Amazing images show how colour blind people see the world.

“I’m going to wear my green shirt tonight” my friend tells me. “What green shirt?” I enquire. “The green shirt you bought me for my last birthday” she replies. “But the shirt I bought you was brown” I protest.

Bullshit, she says. Bullshit, I say.

And this is when we both realise my best friend is colour blind.

I’m embarrassed to admit I quickly – and gleefully – started to pull out other brightly coloured items, asking her to tell me what colour she saw. She was wrong, every time.

The below images are a comparison of how non-colourblind (L) and colourblind (R – Dichromat) see the world. 

Now, you might think that maybe it's me who's colour blind. But like any good experiment, I relied on a variety of subjects (her husband and children) to be my control and to assure me that yes, my friend was indeed, colour blind. Which in retrospect, explained A LOT from our childhood.

According to Vision Australia, about 8 per cent of males and 0.4 per cent of females are colour blind. Colour blindness is predominantly an inherited condition, and there's no cure. Colours might be confused, and some colours may be seen more dimly.

The thing is, you might be colour blind but still able to function quite normally and therefore, have never picked up on it. You can still drive, still see traffic light changes and move through life without even realising you are seeing the world through a completely different kaleidoscope to your peers.

And to be colour blind doesn't mean that, like a dog, you only see black and white. In fact, most people only suffer partial colour blindness and it will be one of three types: deuteranopia, protanopia and tritanopia. For those with normal vision, that means people who are colour blind see colours like this:

The following examples will help you understand how someone who is colour blind would see the following picture of a simple garden. The first picture is an example of how someone who isn't colour blind, sees it:

Those that have deuteranopia probably see the jelly beans on the right like this:

Or the colours of the rainbow, like this:

The irony being of course, that if you are colour blind, the images above are meaningless. For those who aren't, they provide an insight into what those who have difficulty with colours actually see.

How then, can you check if you are colour blind? While this is not a definitive test and you should ALWAYS check with an optometrist, the following Ishihara colour tests will help you ascertain, in a simple way, if you see colour differently to others.

The Ishihara Colour Test is used by professionals all around the world to determine the ability to see colours.

Here are the test instructions:

Each of the following Plates contains a number. To pass the test you must identify the correct number.

Sit approximately 75cm from your monitor, with each circle set at eye level. Preferably have mild natural light and no glare on your screen.

Attempt to identify the hidden number or line within 5 seconds. The answers will be revealed below each plate:

Plate 1.

Number 12.

Plate 2

Number 8.

Plate 3.

Number 29.

Plate 4.

Number 5.

Plate 5.

Number 3.

Plate number 6.

Number 15.

Plate number 7.

Number 74.

Plate number 8.

Number 6.

Plate number 9.

Number 45.

Plate number 10.

Number 7.

Plate number 11.

Number 16.

Plate number 12.

Number 73.

How did you go?

Vision Australia has some  helpful tools for people who are colour blind. There is a link to them HERE.

This is a really quick and helpful video to help you see and understand what it's like to be colour blind. (Article continues after video)

The following links will also take you straight to some amazing resource tools to help you further understand colour blindness.

www.vischeck.com allows anyone to upload their own photos and files and then convert them to colour blind vision. You can also take a look at most web pages through colour blind eyes and for each type of dichromatic condition.

The Australian Colour Blind Awareness website provides advice and links to further websites which simulate what it is like to be colour blind at www.members.optusnet.com.au/~doverton

As much as we might not treat colour blindness as one of the prominent disabilities, it is definitely something we need to address, discuss and acknowledge. So please pass this on to anyone you think it may help.

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