Complications of Colorblindness

Colorblindness is a problem with the pigments on certain nerves in your eye. The most common form of colorblindness occurs when you are missing one pigment and have difficulties seeing shades of red and green. A more severe form also makes it difficult to see blue and yellow. True colorblindness, which causes you to only see shades of gray, is rare. When diagnosed early, most people adjust well to the complications of living with colorblindness.

Children

• Colorblindness is often diagnosed in children when they have difficulties passing vision tests or struggle with lessons in school. Many early learning activities rely on colors as a teaching tool. This can make learning difficult for children with colorblindness. Early diagnosis can help parents and teachers amend learning tools to accommodate a child with colorblindness. Additionally, working with children early in their development on how to live with colorblindness will help them later in life.

Basics

• People living with colorblindness experience many day-to-day complications due to their inability to distinguish certain colors from one another. Dressing, for example, can be difficult if you cannot tell if a certain blouse matches a pair of pants. Some people with colorblindness label their clothes with the clothing color or organize their clothes by grouping like colors together in the closet. Another significant daily activity complicated by colorblindness is driving. Stop lights rely on the red-yellow-green color scheme, colors that are difficult to identify for those with color blindness. You can memorize the position of the colors on the stoplight instead of relying on the colors themselves.

Employment

• Most people with colorblindness do not find it more difficult than others to find a job. However, some jobs, such as becoming a pilot, require that you be able to see colors. You should be honest with your potential employer about your colorblindness. In most cases it will not impact whether you are hired. However, it is best to know early whether you or the employer will need to accommodate your colorblindness in any special way.