A lot of people think being color blind means you can only see in black and white, which is incorrect. Only seeing in black and white is very rare. Color blindness means you are not able to see certain shades of colors or you are unable to differentiate colors from one another. Typically there isn’t any eye care or eye treatment for color blindness.

According to colourblindawareness.org, 8% or 1 in 12 men are color blind, compared to 1 in 200 women, and is usually hereditary. It occurs when cells in the retina incorrectly process color information. A color blind person usually has problems distinguishing between red and green, and mistakes them for the same color. A more uncommon type of color blindness is mistaking yellow and blue.

One of the most common reasons children have trouble learning in school is from vision problems. It is more common that a child requires eyeglasses than being color blind. Conducting a color blind test should be taken into consideration when determining the issue.

The test used for diagnosing color blindness is called a Ishihara test. It is a quick and painless test that involves looking at pictures of colored dots. Within the picture there is usually a number or letter made up of different colored dots. For example, a picture of the number seven would be made up of several red dots surrounded by a bunch of green dots. Someone who is color blind would not be able to distinguish the number seven because they see green and red as the same color.

If you feel like your ability to distinguish colors has changed, you should see a doctor. Sometimes other eye diseases are a cause for color blindness like cataracts. The clouding of your eye’s lens can make colors appear more washed out, or less bright, so seeing an eye care specialist is recommended.

If you have any other questions regarding color blind symptoms or are experiencing a change in how you see colors, please call us at 877-871-1684 or visit us online at www.eastwesteye.com for more information.

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