What Causes Color Blindness?

Morning RGB!

We’ve all heard of color blindness before.

You know, when someone sees colors in a slightly different way than we do.

So they get given one of these color blindness tests to see if they can read the number.

So what actually causes this color blindness?

First you gotta understand how a normal person sees color.

When we look at something, say this red book:

The light that bounces off it and bounces into our eyes.

Now, at the back of our eyes, we have this area called the retina, which is packed full of 2 special types of light-sensitive cells.

These 2 types of cells are called rods and cones.

Rods only come in one type and it's their job to help us to see in the dark, but they can't really detect color.

Cones, on the other hand, come in 3 different types and these guys do detect color.

These 3 colors can combine in varying amounts to create any color you want.

Transmitting the signal to your brain

Where it decodes the multiple Reds, Greens and Blues as one single color.

This is how regular people see all the world's colors!

Ok nice, but what about color-blind people?

Well, these people have problems with their cones specifically because of faulty photopigments inherited through your genes.

As we know, cones help us see colors.

So when one of these cones stops working correctly, it can totally mess up what colors you perceive.

Since you would be missing one of the three base colors.

This leads to people often not being able to distinguish between one color and another.

Here's what this looks like:

You’ve got normal vision:

Then you’ve got Tritanopia AKA when you can't tell the difference between blue and yellow.

Then Deuteranopia AKA when you can't tell the difference between red and green.

And finally, you’ve got Protanopia AKA when you can't see any red light.

And finally, finally, you've got the mega rare one called Monochromacy.

Which is where you can't see any color at all, and everything appears black and white.

Stay Cute,
Reece, Henry & Dylan 🌈

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