What Causes Color Blindness?

admin — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:48:48 +0000

Usually prevalent in males, color blindness is a condition that is normally characterized by one’s inability to differentiate the color spectrum. The difficulties associated with this condition can be either severe or mild; some people see colors in a restricted range of shades while others do not perceive colors completely. Color blindness occurs when particular cells within the retina that are responsible and which are supposed to respond to colors fail to respond as they should. Among the colors that color blind people often confuse are green, red and blue green. This is because the wavelengths of each of these colors correspond to each other. Some of the people that display the condition are born with it; if one’s mother had the problem or is a carrier, one is likely to develop the condition as well. Additionally, color blind fathers pass the genes associated with the condition only to their daughters. However, they do not have to necessarily develop the condition if their mothers do not have the gene.

Patients suffering chronic diseases can suffer from color blindness as well. Such diseases are like Leukemia, Liver Disease, Parkinson’s disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Glaucoma and Sickle Cell Anemia. Retinis Pigmentosa, Multiple Sclerosis, Macular Degeneration and chronic alcoholism are some of the other diseases that can cause the condition. Another known cause of color blindness is malnutrition, which can affect people of all ages. Cataracts in the eyes can also cause color blindness as well. A person that has suffered a stroke or an accident that damages their retina or affects certain brain areas concerned with the eye may also develop color blindness. The condition can occur in people that take medications like barbiturates, antibiotics and medication used to treat high blood pressure, tuberculosis, psychological problems and nervous disorders. People should also be careful not to take above normal doses of digoxin as it is known to cause green -yellow colored vision.

The disease may also be quite prevalent in people residing in areas with environmental and industrial chemicals like styrene, carbon disulfide, fertilizers and carbon dioxide among other toxins. Chemicals containing lead can lead to color blindness as well. Aging can affect a person’s ability to perceive different hues as well. This goes especially for people aged 60 and above. Tobacco poisoning has also been known to cause color blindness in some people. People that have suffered chemical burns to the eyes are also at a high risk of developing the condition as this brings about vision alteration.

Everyday Guide » What Causes Color Blindness

What Causes Color Blindness?