What Causes Colour Blindness?
Colour blindness is primarily inherited through genes and is present from birth. The genes responsible for colour vision are located on the X chromosome. Men have only one X chromosome, while women have two, which is why this condition is more common among men (1 in 12) than women (1 in 200).
In some cases, colour blindness can also be acquired due to medical conditions (e.g. diabetes) or long-term medication usage.
As of today, there is no cure for this condition but the ability of distinguishing between reddish and greenish shades can be significantly enhanced.
Red-Green Colour Vision Deficiency
The most common form of colour blindness is red-green colour vision deficiency, which is a type of anomalous tricromacy. This means that 1 of the 3 cone types – in cases of protananomaly the cones associated with red colour vision, or in cases of deuteranomaly the cones associated with green colour vision – are sending the brain incorrect signals during colour perception. This error makes distinguishing hues challenging, especially if they have a lot of red and green components, and can lead to confusion when identifying colours like red, orange, brown, purple, and green in various daily situations.
This case is separate from the rare conditions of partial colour blindness (dicromacy) where only 2 cone types are functional, and complete colour blindness (monocromacy) where only 1 cone type is functional.
WE BELIEVE
That colours power our lives and options, but if not seen properly can also be a limiting factor.