Colour blindness is an inability to differentiate between certain colours. The condition occurs when the colour-sensitive cells in the eyes are either absent or not working the way they should.
As one of the leading eye hospitals in Kolkata, we share with you some useful insights on the diagnosis and treatment of colour blindness:
- Causes of colour blindness: When the light-sensitive cells in the retina fail to respond properly to the changes in light wavelengths, people are unable distinguish between certain colours. The lack of cones or malfunction of particular types of cones is also linked with hereditary forms of colour blindness. Besides genetics, other factors that cause colour blindness are – cataracts, eye injury, age, certain medications, optic nerve damage and exposure to harmful chemicals. .
- Signs and symptoms: Some people may be colour blind and still be unaware of it. If they have trouble distinguishing colours, such as traffic lights, or when reading colour-coded messages or reading materials, they become aware of the fact that they are colour blind.
- What does a colour blind person see? Most people with a moderate form of colour blindness are able to accurately identify 5 colours. They may have either deuteranopia (green color blindness) or protanopia (red color blindness) or tritanopia (blue-yellow color blindness).
- Risk factors of colour blindness: The risk factors that increase the chances of colour blindness are mentioned below:
- Macular Degeneration
- Diabetes
- Leukaemia
- Glaucoma
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Sickle Cell Anaemia
- Parkinson’s Disease and
- Regular consumption of alcohol.
- Diagnosis and treatment:
An eye doctor will start the diagnosis by performing a series of tests for detecting your eye condition and if or not you are suffering from colour blindness. He or she will most likely perform a thorough eye examination using specially created pictures consisting of coloured dots with different shapes or numbers hidden in them in a contrasting shade. If you’re colour blind, it’ll be difficult for you to see or identify the shapes or dots clearly. There are no definitive remedies for colour blindness unless it is due to other eye disorders or the use of certain medicines. It may be possible to improve colour vision by treating the underlying eye disease or discontinuing the use of certain medications. Contact lenses or eyewear with built-in filters are some common treatment options that the eye doctors recommend.
Consult an eye doctor if you think you’re having trouble identifying colours or if your colour vision is changing. The signs and symptoms can also be an indication of something more serious and complicated. To seek medical help at the earliest, consult the doctors of Disha Eye Hospitals. We are committed to delivering the best eye treatment in Kolkata to our patients. To book an appointment, contact us.
Living with colour blindness:
If you have someone in your family who has colour blindness, the following tips may help:
- Appropriate learning material for children: If a child is suffering from colour blindness, the school should be informed so that appropriate learning material can be provided.
- Provide help: Those suffering from colour blindness should be helped tasks such as choosing clothes and choosing food items that are safe to eat.
- Ensure good lighting at home: install good-quality lighting in your home to help you distinguish colours.
- Use technology: There many mobile phone apps available that can help identify colours.
- Try special tinted lenses: These lenses are worn in 1 or both eyes to help you distinguish between certain colours. They only seem to work for some people.