The phrase "colour blindness" suggests a total inability to see colour; in fact this is very, very rarely the case. What is quite common, however, is a colour vision deficiency. This occurs in about 1 in 12 boys and about 1 in 200 girls. In the retina we have cells that respond to red, green or blue light. With colour vision deficiency either the red or the green cells are probably not working properly. Most colour vision defective patients have very few problems with day-to-day life, but it may become important with certain careers -- for example, the armed forces and the police, and being an electrician could be problematical. There isn't really any treatment for colour vision deficiency. There are some conditions in which colour vision can change as we get older such as diabetics and sometimes with cataracts, so if you're an older person who feels that their colour vision has changed, you should have your eyes examined. If you feel that your child has a problem with their colour vision, take them to your optometrist. They will carry out a test -- probably what we call the Ishihara test -- where your child will be asked to identify coloured numbers against a coloured background. If your child has a colour vision defect they will explain this to you and you can discuss the implications of it.

Specsaver's qualified optometrists are on hand to answer any of your questions of eye health. Find out more.

свернуть