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Common Misconceptions and Real Facts about Colour Blindness

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Colour blindness is an eye issue that many people experience, especially as they age. However, many people are unaware of all the effects of colour blindness. Colour blindness is an eye condition in which your retina is unable to distinguish one colour from another. It is a genetic condition in which the cones in your retina, also known as light-sensitive cells, respond to certain colours differently.

Many people have different misconceptions about colour blindness that may cause you to deal with it the wrong way. While there may be no definite cure for colour blindness, it is good to be aware of the common facts associated with it as well as the misconceptions that we have mentioned below.

2 Common Misconceptions about Colour Blindness

1.      People struggling with colour blindness are unable to see Red

This is one of the biggest misconceptions, which are obviously not true. Even though red is one of the main colours that colour blind people can’t see, not all individuals with colour blindness face this issue. They can see it, but are just unable to distinguish it from other shades.

2.      You cannot see any colour if you are colour blind

Colour blindness is not an inability to see different colours; in fact, it is the inability to distinguish one colour from the other. This happens when your condition is extremely severe; hence to some extent, this misconception could be true.

Real Facts about Colour Blindness

  1. Colour-blindness, specifically red-green, is the most common type of blindness.
  2. Newborn babies are born colour blind initially, however their colour vision starts to build up properly as they reach their 6th
  3. Colour blindness is not very common; only 1 in 12 men are colour blind, and 1 in 200 women also have the condition. To sum it up, 95% of colour blind people are men in which 98% of them have red-green colour blindness.
  4. Protan, Deutan, and Tritan are the three main types of colour vision deficiency.
  5. If a woman gets diagnosed with a red-green colour blind deficiency, it is most likely that her sons will also inherit colour blindness.
  6. Unfortunately, there is no proper cure or treatment for colour blindness.
  7. Colourblind people may only be able to see 2 to 3 colours on the rainbow, compared to a normally sighted person who can see them all.

Conclusion

Now that you’re aware of the common misconceptions and facts associated with colour blindness, you can use your knowledge to help people struggling with it, especially if they’re unaware. You must encourage them to get their eyes tested specifically for colour blindness or go for a comprehensive eye test. Keeping these facts and misconceptions in mind will help people deal with colour blindness much better.

Written by Total Focus

At Total Focus Optometry, we’ve spent the last 70 years building meaningful relationships with our patients and their families. From routine eye exams to contact lens fittings we offer our patients a variety of services to meet their eye care needs.

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