Color Blindness
Glossary of Health - Einstein
ICD 10 - H53.5
What is color blindness?
Color blindness is a reduced ability to differentiate certain colors, usually shades of red and green. The condition is generally hereditary and affects more men than women.
Symptoms
Color blindness usually involves the inability to distinguish between shades of red and green, and less frequently, blue and yellow.
Causes
Most often, color blindness is associated with genetic factors that can be passed from parent to child. Cases where it arises as a consequence of another disease are rare.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of color blindness is made through tests and exams that identify this difficulty in distinguishing certain colors, and the severity of the condition.
Prevention Method
Most cases of color blindness are related to genetic causes and, therefore, cannot be prevented.
Treatment
There is no cure for hereditary color blindness, but eyeglass lenses with color filters can alleviate the condition. For the few cases where color blindness is acquired, it is possible to stabilize it by treating the underlying cause.
Duration
In cases of hereditary color blindness, the condition lasts a lifetime.
Is it contagious?
Color blindness is not contagious.
Can it be contracted more than once?
In most cases, color blindness is a hereditary condition that accompanies the person throughout life.