Introduction

People with colour vision deficiencyfind it difficult to identify and distinguish between certain colours.

It's sometimescalled being "colour blind", although total colour blindness (an inability to see any colour) is veryrare.

Colour vision deficiency isusually passed on to a child by their parents (inherited) and is present from birth, although sometimes it can develop later in life.

Most people are able to adapt to colour vision deficiency and it's rarely a sign of anything serious.

This page covers:

Types and symptoms of colour vision deficiency

Tests for colour vision deficiency

Issues for people with a colour vision deficiency

Treating and living witha colour vision deficiency

Causes ofcolour vision deficiency

Howcolour vision deficiency is inherited

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 4 Jan 2017