What is colour vision deficiency?

Posted by Suganm on December 30th, 2020

People who are suffering from Colour Vision Deficiency or color blindness will have difficulty in seeing or identifying certain colors or different shades of the same colour. In most cases, people cannot see the red and green components of colors. They may confuse them with yellow components. Colour Vision Deficiency is caused when there is a fault in the cone cells in your retina. It is mostly passed on to a child from their parents. The seriousness of the color vision deficiency can differ from individuals and many will not notice the syndrome unless they go for an eye test.

What are the Symptoms of Colour Vision Deficiency?

•          The common symptoms of colour blindness include:
•          Difficulty in distinguishing between colours
•          Inability to see shades of the same colours

Color blindness or Color Vision Deficiency is caused by several factors such as:

•          Inherited colour deficiency: Inherited disorders are more common in males than in females. It is usually affected in both eyes, and the severity doesn’t change over your lifetime.
•          Diseases: Certain diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, glaucoma, Parkinson’s, sickle cell anemia, etc may affect both the eyes and the colour vision deficiency can be better if the underlying diseases can be treated.
•          Chemicals: When you are exposed to some chemicals such as fertilizers, carbon disulfide, etc in your workplace, may incur a loss of colour vision.
•          Certain medications: Some medication can lead to colour vision deficiencies like treating autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure, heart problems, nerves disorder, etc.,
•          Aging: The ability to see the colours will slowly increase as you become old.

When to visit your doctor?

It is important to educate people on colour vision deficiency as in recent years efforts are made to make colour deficiency tests that are more accessible to the public. There is no treatment to cure colour vision deficiency but it can be lessened by using certain types of filters in the glasse. Some people don’t discover that they have colour vision deficiency until they become a grown-up adult. In case if you suspect a certain colour vision changes, it’s always better to consult an eye doctor for eye testing. It is also important for children to get a comprehensive eye examination as treatment may improve colour vision.