Colour Blindness

There are three types of Colour blindness:- 

1. Red-green colourblindness  
   1. Deuteranomaly- In this condition, green appears redder.
   2. Protanomaly- In this condition, red appears greener.
   3. Protanopia and deuteranopia- In this condition, a person is unable to differentiate between red and green.
2. Blue-yellow colour blindness
   1. Tritanomaly- In this condition, a person can’t differentiate between blue-green and red-yellow colours.
   2. Tritanopia- In this condition, a person can’t differentiate between blue-green, purple-red, and yellow-pink.
3. Complete colour blindness 
   1. Monochromacy- It is termed as the inability to see the colours.

What are the causes and risk factors of colour blindness?

1. Mostly genetics is the leading cause of colourblindness by X-linked recessive genes.
2. If a person is exposed to some type of chemicals such as styrene and fertilisers, colour blindness can be seen.
3. Age can play an important role in colour blindness. The elderly population is commonly affected.
4. Certain drugs used to treat conditions related to heart, blood pressure, neurological conditions, and psychological conditions can also cause colour blindness.
5. Few conditions like diabetes, glaucoma, alcoholism, anaemia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's may damage the optic nerve or retina, causing colour blindness.

What are the symptoms of colourblindness?

1. Difficulty in identifying colours or brightness of colours
2. Inability to identify the difference between red-green, and blue-yellow
3. Vision loss
4. Involuntary eye movements
5. Decreased eyesight

How to diagnose colour blindness?

Diagnosis is made by using the following test

1. Ishihara test- a person is asked to recognise different numbers present within the images made up of dots of different colours.
2. Arrangement of colour- a person is asked to arrange the objects in order of shades.

What is the treatment for colour blindness?

1. At present, there is no cure for colour blindness. There are no medications available.
2. Colour blindness glasses are available to treat red and green colour blindness. 
3. The glasses work by adjusting specific wavelengths of light.
4. To treat total colour blindness, a device called eyeborg is available. It works by recognising colour through sound waves.
5. If colour blindness is due to drugs, it can be treated by adjusting the medication by talking to the doctor.

Lifestyle modifications

1. Using smartphone applications to name colours. It is useful while choosing clothes by taking pictures and other activities.
2. Using thermometers to check the right temperature while cooking different kinds of meats.
3. While in school, inform the teachers about your colour blindness and take their help for school projects.
4. To read the traffic lights depending on the position of light instead of colour. In the case of traffic lights, the top position indicates stopping, and the middle position indicates the light is about to change, the bottom position indicates moving the vehicle.
5. Labelling the objects in red, green, blue, and yellow colours with the help of family, friends, and colleagues.
6. Colour blindness may affect professional life; therefore, inform the manager and colleagues about the condition.
7. Counsel the family members regarding the situation.

Conclusion

Colour Blindness is an inability to distinguish among certain colours. It could be either inherited or might be caused due to certain eye diseases or medications. There are no treatment options available for this condition. However, in case the cause of colour blindness is any other eye disease, your doctor might focus on treating the underlying cause.