Color vision deficiency, often referred to as color blindness,
is often a misunderstood condition. This is partially because
there are several different causes of color blindness, as well
as a variety of ways the condition develops. Is it true that
only males are at risk? Are people born with color blindness?
Read on to find out what is fact and what is fiction: According
to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), color blindness occurs when there is
a problem with the color-sensing pigments in certain nerve
cells, or cones, within the eye. The cones are found in the
retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue that lines the back
of the eye. Even if just one pigment is missing, you may have
trouble telling the difference between certain colors or shades.
Symptoms include not only an inability to identify colors, but
also trouble seeing the difference between shades and
brightness. Red-green deficiency is the most common type of
color blindness, followed by blue