While colour blindness isn't typically considered a harmful condition in the sense of causing physical pain or illness, it can present numerous difficulties and challenges in everyday life. Colour blind people face many difficulties in everyday life which normally sighted people just aren't aware of.
Everyday Challenges of Colour Blindness
The impact of colour blindness varies depending on the severity and type of colour vision deficiency. Problems can arise in even the simplest of activities including choosing and preparing food, gardening, sport, driving a car and selecting which clothes to wear. Here's a more detailed look at some common areas where colour blindness can pose challenges:
-
Choosing and Preparing Food: Distinguishing between ripe and unripe fruits or vegetables can be difficult. Judging the doneness of meat based on colour can also be problematic.
-
Gardening: Identifying different types of plants or assessing their health based on leaf colour becomes challenging.
-
Sports: Differentiating team uniforms or tracking the movement of coloured balls can be difficult.
-
Driving a Car: Recognizing traffic light colours, especially in bright sunlight or low visibility, can be a significant safety concern.
-
Selecting Clothes: Matching colours or ensuring that outfits are aesthetically pleasing can be difficult without assistance.
Practical Insights
Many apps and tools are available to help individuals with colour blindness navigate these challenges. Some examples are:
-
Colour identifying apps: These apps use the camera on a smartphone to identify colours in real-time.
-
Colour blind glasses: These glasses enhance colour perception for some individuals with specific types of colour blindness.
-
Seeking assistance: Asking friends or family members for help with tasks involving colour identification can be a helpful strategy.
Summary
In conclusion, while not life-threatening, colour blindness introduces daily difficulties across various aspects of life, affecting activities from simple tasks like choosing food to more critical ones like driving. Colour blindness can have an impact on personal safety and require adaptive strategies.
