Color blindness is the inability for an individual to see red, green, or blue, or a combination of these colors. This can have a profound effect on someone’s life, affecting everything from learning and reading to possible career choices. Fortunately, once diagnosed, color blindness can be dealt with. This is why it is important to detect the problem as early as possible. While there is no cure for color blindness, there are ways to make up for a color vision problem.
Diagnosing Color Blindness
Color blindness is easily diagnosed with a series of simple visual tests. The first involves identifying patterns – such as letters and numbers – in a series of colored dots. Depending on what patterns you see, your eye doctor – optometrist or ophthalmologist – will be able to diagnose your specific color vision problem. In the second type of test, patients arrange colored chips in order according to how similar the colors are. If a patient is color blind, they will not be able to properly complete this task.
Living with Color Blindness
There are several ways to cope with color blindness, including:
- Color Contact Lenses: These contact lenses may help you see differences between colors, however, they can distort objects.
- Glasses than Block Glare: When there is less glare, people with color blindness can more easily distinguish between colors.
- Looking for Visual Cues: Certain colors always appear in the same places, such the colors on a stoplight.
If you think you or a loved one may have color blindness, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor at your earliest convenience. Diagnosing Color Blindness is the first step in coping with a color vision problem.
If you have any questions about Diagnosing Color Blindness or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!
For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.
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