Színtévesztés

Színtévesztés, commonly referred to as color blindness, is a condition that affects a person's ability to distinguish certain colors. It is not a true blindness but rather a deficiency in the perception of color. The most common type is red-green color blindness, where individuals have difficulty differentiating between shades of red and green. Other forms include blue-yellow color blindness and the rare complete color blindness (achromatopsia), where a person sees in black, white, and shades of gray.

The cause of most color vision deficiencies is genetic, often inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern, which is why it is more prevalent in males. It occurs when the cone cells in the retina, responsible for color vision, are either absent or not functioning correctly. These cone cells contain photopigments that are sensitive to different wavelengths of light, corresponding to red, green, and blue. When these pigments are faulty, the brain receives inaccurate information about colors.

Acquired color vision problems can also arise due to certain diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetes, or macular degeneration, as well as from exposure to certain medications or chemicals, and aging.

Diagnosis is typically made through various standardized color vision tests, such as the Ishihara plates or the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test. While there is no cure for inherited color blindness, specialized lenses and filters can sometimes assist individuals in distinguishing colors more effectively. For those with acquired color vision issues, treating the underlying cause may improve color perception.