Nathan Brown

Honors Biology
22 November 2016
Color Blindness: The Differences in Color Vision
What is color blindness?
Simply, color blindness, or color vision deficiency, is decreased ability to either see color
or see differences in color. Colorblindness is not really color blindness, it is more of a vision
deficiency, those with color blindness are simply perceiving or sensing a narrower spectrum of
colors1. Color blindness can make some daily activities more difficult if they involve color -
Such as reading road signs and signals or distinguishing between colors for miscellaneous
activities.
Color blindness is most commonly caused by an error in the development of one or more
of the color sensing cones in the eye; photopigments are molecules in the cone cells of the retina,
abnormal photopigments are the cause of perceiving color abnormally. Color vision deficiency is
most commonly found in males because the genes causing color blindness are found on the X
chromosome, about 8% of men and 0.5% of women are affected by color blindness1. The most
common types of color vision deficiency are due to the loss or malfunctioning red cones, protan,
or green cones, deutran - this is most commonly referred to as red-green color blindness. The
more rare type of color deficiency is commonly known as blue-yellow color blindness, where the
blue cones, tritan, are either nonfunctional or have limited functionality.

Types of color vision deficiencies

The National Eye Institute (NEI) has outlined the different types of color vision
deficiency, categorized by the type of blindness they cause (red-green or blue-yellow).

Red-Green Type Blindness

Protanomaly is caused by an abnormal red cone photopigment leading to red, orange, and
yellow appearing greener and colors not being as bright2. Protanopia causes all red cone cells to
not work, those who have this see red as black while shades of orange, yellow, and green all
appear as yellow2. Deuteranomaly is caused by abnormal green cone photopigment, causing
green and yellow to appear more red and making it difficult to tell a difference between violet
and blue2. According to the NEI, this is the most common type of color vision deficiency, this

does not affect daily living in a significant manner2. Deuteranopia causes all green cells to not
work, causing red to be perceived as brown and green as beige.

Blue-Yellow Type Blindness

Tritanomaly have limited use of their blue cone photopigment, this type of vision
deficiency causes blue to look more green and can cause difficulty distinguishing red and yellow
from pink2. NEI states this is an extremely rare form of color vision deficiency2. Tritanopia is the
lacking of blue cones cells in the retina, causing blue to be perceived green and yellow to be seen
as violet or light gray.
 Complete Color Blindness
Cone Monochromacy is extremely rare but is the cause of two of the three cone
photopigments to work. Those with this type of color deficiency find it hard to see color because
the brain can only perceive one color wavelength, thus it cannot compare from the other cones
properly. Rod Monochromacy/Achromatopsia is the most severe form
because they do not sense
of color vision deficiency, none of the three cone cells have working photopigment. Those with
this deficiency only see the world in black, white and gray and tend to be photophobic, or
uncomfortable in bright environments, because the rods in the retina most properly respond to
low light.

Color Vision Deficiency Example

Normal Vision Protanomaly Deuteranomaly

Image source: Color Vision Testing

Demographics - Who can be color blind?

According to the NEI, about 8% of men and 0.5% of women who are of Northern
European descent are affected by red-green color blindness. Men are more likely to have color
blindness because the genes accountable for the cones and photopigments in the retina are found
on the X chromosome. If one of a females X chromosomes are affected, the other will take over
however this cannot happen with men because they have one X and one Y chromosome.

Copy-Cat Drawing Experiment

To experiment and get a sense of what different types of color blind individuals see
compared to a normal vision individual, a canvas was printed with four copies of an identical
colorless image. One image was colored by a participant with normal vision, the other three were
colored in by three color blind individuals of different severities and types of color vision
deficiency. The participants with abnormal color vision were asked to copy as best they could the
first image colored by the normal vision participant.
 Image: Final canvas product after
all participants drew their assigned
image.

Top Left:
Control, image to be copied.
Top Right:
Nathan Brown. Moderate Deutan.
Bottom Left:
Robert Hicks. Severe Protan.
Bottom Right:
Daniel Houston. Moderate Deutan.

As one can tell, all four drawings vary in some noticeable ways, this giving those with
normal color vision a glimpse through the eyes of a color deficient person. Each participant was
tested using the standard Ishihara color vision test provided by the Enchroma company and was
branded with their listed deficiency provided above.
Daniel, being in his late thirties, stated that after time of living with color vision
deficiency, one learns, with help from a normal vision aid, how to compensate when viewing
colors that he knows he has issues with. He has gotten help from his family and over time he
claims he can now recognize which colors he is sensing, even though his brain perceives another.
However, from the results of this test, his methods are not perfect.
 Bibliography
1. Colblindor | All about Color Blindness. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2016, from
http://www.color-blindness.com/
2. Facts About Color Blindness | National Eye Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22,
2016, from https://nei.nih.gov/health/color_blindness/facts_about
3. Enchroma