Can you imagine going into the store to buy an outfit and not being able to distinguish the colors? This is just one of the daily difficulties of people with color blindness, a genetic disorder linked to X chromosomewhich can also be caused by physical or chemical damage and senility.
The disease is more frequent in the male population, and is characterized by anomalies in the cones, special cells in the retina, responsible for absorbing colors.
There are three types of color blindness. The rarest is the achromatic, when the person sees only black, white and gray. In dichromatic, among the colors red, green and blue, identify two of them, in any combination. The most common is trichromatic, with slight difficulty distinguishing colors, the most affected being red, green and blue, with their different shades.
According to Dr. Danilo Andriatti Paulo, specialist in glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmology at H.Olhos – Hospital de Olhos Paulista, 99% of trichromatic colorblinds have low perception between red and green, and the others, between blue and yellow. “The absence of full color perception is rare, and there is also color blindness in one eye.”
Teste de Ishihara
Developed in 1917, the Ishihara Test is one of the most used for diagnosing the disease. The patient is presented with several dotted cards with various colors, of different shades, and a number in the center. “If he does not recognize the number, made with the contrast of red and green, for example, he is colorblind for these colors”, explains the specialist.
Although there is no definitive cure, color blindness can be treated and its consequences minimized. “There are glasses with special filters that help to highlight the color that the color blind person is missing, helping him to see normally”, says Dr. Andriatti Paulo, stressing that the diagnosis must be made by a specialist.
What is the best type of glasses for color blindness?
There are several types of glasses available to help people with color blindness see colors more accurately. The two main types are:
- Color correction glasses: These glasses use special lenses that filter out certain colors and enhance others to help correct the color deficiency. These glasses are effective for some people with color blindness, but may not work for all types of color deficiencies.
- Color enrichment glasses: These glasses work by adding extra colors to help differentiate between colors that might look the same to people with color blindness. They do not correct the color deficiency, but they can help improve color distinction. These glasses are most effective for people with red-green color blindness.
It is important to note that not all types of color blindness can be corrected with glasses, and some people may not benefit from them. It is always recommended that an ophthalmologist be consulted to assess the type and severity of a person’s color deficiency before deciding to wear spectacles.
