Are you one of the unlucky few who are unable to see the full spectrum of color? Those of us who are not color blind will never understand how frustrating it could be to not get to see the vibrant colors earth has to offer. We wanted to offer a little insight to our patients about color blindness.
What is Color Blindness?
Color blindness is when you see colors differently than the vast majority of people.
Telling the difference between red and green is the most common type of color blindness, which can make learning to drive a little bit trickier. Another type will make it hard to tell the difference between blue and yellow. There is a variation where you cannot see color at all but that is rare.
How do I know if I am?
It is completely possible for someone to not realize they have color blindness in some cases because the symptoms are so mild. Some symptoms include:
- Trouble seeing the difference between colors
- Trouble seeing how bright colors are
- Trouble seeing different shades of colors
What Causes Color Blindness?
Color blindness is most commonly a genetic trait that is passed down in families. Other causes could be some kind of damage to your eye or brain. Also, just like your eyesight, your color vision could start to get worse as you age.
You are more likely to be color blind if you:
- Have a family history of it
- Have glaucoma
- Have age-related macular degeneration
- Take certain medicines
Diagnosis
The fastest way to find out for sure if you are color blind is to ask your eye doctor at your yearly visit. Your doctor will be able to run a test that will tell you if you are able to see color normally or not.
If you think you might be color blind but have not been diagnosed, mention at your next appointment with us! We would be glad to check for you.