COLOR BLINDNESS

Rachel Bockol
 Affects 8% of males in America and less than 1% females due to its sex-
linked nature which will be further explained later in the presentation
 SYMPTOMS

Difficulty distinguishing
between certain colors
Difficulty seeing different
shades of the same color
DIAGNOSING COLOR BLINDNESS AT A YOUNG
AGE

Coloring the object a wrong color ex.

Purple leaves on trees
Low attention span when coloring
Problems identifying red or green
colored pencils or ones containing red or
green (purple or brown)
children may complain that their eyes or
head hurt, if looking at something red on
a green background, or vice versa
 ISHIHARA COLOR VISION TEST

Pseudoisochromatic appears to
be the same color, but someone
with normal vision will be able to
distinguish the numbers
HOW SEEING COLOR WORKS
Photoreceptors in the eyes
Rods used in dim light to see black and white
Rhodopsin- light sensitive pigment
Cones used in normal daylight to see color
Cone pigments light sensitive pigments in the cones
 IN THE PHOTOPIGMENTS
Opsin protein in the cones
11-cis-retinal chromophore

Steps to seeing color

1. Absorption of photon
2. 11-cis-retinal undergoes a change
(excites the electron)
3. Opsin is activated
4. Triggers biochemical event in the
cone
5. Transmission of neural signal
YOUNG-HELMHOLTZ TRICHROMATIC
THEORY OF COLOR VISION
3 cone receptors in the retina
S-cones(blue)
M-cones (green)
L-cones (red)
CAUSES OF COLOR BLINDNESS
Most common cause for color blindness is that it is inherited
Carried by the X chromosome
 Genes for the opsin are altered, lost or become non-functional.
These gene alterations cause phenotypic alterations
Anamolous trichromacy
Dichromacy
Monochromacy
COLOR BLINDNESS CAN ALSO ARISE FROM
NONHEREDITARY CAUSES

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Trauma to the Head
Physical
Disease affecting the brain
UV Damage
TRICHROMACY NORMAL VISION
DICHROMACY
There are only two different cone types, and the third one is missing
TRITANOPIA
Missing/ malfunctioning S-cone (blue)
DEUTARANOPIA
Missing/malfunctioning M-cone (green)
PROTANOPIA
Missing/malfunctioning L-cone (red)
ANALOMOUS TRICHROMACY
All three cone types are present, but they have shifted sensitivity
PROTANOMALY
red-weakness
DEUTERANOMALY
Green-sensitive
Effect 5% of males (most common)
Sex-linked on X chromosome
TRITANOMALY
Very rare
Blue-sensitive
Difficulty distinguishing between yellow and blue
MONOCHROMACY (ACHROMATOPSIA)
Extremely rare
Only one cone exists
May see in black and white
ANIMAL THE COLORS THEY SEE RELATI
VE TO
HUMAN
S
SPIDERS (jumping spiders) ULTRAVIOLET AND GREEN Different

INSECTS (bees) ULTRAVIOLET, BLUE, YELLOW Different

CRUSTACEANS (crayfish) BLUE AND RED Less

CEPHALOPODS (octopi and squids) BLUE ONLY Less

FISH MOST SEE JUST TWO Less

COLORS
AMPHIBIANS (frogs) MOST SEE SOME COLOR Less

REPTILES (snakes*) SOME COLOR AND INFRARED Different

BIRDS FIVE TO SEVEN COLORS More

MAMMALS (cats) TWO COLORS BUT WEAKLY Less

MAMMALS (dogs) TWO COLORS BUT WEAKLY Less

MAMMALS (rabbit) BLUE AND GREEN Less

MAMMALS (rats) ULTRAVIOLET, BLUE, GREEN Different

MAMMALS (squirrels) BLUES AND YELLOWS Less

MAMMALS (primates-apes and SAME AS HUMANS Same

chimps)
MAMMALS (African monkeys) SAME AS HUMANS Same

MAMMALS (South American monkeys) CAN'T SEE RED WELL Less

* pit vipers, some boas and some

pythons
BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_-IfWLKdSfcC&oi=fnd&p
g=PA3&dq=color+blindness&ots=ZBXkAdJgee&sig=ciZack7V0dIHkjT0oz2FL
mOyKPk#v=onepage&q=color%20blindness&f=false