Location: Eye Health >> Eye Conditions & Diseases >> Color Deficiencies

Color Deficiencies

Color vision deficiency means that your ability to distinguish certain shades and colors is less than normal. Nearly 8% of all men and less than 1% of women are color deficient.

Cause
Color deficiency is caused when the color sensing cone cells in your eyes do not properly sense or send the proper color signals to the brain.The red green deficiency is by far the most common form and results in the inability to distinguish shades of red and green. Blue and yellow color deficiency is another type of color blindness. Color vision is extremely important since we live in a world filled with color-coded materials.

Treatment
Color deficient does not mean color blindness (which is very rare) and can be treated with filters and lenses.

Color deficiency needs to be evaluated at an early age because it can limit a child's career choices. Lack of color vision in only one eye should require further testing.