3 Warning Signs Your Child May Be Color-Blind And The Importance Of Early Diagnosis

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If you think that being colorblind is a rare phenomena in humans, then you may not catch the warning signs that your child is colorblind. As many as 8-percent of all men and .5-percent of women today suffer from color vision deficiency, which is the clinical name for being colorblind. While most cases are inherited, many hereditary disorders skip generations, and you may not be aware that you had a color-blind great-grandparent or other ancestor. Here is a guide to why it is important to determine if your child is colorblind at an early age and a few of the first signs that your child may have this disorder.

Why Early Colorblind Detection is Important

While colorblind adults you may know have likely learned to live just as happily with their disorder than without, children who are color blind may first be suspected to have learning difficulties. This can occur when your child is learning the names of colors and doesn't seem to "get it." This can lead to unneeded stress and worry that your child may have learning problems when the true source of this problem is color vision deficiency.

Also, some forms of colorblindness can be managed with special tinted glasses prescribed by your ophthalmologist. The sooner your child is diagnosed, the sooner he or she can begin wearing the lenses.

Early Warning Signs That a Child is Colorblind

Red-green color vision deficiency is the most common type of colorblindness, but there are other types to watch out for, including tritanopia, which is blue-yellow colorblindness and monochromacy, which results in gray-scale vision (this type is very rare). There is a great online tool that lets you see objects as if you were color-blind.

Here are some signs that your child may be suffering from some form of color vision deficiency:

1. Trouble learning colors. If your child is progressing well in pre-school or with at-home teaching but is having trouble recognizing colors, then you may at first become alarmed that he or she is having trouble learning. This occurrence is often the first sign of a color-blind child.
2. Sensitivity to light. Proper processing of color and light in the eyes relies on two types of cells in the retinas called rods and cones. Rods process light, and cones process colors. In people who can see the full color spectrum clearly, there is a balance of rods and cones. There are fewer cones than rods in people who suffer from colorblindness, and this can make the eyes see light more brightly while having trouble distinguishing colors.
3. Random eye movements. This sign is only associated with the most severe form of colorblindness, which is monochromacy, that is also called achromatopsia.

Once you suspect that your child may be color-blind, your ophthalmologist can perform tests to determine if your child is suffering from vision color deficiency and what type. You can work together to determine just what visual intervention is needed, if any, and begin working on helping your child adapt to his or her disorder.  

For more information, contact Cripe Stephens & Stickel or a similar organization.

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20 October 2015