have color vision deficiency. The most common is the Ishihara color test which is comprised of colored dots in two (or more) colors. Other tests for color deficiency include the Cambridge color test, the Anomaloscope color blindness test, and the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test.

EyeQue offers a free, online version of the Ishihara color test. You can take the color blindness test here and find out if you have CVD in a couple of minutes!

 

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