You are colorblind when you have difficulty seeing shades of red, green or blue. When color blindness occurs, you might have problems reading, so the illness could drastically affect your life. In many cases, color blindness is inherited and occurs when you are born; however, the disease can also be acquired by eye injuries, medication side effects, eye diseases or aging. Color blindness can also occur if you are exposed to certain chemicals or if you are exposed to ultra violet light.
Symptoms of Color Blindness
When you are developing color blindness, you might be able to see a few colors, but you are having trouble seeing some colors. In some instances, you might be only able to see blacks or whites. In addition, you could only be able to see a few shades or colors. If you have color blindness, you might also experience quick, side-to-side movements of the eye.
Diagnosing Color Blindness
A doctor will conduct tests to determine if you have color blindness. He will ask you to look at sets of colored dots. He will want you to find a pattern in the dots, and the doctor will be able to discover what colors you have trouble seeing. The doctor might also ask you to arrange colored chips in order of how much alike they are. It is important to diagnose color blindness as early as possible.
Treating Color Blindness
If you have been diagnosed with color blindness, some of the things a doctor will do include:
- Wearing colored contacts: Colored contact lenses can make colors brighter and clearer and improve the ability to name colors correctly.
- Wearing glasses that obstruct glare
- Searching for cues instead of colors
- Gene transfer
- Surgery: Some cases of color blindness can be corrected with surgery. Color blindness that occurs because of cataracts can be corrected through LASIK surgery.
Helping People who have Color Blindness
If your child shows symptoms of color blindness, he or she might have problems reading or learning in school. Therefore, here are a few things you can do to help your child:
- Test them for color blindness problems
- Talk to their teachers: Teachers can help students adjust to the disease.
Being colorblind can affect your education, job and way of life; therefore, it is important that you be treated for the disease. You can then learn to manage the illness, and you can effectively perform your daily functions.
