Its causes

How to know if we see colors like others? Since we were little they taught us that the sky is blue or the grass is green. The world is full of colors, so we assume that we all have the power to see them the same; However, this is not always the case, because people who suffer colour blindness they perceive them differently.

Experts say that 1 in 10 men have difficulty to appreciate some colors, which is known as color blindness; On the other hand, many people never realize that they suffer from this disorder, due to their different degrees of affectation.

Color blindness, like other genetic conditions (baldness or hemophilia), is a disease of the male gender ; they alone suffer it. While, they are the ones that transmit it and very rarely suffer.

 

Its causes

In the retina are two types of cells, cones and rods, which make vision possible. The former are responsible for the perception of colors, and their genetic alteration is what prevents them from appreciating in a conventional manner.

One of the alterations consists of having two types of cones instead of three, which is the usual, what is known as dicromatism. So there are different variants of the colour blindness , such as:

 

  1. Protanopes: they do not see the color to intense red.
  2. Deuteranopes: they confuse the shades of red, green and yellow.
  3. Tritanopes: they are blind to the color blue and confuse shades of green and blue, as well as those of orange and pink.

The most abundant group is the so-called anomalous trichromatics which, having the three types of cones, perceive the altered colors. They tend to have defects similar to dichromatic colorblinds, but to a lesser degree.

 

Its detection

It is usually the parents who realize the colour blindness of their children when it's time for them to learn the colors; Since then they have to guide their children so that they know how to live with their condition.

Usually the disorder is diagnosed during an ophthalmological consultation, or by applying the Ishihara color test, which consists of the recognition of numbers or geometric figures made by small colored dots.

It should be noted that it is always necessary to go to an ophthalmologist if there are suspicions of color blindness, in order to determine the degree of affectation and establish the necessary precautions. In order to detect any ophthalmological disorder in time, specialists recommend a preventive check for children with 4 years of age.

 

Difficulties

The impediments are relative to the visual demands that the patient imposes, to the strategies of minimization of confusion that he develops and to the depth of the alteration. In general, the color blind can have an absolutely normal life, it is even common for friends not to notice the situation if they are not communicated.

Since, at the moment, this disorder has no cure. The colorblinds must create their own strategies to mitigate the confusion of the colors (for example, recognizing the red of the traffic lights by their position and not by the color), which are the result of their adaptation to daily activities.

However, in some professions that depend on the chromatic sensitivity (like graphic designers or specialists) or that have a high visual requirement (commercial pilot) may have limited development possibilities.

 

An alternative

The colour blindness it is a disease that has no cure; however, some patients may benefit from lenses that increase the contrast between colors. However, the adaptation of the colorblind to the world is such that the use of these makes them feel in an artificial and alien environment; In addition, as the intensity of the disorder is variable, the adaptation to these items is usually complicated.

The colour blindness It is a lifelong condition and most people face it without difficulty or impediment. The best thing is to counteract the difficulties and learn to live in a world of another color.


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