Colorblindness_CarolineCuetara

== A pseudoisochromatic plate test. A person who is colorblind  can't see the number. Living with Colorblindness Exclusive Interview with a Colorblind Person by Caroline Cuetara Today, colorblindness affects .4% of womenand between 1% and 8% of men (statistics are different depending on race). It is more common in men because it is a recessive trait carried on the X chromosome. Color vision is controlled by special eye pigments called photoreceptors. These pigments are called rods and cones. Colorblindness is caused when pigments within the photoreceptors are missing or defective. There are different types of colorblindness. The most severe form is called monochromacy.People with monochromacy can’t see any hues, and see the world in varying shades of black, white, and gray. This is accompanied with discomfort in bright lights and an eye twitch called nystagmus. A more mild form is called dichromacy. Some people with dichromacy can’t tell apart reds, greens, and yellows. Others merely have trouble differentiating between blues and yellows. Tests such as a pseudoisochromatic plate test can diagnose color blindness. Special contact lenses can glasses can help determine hues, but there is no cure.

To find out more about what it's like to live with colorblindness, I interviewed Mr. C., who is colorblind: Me: How did you find out that you were colorblind? Mr. C: I was in third grade, and I was looking at a map, and I looked at the East and the Mid-West and said “How come they’re the same color?” and my teacher told me I must be colorblind. Me: How severe is your colorblindness? Mr. C: Greens and browns cause me the most problems. I can tell the differencebetween a blood red and a grass green, but olive green is difficult. I also have trouble with purpley-blues. Me: What career options are unavailable to you because of your colorblindness? Mr. C: Being a pilot, some forms of art, and over-the-road truck driving. Me: What are some activities in your daily life that are more difficult? Mr. C: Bird watching, dressing(coordinating colors), reading color-coded maps, buying anything where color is important, identifying landmarks for directions(i.e. beige house, green roof.)