How to Get Tested for Color Blindness

Color blindness is a common disorder found in men. It is estimated that 1 out of every 10 men experiences some type of color blindness. Women can be color-blind as well, but it is a rare occurrence. If you suspect you are color-blind, your eye doctor can run a series of tests to determine if you have this condition.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Look for the symptoms of color blindness. The most obvious symptom of color blindness is that the person does not see shades or colors in a typical manner. A color-blind person may not be able to see a color at all or may merely be unable to differentiate between the different shades of a color.
2. Make an appointment with an optometrist. Your eye doctor can set up a series of tests to check to see the extent of your color blindness and diagnose the type that you suffer from.
3. Go through a series of tests to determine color blindness. The most common test that doctors' offices use is the Ishihara Test. This test uses different colored dots to hide a number from a color-blind person. If you are unable to see the number, then you are color-blind.
4. Find out the type of color blindness that you have. Most often, people suffer from the inability to distinguish between red and green. Other types include blue and yellow color blindness and the very rare total color blindness, known as achromatopsia.
5. Make the necessary adjustments if you or a family member is diagnosed with color blindness. If you have a young child that is color-blind, you should notify their school. You will also have to avoid any type of occupation that requires you to be able to correctly identify colors.

Tips & Warnings

• Some cases of color blindness are so mild, the person may never realize that they suffer from this condition.
• Children are typically diagnosed at the age when they are being taught color recognition.
• There is no current treatment or cure for people that suffer from color blindness.