COLOR VISION
COLOR VISION FACTS
In the US, color blindness affects about 8% of men and 0.5% of women.
Most people who are color blind are “deutans” which is a type of red-green color blindness.
There are different severity levels of color blindness.
It is extremely rare to see in black and white.
Forms of color blindness can be acquired from certain eye conditions.
COLOR VISION TESTING
Ishihara
The most common color vision test. It will only test for red-green color blindness. It is done to screen for color vision deficiency, but can give some indication of severity and type (deutan vs protan).
HRR
Similar to the Ishihara, the HRR is a booklet style test. It can also screen for blue-yellow (tritan) deficiency.
Farnsworth D15
This is a diagnostic test usually done after there is a “fail” of the Ishihara or HRR screening. Some jobs may require this type of testing. The test consists of colored plates that must be put in order. There is also a Farnsworth 100 hue test, but that is used mostly for research purposes.
COLOR VISION THERAPIES
There is no cure for genetic color blindness. Some acquired forms of color vision deficiency can be treated, such as that caused by cataracts, by removing or treating what’s causing the deficiency.
Tinted lenses can be used to help add more contrast to see the difference between colors.
- In color blind people, this usually consists of wearing one tinted contact lens or comparing vision with a tint vs without to better distinguish colors.
- Tinted lenses are also used to “enhance vision” (such as yellow driving/shooting glasses) and to soften harsh lighting especially for those that are post brain injury or suffer from migraines.
- A similar affect can be achieved in certain phone settings (on iPhone this is in accessibility settings) that change the screen tint to differentiate colors more.
Enchroma Color Blind Glasses
While tinted lenses can help distinguish colors, they also distort all the colors in the process.
Enchroma lenses selectively filter light to enhance the color vision experience without distorting a person’s normal color spectrum.
About 80% of people with red-green color blindness notice improvement in color distinguishing with Enchroma.
Our office will be partnering with Enchroma soon to be able to provide their lenses in office as an option with any of our frames as well as the ability to come to our office to trial the lenses to see if they would work for you. In the meantime, if you are interested in Enchroma glasses, please visit their website for more information.