Colour Vision Deficiency: What Does It Mean and What Can Help?
You might know it as colour blindness, but most people with the condition can still see colour. The difference is that particular colours or shades can be much harder to distinguish from one another.
For some people, colour vision deficiency is identified in childhood. Others may simply grow accustomed to seeing colours in their own way and develop ways of dealing with situations where colour causes uncertainty. It can affect everyday tasks such as matching clothes, interpreting colour-coded information or distinguishing colours at work, school or during hobbies.
So what actually causes colour vision deficiency, how can it be assessed, and what options are available if you want to distinguish certain colours more easily?
What is colour vision deficiency?
Colour vision relies on light-sensitive cells in the retina called cones. Different types of cone cell respond to different parts of the visible spectrum, allowing the visual system to distinguish between colours.
Colour vision deficiency occurs when this colour-processing system works differently. The most common inherited forms affect red-green colour vision, which can make colours such as red and green, green and brown, or blue and purple more difficult to tell apart.
Most inherited colour vision deficiency is something a person is born with. Colour vision can also change later in life because of certain eye or medical conditions, an eye or head injury, stroke or some medicines. If the way you see colour has changed rather than being something you have experienced for as long as you can remember, it is worth discussing this with an optometrist or doctor.
Does colour blindness mean seeing everything in black and white?
Usually, no. The term "colour blindness" can make it sound as though someone cannot see colour at all, but people with colour vision deficiency are rarely completely unable to see colour.
The more common experience is difficulty distinguishing between particular colours or between different shades of the same colour. Exactly what someone sees depends on the type and degree of their colour vision deficiency, so two people with colour vision deficiency will not necessarily experience colour in exactly the same way.
This is why colour vision deficiency is often a more useful description than colour blindness.
What can colour vision deficiency affect?
Colour is used to communicate information in far more places than we might realise. Maps, charts, computer interfaces, traffic information, school materials, electrical components, clothes and everyday objects can all rely on differences in colour.
Someone with a colour vision deficiency might find it harder to interpret colour-coded information, match certain clothes, distinguish coloured objects or identify shades quickly and confidently. Children may find some colour-based school activities more difficult without understanding why. The NHS gives examples including using unexpected colours when drawing and finding colour-sorting tasks difficult.
Many people adapt very well and develop their own ways of identifying colours. Understanding that a colour vision deficiency is present can still be useful, particularly where colour has an important role in education, work or particular activities.
Raman's experience with colour vision deficiency
At Watchfield Opticians, colour vision has particular relevance to principal optometrist and co-owner Raman Aggarwal, who has a colour vision deficiency himself.
Raman knows what it is like to second-guess whether clothes match and to find that colours other people consider obviously different can appear much closer together. His own experience is one of the reasons Watchfield has developed a particular interest in colour vision assessment and COLORON lenses.
Rather than approaching the subject only as a clinical test, Raman understands some of the everyday uncertainty that can come with colour vision deficiency.
How is colour vision deficiency tested?
One of the best-known tests is the Ishihara test, which uses images made from coloured dots with numbers or patterns embedded within them. Depending on a person's colour vision, those patterns may be easy to identify, difficult to see or appear differently.
Another method is a colour-arrangement test, where colours are placed into an order according to their shade. These are two of the main approaches identified by the NHS for assessing colour vision deficiency.
Online screening tests can provide an initial indication, but factors such as the screen being used mean they should not replace professional assessment. If you have concerns about your own or your child's colour vision, the NHS recommends speaking to an optician.
Bringing colour vision awareness into Watchfield
Visitors to Watchfield Opticians may recently have noticed that the practice windows have become considerably more colourful.
Jeeta created an Ishihara-inspired display using coloured circles, hidden patterns and information about colour vision. The idea was to encourage people passing the practice to stop, look again and consider the fact that the same arrangement of colours may not look the same to everybody.
The display connects closely with Raman's own experience and Watchfield's work around colour vision assessment. It has also given the team a simple way to start conversations in the local community about a condition that can otherwise be easy to overlook.
Can colour vision deficiency be cured?
There is currently no treatment that cures inherited colour vision deficiency. Most people adapt to seeing colours differently and may require little or no additional support.
Specially filtered glasses can, however, help some people distinguish between certain colours while they are wearing them. They do not restore typical colour vision, and the amount of difference someone experiences will vary between individuals. NHS guidance makes the same distinction, noting that tinted glasses or lenses may help with distinguishing certain colours but cannot restore normal colour vision.
One of the options available for red-green colour vision deficiency is COLORON.
What are COLORON lenses?
COLORON produces specialist colour vision enhancement eyewear for people with red-green colour vision deficiency.
The lenses use optical filter technology designed to increase the distinction between certain reddish and greenish shades. COLORON offers different lens options because there are different types and degrees of red-green colour vision deficiency, and the effect of a particular filter can vary between individuals.
The aim is not to give somebody "normal" colour vision or cure the underlying deficiency. Instead, the lenses are intended to make some colour differences easier to distinguish while they are being worn.
Does COLORON work for everyone?
There should not be an expectation that every person will experience the same result. Someone's colour vision needs to be understood first, and different COLORON lenses can then be compared where appropriate.
COLORON's professional system allows optician partners to assess colour vision, review the results and let people experience different lens options. This is more useful than choosing a filtered lens without first understanding the person's colour vision deficiency.
For the individual, the important question is not whether a lens produces a dramatic effect for somebody else. It is whether an appropriate filter makes a useful difference to their ability to distinguish colours.
Why does a professional colour vision assessment matter?
A professional assessment can help establish what type of colour difficulty is present and put the results into context. This is particularly useful if colour causes problems in particular activities, a parent has noticed signs in their child, or someone simply wants a better understanding of why they see certain colours differently.
At Watchfield Opticians, colour vision can also be considered alongside your wider eyesight and optical needs. If COLORON is relevant, suitable options can then be explored rather than treating filtered eyewear as a one-size-fits-all solution.
Interested in understanding your colour vision?
Watchfield Opticians offers colour vision assessments and COLORON lenses from its practice in Watchfield, near Swindon.
Raman's own colour vision deficiency means the subject has personal as well as professional relevance to the practice. If you would like to understand your colour vision better or explore whether COLORON may be suitable for you, visit our dedicated COLORON service page.
Or call 01793 783 848 to speak to the Watchfield team.
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