Men are indeed far more likely than women to have congenital red-green color blindness, the most prevalent type of color blindness. There are an estimated 300 million people worldwide who are colorblind!
Color blindness is more widespread than you may realize! Colorblindness affects one in every 12 men, but only one in every 200 women. This suggests that men account for 95% of the colorblind group. But what is the reason behind this? Why men are more likely to be colorblind than women? Let us find out the reason.
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What is color blindness?
A color vision defect, often known as color blindness, indicates that your perception of color differs from most people’s. The majority of the time, color vision deficiencies make it difficult to distinguish between different colors.
Color vision deficit is typically passed down through families. There is no cure, although special glasses and contact lenses can help people see the difference between colors. Most people with color vision deficits have no trouble with daily activities. There are several levels of color blindness. Some persons with moderate color deficits may see colors normally in bright light but have trouble in low light. Certain colors are invisible to others in any kind of light.
Color blindness often affects both eyes equally and is constant throughout life.
Colorblindness is normally present at birth, however it can also develop later in life. Changes in color vision may indicate a more serious condition.
What causes color blindness?
Color blindness can be either inherited or acquired. Color blindness is typically a genetic (hereditary) disorder that is present at birth.
Although retinal or optic nerve diseases like multiple sclerosis and diabetes can also cause color anomalies, inherited factors account for the majority of cases.
A color vision issue can be caused by a variety of factors. Some of the factors are:
Genetic Inheritance
Colorblindness, for example, is passed on from parents to children via chromosomes, which are sets of genes. Chromosomes are structures that hold genes. Genes provide instructions for the formation of cells, tissues, and organs. If you are colorblind, it signifies your gene cells are malfunctioning.
Rods and cones are types of photoreceptors found in the retina. Rods are more common (about 100 million rods in the human retina) and more sensitive to light, but they cannot perceive color.
Color vision is controlled by the human retina’s 6 to 7 million cones, which are concentrated in the retina’s central zone known as the macula. The fovea is the center of the macula, and it has the highest concentration of cones in the retina, resulting in our most acute color vision.
Inherited forms of color blindness are frequently associated with impairments in specific types of cones or the complete lack of these cones. The cone cells may be absent, less sensitive to light, or the pathway from your cone cells to your brain has not grown properly. Normal color vision requires all three types of cone cells/electrical pathways to function properly, however, color blindness occurs when one or more of the cone cell types has faulty sequencing.
Acquired Color blindness
Gene mutations do not cause all color blindness. These non-hereditary disorders are known as acquired colorblindness. Other eye ailments, such as diseases affecting the retina, the nerve that transports visual information from the eye to the brain (the optic nerve), or brain areas involved in visual processing, can also cause them. Acquired color vision deficits can also be side effects of some medications, such as chloroquine (used to treat malaria), or the result of exposure to specific substances, such as organic solvents.
Diseases
Diseases that might induce color vision deficiencies. Certain hereditary illnesses can also cause color blindness. This includes:
- Cone dystrophy
- Cone-rod dystrophy
- Retina pigmentosa
- Age-related macular degeneration.
- Retinoblastoma
- Diabetes mellitus
- Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis
- Shaken Baby Syndrome.
- Glaucoma
- Optic neuritis or an inflammation of the optic nerve.
- Sickle cell anemia.
Medications
A side effect of several drugs is color blindness.
- Digoxin (used to treat heart failure),
- Ethambutol (used to treat tuberculosis),
- Chloroquine (used to treat malaria),
- Hydroxychloroquine and phenytoin (used to treat epilepsy),
- Antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine and thioridazine, and
- Sildenafil or Viagra (used to treat erectile dysfunction)
Other Factors
Aging: As you get older, your capacity to differentiate between colors gradually declines.
Chemicals: Prolonged exposure to some chemicals, such as fertilizers and carbon disulfide, can also result in color vision loss. Furthermore, the loss of color perception has been connected to hazardous substances like styrene, which is found in certain plastics.
Injury: Color blindness is a serious possibility if an injury has damaged the optic nerve or areas of the brain that process color information.
Why men are more likely to be colorblind than women?
Color blindness is more widespread than you may realize! Colorblindness affects one in every 12 men, but only one in every 200 women. This suggests that men account for 95% of the colorblind group. But what is the reason behind this? Why men are more likely to be colorblind than women? Well, it comes down to chromosomes and genetics, which can be complicated.
X-Chromosomes
Color blindness is a hereditary disease that affects our X-linked chromosomes. Men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, whereas women have two X chromosomes. To have colorblindness, the genetic mutation must be present on the X chromosome; however, for women, it must be present on both X chromosomes. Men just need one mutation on their X chromosome to inherit color blindness.
[Image source: https://fyidoctors.com/blogs/eye-health/why-men-are-more-prone-to-colour-blindness]
Genetic Inheritance
This genetic mutation is passed down from our parents. However, just because neither of your parents is colorblind does not preclude you from being colorblind. Women can carry the gene but not express it. Your mother may only have the mutation on one of her X chromosomes, which means she is not colorblind, but she can pass the gene along to you.
For example, if your mother’s grandfather was colorblind, it indicates that his one X inherited the mutation and passed it down to her. Because your mother acquired another X chromosome from your grandmother, her color vision will not be affected; but, she remains a carrier of the X chromosome with the colorblind mutation.
If you are a male, your father will pass on the Y chromosome, while your mother will pass on the X chromosome. Because your mother carries one mutant and one normal X chromosome, you have a 50% chance of acquiring the colorblindness gene.
The only reason men are more likely to be colorblind than women is genetic. While color blindness cannot be cured, you can enhance your visual experience with color-correcting sunglasses.
Video on Why men are more likely to be colorblind than women?
References
- https://www.healthline.com/health/color-blindness#:
- https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/color-blindn ess
- https://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/causes-of-colour-blindness/
- https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/color-blindness/causes-color-vision-deficiency
- https://prasadnetralaya.com/color-blindness-causes/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/color-blindness-more-common-males#males-vs-females
- https://colourvisionoptical.com.au/why-are-more-men-colourblind-than-women/
- https://pilestone.com/blogs/news/why-men-are-colorblind-more-often-than-women
