It is likely that most people know at least one person who is color blind. For those who do not have color vision deficiency it may be hard to imagine what life would be like with it, but this will give you some more knowledge and insight into colorblindness and how it works.
First, it is good to know what people really mean when they say that they are, or know someone who is, colorblind. Most of the time they are not literally blind to all color. They do not generally just see in black and white like in the old movies. What they mean is that they are on the spectrum of color deficiency. People who are color deficient may be affected in different ways. Some may have red-green color blindness which will be discussed later, and some may have another form. Color vision deficiency can impair one’s ability to differentiate certain colors from each other depending on the severity.
Most of the people affected by color blindness are male, as roughly one in every 12 males have it as compared to women, where it closer to one in every 200 or so. A very prevalent form is the red-green colorblindness. This type t affects the whole spectrum of colors, and is most notable in its ability to make reds and greens somewhat indistinguishable from each other.
Red-green colorblindness interestingly, is not passed down from father to son. Instead it is a sex-linked chromosome that comes only from the mother. Therefore, just because you or your father may have it does not mean your offspring will or will not have the red-green colorblindness.
To determine whether you or a friend is colorblind, there are some tests that can be run. One of the most common and well known test is the Ishihara color blindness test. This is a very old test that is still used today which should speak to its abilities and functionality. This test is great for finding red-green colorblindness through the use of plates with colors spread specifically throughout that will be seen differently by people with red-green colorblindness as compared to those without it.
There are other tests online to figure out whether you have color vision deficiency. Before making any diagnoses on yourself you must consult a doctor and allow her to help you and keep your eyes healthy and safe.