Colour Blindness
Colour blindness is the inability to tell certain colours apart because of a missing or altered pigment in the colour-sensing cells of the retina (cones); red and green are most often confused. It is mostly inherited, is detected with a colour vision test and cannot be treated with medicine or surgery.
What is colour blindness?
When the pigment in the cone cells of the retina, which sense colour, is missing or altered, some colours cannot be told apart. The most common type is red-green colour blindness.
Colour vision and sharpness of vision are not linked; a colour-blind person can see clearly.
How common is it and how is it inherited?
Although it varies between populations, it affects about 8% of men and about 0.5% of women. Red-green colour blindness is inherited via the X chromosome: women are usually carriers, and it is mostly passed from mother to son.
How is it detected?
People who are born colour-blind are often unaware of it. The diagnosis is made with a colour vision test.
Daily life and treatment
- Difficulty telling apart traffic lights, colour codes on maps and coloured indicator lights on devices
- Difficulty in jobs that require colour discrimination
- At school, mistakes with colours in drawing and colour-coded materials
There is no treatment with medicine or surgery. Special tinted glasses or lenses may make some colour distinctions easier, but they do not restore normal colour vision.
Frequently asked questions
Does colour blindness affect sharpness of vision?
No. A colour-blind person can see clearly.
Why is colour blindness more common in men?
The most common type is inherited via the X chromosome; women are usually carriers.
Can colour blindness be treated?
There is no medical or surgical treatment; tinted lenses may make some colour distinctions easier.
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This page is for general information only and does not replace a medical consultation. Anatomy and treatment plans differ from patient to patient.