Approximately one in twelve men are color blind, along with a certain percentage of women. But, being colorblind doesn’t necessarily mean you see in black and white. There are nuances involved.
So, how do you find out if you’re suffering from a vision problem that distorts color? Let’s go through the difference between being color blind vs. color deficient.
What Is Colorblindness?
People who are completely colorblind have a condition called achromatopsia. This causes them to see the world entirely in black, white, and shades of grey. This condition can make it hard to navigate around the world.
If you have color blindness, it’s important to educate yourself about the condition and what you need to do to prevent any problems for yourself. Genetic colorblindness is usually caught at a young age, particularly for people with access to regular eye exams.
There are tests that can be used to determine if you have some form of color blindness or color deficiency. A color arrangement test requires you to arrange a certain color based on the shade. An Ishihara test, commonly used at a standard eye appointment, requires you to find a number arranged within multicolored dots.
Of course, there are non-genetic reasons you can suddenly develop color blindness or a color deficiency, which is why color tests are a part of a regular eye exam.
If you work in an industry with certain chemicals, sudden unprotected exposure could result in color blindness. The same is true if you start taking a new medication.
And, of course, certain health conditions can result in color deficiencies. These could include age-related health conditions, such as macular degeneration or glaucoma. But, other health problems can create issues, like multiple sclerosis or diabetes.
That’s another reason why it’s important to keep your overall health high, to prevent problems with your vision. Suddenly developing a color blindness or color deficiency problem can be scary!
What Is Color Deficiency?
There are different forms of color deficiency that aren’t complete color blindness. Different forms of color deficiency cause different colors to blur together.
If you find yourself confusing blue and purple, or red and black, you might have protanopia. On the other hand, people who see a pink tinge and may confuse orange and red or blue and green may have a condition called tritanopia.
If your friends and loved ones often disagree with you when it comes to identifying colors, it might be time to get a more intense eye check. That way, you can be sure to rule out any form of color deficiency of color blindness.
Color Blind vs. Color Deficient: Now You Know
Clearly, there are differences between color blind vs. color deficient. If you think you have either condition, you’ll want to get yourself to an optometrist or an ophthalmologist ASAP.
Do you want more advice about your health and more? Scroll through a few of our other great posts.
