One of my favorite aspects of fall is seeing the leaves change color from green to vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow. There’s nothing like taking in the beauty of all types of trees radiating a wide variety of autumn colors around this time of year. To me, it brings back nostalgic memories and announces that fall is here!
However, for some of us, that experience could look quite different. Color vision deficiency, commonly (yet incorrectly) referred to as “color blindness,” affects millions of people around the world. It is more prevalent among males than females because the X chromosome in a gene carries it. Color vision deficiency doesn’t allow certain color-sensing cells to develop in the retina.
VSP optometrist Ryan S. Nakamura, O.D. shared some insight on color vision deficiency and tips for parents of children with color vision deficiency:
“I test all children for color vision deficiency as it may affect their schoolwork since some learning tools in school are color-coded. The most common form is Red-Green color vision deficiency and it affects about 8% of males and 0.5% of females. If I determine that color vision deficiency is present, the most commonly asked question is, ‘How will this affect my child later in life?’
“It’s important to inform your child’s teachers about the color vision deficiency. Teachers and parents might need to modify assigned tasks. Occupational choice later in life may also be affected. Before pursuing a profession where distinguishing colors is important, young people with color vision deficiency and their parents should research the occupation.”
Check out the images below for a glimpse of what the world could look like if one is experiencing color vision deficiency. Please visit The Center or contact your VSP doctor for more information on color vision deficiency and other vision-related topics.
