Will you develop color blindness later in life? You must know these misunderstandings

This is the 2552nd article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Color blindness is not uncommon in life. Their world may become boring and monotonous due to color vision impairment, and their quality of life is greatly reduced. However, the general public does not have a deep understanding of color blindness, and even has some misunderstandings. Let's hear what experts say about some common questions about color blindness.

What causes color blindness?

Which group of people are more likely to suffer from color blindness?

The causes of color blindness are mainly divided into congenital and acquired. Among them, congenital color blindness is a hereditary disease, which is mainly a recessive inheritance associated with the X chromosome. According to the law of inheritance, men have only one X chromosome in their genes, so as long as their X chromosome carries the color blindness gene, they will suffer from color blindness; women have two X chromosomes in their genes, so they will only suffer from color blindness if both X chromosomes carry the color blindness gene. From this, it can be seen that men are more likely to suffer from congenital color blindness than women.

Acquired color blindness, also known as acquired color vision abnormality, is mainly caused by some eye diseases. Retinal diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, optic atrophy, and macular degeneration can all cause color vision abnormalities. For acquired color blindness, the elderly are a high-risk group.

Is color blindness a more serious form of color weakness?

What are the differences between the two?

The pathological mechanisms of color blindness and color weakness are different. The cone cells on the retina of color blind patients lack the photosensitive pigments of corresponding colors, while the cone cells of color weak patients have corresponding photosensitive pigments, but they are not fully functional. Color weak patients can distinguish colors, but it takes more effort and time than normal people, especially when the colors are lighter, the contrasting colors are close, or the lighting is poor. The symptoms and color discrimination ability of severe color weak patients are close to those of color blind patients.

What methods are available to improve and treat color blindness?

There is no good treatment for congenital color blindness. Scientists are also trying some gene therapy, but no gene therapy has been applied clinically yet. At present, the main way to help color blind patients improve their symptoms is to wear color blind glasses. For acquired color blindness, it is mainly improved or cured by treating the primary eye disease that causes color blindness. People with congenital color weakness and color blindness should have a positive attitude. Although the scenery you see is different from that of normal people, your world is also wonderful.

How to prevent color blindness?

Since congenital color blindness is a hereditary disease, you should understand your family history before marriage, avoid consanguineous marriage, and carry out eugenics according to the laws of inheritance. If you have visual and color vision abnormalities, it is recommended that you go to a professional ophthalmology institution for treatment of eye diseases in a timely manner. In addition, you can also eat more foods rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, etc. The elderly can take appropriate lutein supplements to protect the retina.

Expert interviewed: Ding Qi, deputy chief physician of Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center and guest expert of Dayi Xiaohu Medical Communication Think Tank

Source: People's Daily Online - Science Popularization China

Text: Mei Yixuan, Huang Yaxin

Editors: Dong Jing, Li Huibo