You may not know everything about your body but you can gradually gain some basic knowledge about certain parts. In this topic, let’s discover 5 unique facts about colour blindness – a problem that affects the vision.
People do not see the same colour
To the question: what colour is a spinach leaf? Your answer must be ‘green’. However, what is green like? You and your friend, for example, do not see the same green. You can see the colour of an object because light rays come to that object, then these light rays reflect off the object, pass through your lens and cornea, focus at one point on the retina.
The color of light is defined by its wavelength. This means green has a wavelength you see as green. A spinach leaf is green because its surface reflects green wavelengths and absorbs all other wavelengths.
Each person sees the color of an object in a different way. This because eyes and brain work together to notice different shades of light. However, the difference is usually slight.
Color blindness can be a problem of the cells, eyes, brain, or a part of the aging process
Color blindness can be caused by the absence or improper function of cone cells. This may be because of defects in specific genes needed for the formation of these cells. Cone cells help you detect the colors. There are three types of cone cells that determine three main colors: green, red, and blue. If you have color blindness, you may not have one, two or all three types of this cell.
Sometimes, color blindness can be the result of a physical or chemical damage to the eye, nerve, or brain. This can affect the color information.
As you age, cataracts may appear and the lenses may become yellow. This can also lead to color blindness.
Color blindness is more common in men than in women
Studies have shown that men are more likely to have color blindness than women. This is because the genes responsible for this condition are located on the X chromosome. Men have only one X chromosome while women have two X chromosome. In women, once the X chromosome is affected, the other can compensate.
Red-green color blindness is a combination of conditions
Red-green color blindness is the most common type of color blindness. It occurs when you lack of green cone and red cone photo-pigments. Red-green color blindness is a combination of red color blindness and green color blindness.
Special lenses can help people with color blindness
Color blindness can present at birth, appear in childhood, or start when you are an adult. Although it can be annoying when you experience difficulty reading, learning, or driving, color blindness is not a serious condition. Although color blindness cannot be cured, you can live normally with it.
There are ways to help if you have this condition. You can ask your doctor about lenses for people with color blindness. These lenses help you see more colors. You can use them outdoors. There are also apps on smartphones that help you recognize colours of objects.
This article contributed by Hello Doktor and republished by Voiz Asia upon permission.
By: Anh Hoang
