Color blindness is when you can't see some colors in a normal way. In most cases, you can still see colors. But you can’t tell the difference between certain colors. Color blindness can be present from birth. Or it can develop later (acquired) because of a health condition.
Types of treatment
Currently, there is no treatment for color blindness that is present from birth. If you have this condition, you may benefit from special glasses or contact lenses. These aids may help you see the difference between certain shades. But they don't restore normal color vision.
If you have color blindness caused by a health condition, your healthcare provider will treat the health condition. This may cause the color blindness to become less severe. Or it may cause it to go away. In other cases, treatment may help stop the symptoms from getting worse.
Preventing color blindness
You can't prevent color blindness that is present at birth. You may be able to reduce your chance of having color blindness later in life. Get regular eye exams, see your healthcare provider regularly, call your provider if you notice vision changes, and live a healthy lifestyle.
Living with color blindness
If you are color blind, you may have problems with certain everyday tasks, such as:
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Seeing the difference between ripe and unripe fruit
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Matching items of clothing
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Seeing if meat is undercooked
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Telling team jerseys apart in a sporting event
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Seeing the different areas of colored graphs
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Telling colors apart at traffic lights
It may be helpful to:
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Organize and label objects.
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Focus on how certain things are arranged. For example, the red light is always at the top of a traffic light.
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Choose a career where color blindness is not a major problem.
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Let friends and coworkers know you are color blind.
