Colour Vision Testing
Colour is used in schools for teaching purposes so all children should have their colour vision tested.
Colour Vision
Colour vision can be assessed in a comprehensive eye examination.
Rather than using the term colour blind, which rarely occurs where shades of grey only are seen, Colour vision deficiency is the inability to distinguish certain shades of colour eg reds and greens (most common), blues and yellows (less common)
Inherited colour vision defects affect both eyes (due to the common X-linked recessive gene, which is passed from a mother to her son ), whereas a monocular defect can be acquired via pathology. About 8 percent of Caucasian males are born with some degree of color deficiency. Women are typically just carriers of the color-deficient gene, though approximately 0.5 percent of women have color vision deficiency
Found in the macula (the central part of the retina), red, green and blue colour receptors send that information to the brain via the optic nerves,
Some pathology that can cause colour vision defects or deficits include:
diabetes
glaucoma
macular degeneration
multiple sclerosis
chronic alcoholism
Medications used heart problems, high blood pressure, infections, nervous disorders, and psychological problems.
Aging.
Chemical Exposure.
The patient is shown a series of specially designed pictures composed of colored dots, called pseudoisochromatic plates. Additional testing may be needed to determine the exact nature and degree of color deficiency or colour vision defect.
Early detection of color deficiency is vital since many learning materials rely heavily on color perception
Several emerging gene therapies have restored colour vision in animal models
There is no treatment but different techniques to allow colour to be inferred by brightness are being researched and developed.