Colorblindness_Cuetara

=**Living with Colorblindness **=

Today, colorblindness affects .4% of women and 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. Cuetara, 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 difference between 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), color-coded maps, buying anything where color is important, identifying landmarks for directions(i.e. beige house, green roof.)

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Colorblindness Pedigree
James is not colorblind. He married Bridget, who is a carrier. They had four children: identical twin girls Greta and Naomi, another daughter, Anne, and a son, Jerry. Jerry is colorblind, and Greta, Naomi, and Anne are all carriers. Greta married Zachariah, and they had Martin, Ruby, and Isaiah. None of their children are colorblind, but Ruby is a carrier. Martin married Chelsea, who is colorblind, and they had Mark and Flora. Mark is colorblind. Ruby married George, and they had identical twins Fred and Joe, who are not colorblind. Isaiah married Amalia, who is not a carrier, and they had identical twins Lucia and Rebekah. Naomi married Jonah, who is not colorblind, but they had no children. Anne married Amos, and they had twins Samuel and Ezekiel, and identical twins Rosemary and Isobel. Rosemary, Isobel, and Ezekiel are all colorblind. Samuel married Maria, who is not a carrier, and they had one daughter, Anya. Ezekiel married Juliette, who is not a carrier, and they had one son, Jeremiah. Jerry married Esther, who is not a carrier, and they had Angelica, Ruth, and Aaron. Aaron is not colorblind, but Angelica and Ruth are both carriers. Angelica married Ned, who is colorblind, and they had one daughter, Marta, who is colorblind. Ruth married Jake, who is not colorblind, and they had one daughter, Priscilla, who is not a carrier. Aaron married Phillippa, who is a carrier, and they had Luke and Tom. Tom is colorblind, Luke is not.

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