Colour vision deficiency - Symptoms of colour vision deficiency

If you have colour vision deficiency, you may have problems doing everyday activities that most people take for granted.

Preparing food, driving, playing sport, understanding information and choosing clothes can all be problematic if you're unable to distinguish between different colours.

Being unable to recognise subtle changes in colour could also have potential health implications. For example, you might not be aware of a change in the colour of a person's skin if they suddenly became unwell.

Colour vision deficiency can vary in severity. Some people are unaware they have the condition until they take a colour vision test.

Pale or deep colours may be difficult to identify, particularly if the light is poor. A person with a colour vision deficiency will often see many different colours as the same.

Red-green colour deficiencies

Red-green colour deficiencies are the most common types. This means you'll have difficulty distinguishing between different shades of red, yellow and green, so that:

• reds, oranges, yellows, browns and greens may all appear to be a similar colour
• reds, oranges, yellows, browns and greens may appear much duller than they would to someone with normal vision
• reds, oranges, yellows, browns and greens may only be distinguishable by their slightly different brightness and intensity
• shades of purple, such as lavender and violet, may be difficult to distinguish and may both look blue because you can't see the red component in them

Some people also confuse reds with black.

Blue-yellow colour deficiency

If you have a blue-yellow colour deficiency:

• you'll find it difficult to distinguish between blue and green
• green may appear as a shade of blue
• yellow may appear as a pale shade of grey or purple

Children

If your child has colour vision deficiency, they may have difficulty picking out colours or using colour-coded learning materials.