What is Color Blindness?

Color blindness is a complete or partial loss of color vision. It is the inability to identify one or more of the three colors, red, green or blue. Color blindness is also known as color vision deficiency. Further, there are types of color blindness depending on the inability to perceive a certain color. 

The types are protanopia( red color blindness), deuteranopia (green colorblindness), tritanopia ( blue color blindness), mixed type, ie. e, dichromacy ( e.g, red-green color blindness), achromatopsia ( no color vision).

Color blindness is a disability which affects about 300 million people in the world. This is 4% of the total world population. Out of these 300 million color blinds, males constitute eight per cent while women are affected only 0.5 percent. This means 1 out of 12 men and one of 200 women are color blind. Thus, men constitute a 95 percent proportion of color blinds.

The proportion of different types of color blinds is as follows - 8% of color-blind males constitute.

  • 1% Protanopes (Red Color Blind).
  • 1% Deuteranopes.
  • 1% Protanomalous.
  • 5% Deuteranomalous.
  • Achromatopsie (A Very Case Of 0.003 % People).

What is Color Blindness
TEST?

A color blind test is a free online tool to check whether you have normal vision or are suffering from color blindness. It also tells the type of color blindness that you are suffering from.

The color blind test uses various test methods for the diagnosis of color blindness. The testing methods are - the Ishihara test, the Farnsworth green lantern test, Farnsworth 100 hue test, the reaction time test, etc.

In the color blind test you need to identify numbers on the dotted color plates, Called as Ishihara color plates. Based on the accuracy and time used, it concludes if you have any color vision deficiency. It then generates the result signed and checked by experts of the color vision test.

Color blind test
how to test color blindness

How to Test Color Blindness?

Follow the steps to test your color vision and to know if you have color blindness.

In the homepage, click on the 'start test' button.

Identify and Answer the visual questions one by one by clicking on the desired option.

After completing the test, you'll get the result mentioning your visual accuracy and statistics.

You can generate the certificate by downloading it from the button given below the final result.

Different Types Of Color Blind Tests

Ishihara Test

After entering the Ishihara test, you need to identify the number which you are visualizing under the dotted colored background. Click on the number in the num pad which you recognised on the Ishihara chart. Complete the test by identifying numbers in 14 color plates.

Farnsworth 100 Hue Test

A series of four color-coded chips are placed in rows, having the first and last chips fixed in each row. You need to arrange the chips according to the gradation of colors from lightest to darkest. The correct answers and the result will be displayed at the end of the test.

Reaction Time Test

Different colored objects appear and you need to click them before they disappear in the least time possible. The average least time recorded in finishing the test is your final reaction time.

Red-green Color Blindness Test

A red letter C appears over a green background and you need to locate the gap in the Letter by tapping the arrows displayed.

Kids Color Blindness Test

The test is similar to the Ishihara test. The only difference is if the identification of numbers is replaced by the shapes. You may ask the child the shape they visualize and enter the answer manually by tapping the shape in the options.

Farnsworth Lantern Test

In this test, two lights are blinked, viz, red and green. The objective is to tap the color preferences that you view on the top and bottom.

Army Color Blind Test

The test is similar to the Ishihara test. You need to identify 15 numbers from the color plates asked to find out if you are eligible for admission to the army.

Color Personality Test

Answer a series of questions based on your behaviors to find out your trait and personality color.

Features

Free To Use

The color blind test is a free tool to check color blindness at no cost. It saves your money and time to diagnose color blindness from the experts by bringing the expert tool to your device itself.

Designed By Professionals

The tool is designed by a team containing healthcare professionals to test color blindness with utmost accuracy.

Tested Across Various Countries

The tool is tried and tested on the color blinds of different countries like the US, UK, Canada, and European countries.

Statistically Controlled

The test generates statistical data which leads to an accurate result.

Color Blindness Lenses and Glasses

With the non-availability of the treatment for color blindness, technological advancements have proved to be a boon for color blinds. Specially made color blindness glasses and lenses are used for the correction of color blindness.

These lenses use color-tinted filters to ease the perception of colors in patients with color vision deficiency. This made the lives of color blinds easier in various occupations. There are different kinds of glasses and lenses available according to the type of color blindness.

You can buy these online at Enchroma stores. You just need to know the type of color blindness that you suffer from. This can be diagnosed by taking a color-blind test online.

The Different Types of Color Blindness

  • Trichromatism - Anomaly of either one or two of the three color vision.
  • Protanomaly - Red color vision defect.
  • Deuteranomaly - Green color vision anomaly.
  • Tritanomaly - Blue color vision defect.
  • Dichromatism -  Absence of either one or two color vision
  • Protanopia - Absence of red cone cells, hence, no red color vision.
  • Deuteranopia - Green color blindness.
  • Tritanopia - Blue color blindness.
  • Monochromatism - Also called as blue cone monochromatism is decreased color visual acuity.
  • Achromatism - Complete loss of color vision.

What Are The Causes Of Color Blindness?

There are two main types of color blindness depending upon the causes, Congenital and acquired.

Congenital Color Blindness

Congenital color blindness is caused due to genetic inheritance of a mutated gene responsible for color blindness. This gene is carried by the X chromosome only. Hence, females are the carriers of the color blindness gene mostly and less sufferers.

This is because of the masking effect of the double x chromosomes present in females. Males are the sufferers most of the time when the disease is present in the maternal line of the family. Congenital color blindness is thus present by birth.

Acquired color blindness occurs in a later stage of life due to numerous causes and is not present by birth. Acquired color blindness can occur due to the following factors.

Degeneration Of Retina Due To Aging 

Present illnesses like hypertension, macular degeneration, diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, ocular diseases, Parkinson's disease, and head or eye injuries may manifest into color blindness.

Medications like sildenafil, ethambutol, hydroxychloroquine, and styrene may cause color blindness as a side effect.

Dietary insufficiency of vitamin A, prolonged exposure to UV rays and sunlight, and lasers may cause color blindness.

Symptoms Of Color Blindness

The common symptoms of color blindness are described below.

  1. The foremost symptom is color confusion.
  2. Difficulty to identify colors.
  3. Headache while concentrating on letters on a colored background.
  4. Sensitivity to light.
  5. Increased sense of hearing, or any sense unrelated to vision because of the compensatory mechanism of the body.
  6. In acquired color blindness, these symptoms may not be present at birth but may develop later in life due to acquired causes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Check Color Blindness?

CThere are various tests to check if you are color blind. The first is watching for symptoms that are mentioned above. Nextly, Ishihara charts, and Farnsworth 100 hue test, to name a few that your physician may use as a diagnostic test. 

Furthermore, you can also check if you have got color blindness by yourself by taking an online color blind test. This includes almost all the diagnostic tests that your physician may perform on you. 

The online color vision test gives you the result of the test whether you are normally visioned or have any kind of color blindness.

What Colors Can Colorblind People See?

Perception and interpretation of colors by the color blinds depends upon the type of color blindness a patient has. A monochromatic color blind may see only one or two colors, while an achromatic one may see no colors at all. The color for which the patient has a color vision deficiency is perceived as gray.

For example, a red-green color blind will see all the colors normally except red, green and the colors involving a mix of red or green colors.

Can You Correct Color Blindness?

Though color blindness is untreatable due to its genetic nature, it can be corrected by using specialized lenses, glasses or spectacles. Using color filter aids for color blindness helps to ease the lives of color blinds. Enchroma glasses have their name in the market for their color blindness correction.

Can Color-Blind People Drive?

color blindness may limit the vision of drivers in heavy traffic areas, or areas consisting of colored signals and traffic lights, especially at night. Traffic lights mainly contain the colors red, green, and yellow. 

These colors may be confused by a color blind to be the same. I.e., gray. Hence, it is better to avoid driving with color blinds to prevent any mishap.