Emma Ragland
There are estimated to be over 250 million colorblind people worldwide. Color blindness is usually a genetic condition. The gene mainly responsible for the condition is carried on the X chromosome, which is the reason why many more men are affected by it than women. Some people acquire this condition as a result of long-term diseases, such as diabetes.
The eye has two types of light-sensitive cells called rods and cones. Both of which are found in the retina which is the layer at the back of your eye that processes images. Rods work in low-lighting or nighttime conditions, while cones work in daylight. There are about eight different types of color blindness, some including protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, cone monochromacy, and rod monochromacy. Each type is depending on the color defect and how it affects the cones/rods of the eye.
There are three different types of cone cells. Each type has a different sensitivity to light wavelengths. One type of cone perceives blue light, another perceives green, and the last one perceives red. When you look at an object, light enters your eye and stimulates the cone cells. Your brain then interprets the signals from the cone cells so you are able to see and identify the color of an object.
The precise physical causes of color blindness are still being researched but is believed to be caused by faulty cone cells and/or a fault in the path from the cone to the brain. The effects of this condition can be mild, moderate, or severe depending on the defect. If the defect is inherited, it will stay the same throughout your lifetime - never getting better nor worse.
Color blindness can make daily life extremely difficult. It can limit job opportunities (unable to be a pilot, police officer, firefighter, etc.), make reading maps or buying clothes a challenge, cooking meat can become extremely hard to do, etc. Overall, color blindness can seriously affect someone's life.
I thought this topic was very interesting, though I knew the main idea of it, I didn't understand how many people it affected. I also didn't understand there were so many incredible jobs that people are unable to do, due to their defect.
Citations:
"Normal Vision VS. Red/Green Color-Blind | Rebrn.Com". Rerbn. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
"Causes Of Colour Blindness". Colour Blind Awareness. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
"Causes Of Colour Blindness". Colour Blind Awareness. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
I thought this topic was very interesting and i didnt know you could become color blind from diabetes.
ReplyDeleteI think that this blog post is very interesting and I wondering how many animals do you think suffer with this?
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing a lot. I know that owls are color blind and I'm pretty sure that dogs are as well.
DeleteVery interesting. I have family members who are color blind and its cool to see and read about how they live. Thanks for informing us about the different cases and information about color blindness.
ReplyDeleteWhat are a couple jobs you can't do because you're color blind?
ReplyDeleteYou are unable to work with electrical, be a firefighter, pilot, police officer, a painter, or even a baggage handler, just to name a few.
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