Red Green Color Blindness
Red green color blindness is the most common type of color blindness. As the name suggests, it means that a person is unable to tell the difference between green and red. This condition is usually genetic and sex linked. It affects males much more commonly than women. In fact, about 8% of men are color blind.
Color Blind Symptoms
In addition to not being able to make out a different between the red and green colors, patients may also experience variation in how bright colors are. The shades of different colors may also be difficult to distinguish for patients with red green color blindness.
Red green color blindness is not something that develops over time. It is present from birth. Because of this, patients may not experience symptoms in the classic way because they are use to the way that they see the world. They do not really know anything different. Many times patients do not know they have this color blindness until it is brought to their attention from a friend, family member or medical professional. In extremely rare cases, color blindness could develop from a brain injury or stroke, but this is a small minority of cases.
There are cases of color blindness that may be associated with other eye problems. One of these is diseases is called Achromotopsia. In this disease, children have poor vision and also have very rapid eye movements. The medical term for these involuntary eye movements is called nystagmus.
Red Green Color Blindness Categories
Within red green color blindness, there are different types. The most common type of red green color blindness is Deuteranomaly. In this sub category, green colors appear more red. It is generally a mild type of red green color blindness. The opposite of this is Protanomaly in which red colors appear more green. This is also generally a mild form of color blindness. In the more severe forms of red green color blindness known as protanopia and deuteranopia, a patient is completely unable to tell the difference between red and green.
Red Green Color Blind Test
There are simple tests online and in your doctor’s office that can determine if you have red green color blindness. One of the most common is called the Ishihara color plates test. These tests involve looking at a number or a pattern that is hidden inside a circular image. People who are color blind will not be able to figure out what the number is.
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Red Green Color Blindness Treatment
There is no treatment and there is no cure for red green color blindness. There are certain digital applications that can help patients identify colors. These are easily available to download on your digital device. Most patients with color blindness function very highly and it does not interfere with their daily life.
Sources:
Simunovic MP. Acquired color vision deficiency. Surv Ophthalmol. 2016 Mar-Apr;61(2):132-55. doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2015.11.004. Epub 2015 Nov 30. PMID: 26656928.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26656928/
El Moussawi Z, Boueiri M, Al-Haddad C. Gene therapy in color vision deficiency: a review. Int Ophthalmol. 2021 May;41(5):1917-1927. doi: 10.1007/s10792-021-01717-0. Epub 2021 Feb 2. PMID: 33528822.
