some polka dots i spotted...

I love color. I cannot imagine life without color. I cannot imagine not being able to see all colors. So I did some research on color blindness.

Here are some images from the Ishihara Color Blindness Test.

Can you see the number 8?

Those with red-green color vision deficiencies read this as 3 and

those with total color blindness cannot read any numeral.

Do you see a 5 or a 3?

A red-green deficiency will make you see a 3.

The normal read is 29.

Those with red-green deficiencies will read this as 70.

The normal read is 74.

Those with red-green deficiencies read this as 21.

And if you see the number 45 in that first image above, you might have color vision deficiencies. Those with normal color vision and total color blindness cannot read any numeral.

Since I learned that I have normal color vision, I started to wonder what color blind people see. It would be such a pity if they saw the world in black and white! My research taught me that "color blindness" is a misnomer. Everyone sees in color. Some just see colors differently: the most common being unable to tell red from green. In case you want to see what they see, check out this site. Colors are different and not as vibrant, but they're color nevertheless! :)

Oh, and for the designers out there, maybe this design tip will help you: Design and optimize everything in black and white. Only add color at the end. This will ensure that everyone can use your design.

Photos from here.

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted series.