Myths and Facts About Colorblindness

Everyone sees color slightly differently. But if you have trouble distinguishing between colors that others seem to think are very clearly different, you might be living with colorblindness.

Colorblindness is much more common than most people think, affecting as many as 1 in 10 men. That’s why our team at Benjamin Optical offers dedicated colorblindness diagnosis and treatment at offices throughout New York City. To further help people with color deficiency, we also want to dispel some of the most common misconceptions about this condition.

Here are four colorblindness myths it’s time to put to bed. 

Myth: Only men can be colorblind

While colorblindness is significantly more common in men, this condition can affect women. Roughly 1 in every 200 women has some level of color deficiency. 

If you’re a woman and you have trouble distinguishing between colors, don’t hesitate to talk to the team at any of our Benjamin Optical offices.  

Myth: All colorblindness is the same

Colorblindness can affect the individual in a variety of ways. In fact, there are seven different types of colorblindness:

1. Deuteranomaly: Green looks redder
2. Deuteranopia: Green blindness
3. Protanomaly: Red looks greener
4. Protanopia: Red blindness
5. Tritanomaly: Blue and green look alike; red and yellow look alike
6. Tritanopia: Blue/green, purple/red, and yellow/pink look alike
7. Monochromacy: You don’t see color at all

For a closer look at how any of these types of colorblindness affect the individual, you can check out these color-edited images. If you don’t see any difference between the images, come visit our office. It’s highly likely you have some form of colorblindness. 

Myth: Colorblindness is no big deal

While colorblindness probably won’t stop you from doing what you want, it can make things more challenging. Even simply cooking a chicken breast until it’s no longer pink can be a major hurdle for people with color deficiency. 

Here at Benjamin Optical, we understand the challenges of living with colorblindness and can help you manage them. 

Myth: You can’t do anything about colorblindness

Colorblindness is usually a stable condition, which means it doesn’t change throughout your life. That leads many colorblind people to think they’re stuck with their color deficiency.

That’s not the case, though. A wide range of treatments and aids are available to help you see your best. Here at Benjamin Optical, we offer EnChroma® eyeglasses, which allow people with red-green colorblindness to see a broader spectrum of colors. 

We can also show you the best apps to make life easier with colorblindness. 

If you think you might have colorblindness, don’t hesitate to visit our team to get a diagnosis. Call any of our offices for an appointment or book one online today.