Common Misconceptions About Color-Blindness

Everyone perceives colors differently, which can make understanding what color-blindness is like difficult for people with normal vision. Let’s debunk some of the common misconceptions about color blindness that many people may wrongly assume.  

Color-Blindness Means You Can’t See Color 

Arguably, the most common misconception about color-blindness is that people who experience it only see in black and white. This form of color-blindness is referred to as monochromacy. Monochromacy is not the most common type of color-blindness, and many people with a color vision deficiency do not only see in black and white. In fact, most people with a color vision deficiency can see color. Color-blindness is more often the difficulty of distinguishing between colors and hues rather than the complete absence of a color or colors.  

Color-Blindness Is Always Inherited 

Color-blindness is most often inherited, but a vision deficiency can be acquired due to factors such as disease, medication, stroke, and old age. 

Color-Blindness Only Occurs in Men 

It’s true that color-blindness most commonly occurs in men, but women can also experience the vision deficiency. Color-blindness often occurs in men because the genetic mutation only needs to be present on their singular X chromosome, whereas women must express it on both X chromosomes. However, one in 200 women still experience color-blindness.  

Color-Blindness Is Disabling 

Some jobs and tasks may be more difficult for people with a color vision deficiency, but the condition is not disabling. Extra care and additional methods might be necessary to assist with some tasks, such as cooking, but most people can learn techniques for differentiating colors. For example, red and yellow traffic lights may be hard to differentiate, but due to their order on a traffic signal, they can be accurately identified.  

There’s Nothing You Can Do About It

It’s true that color vision deficiencies have no cure. Thankfully, aids such as color-correcting sunglasses bring color vision to the life of people with a vision deficiency.