Congenital red–green color blindness

Congenital red–green color blindness is an inherited condition that is the root cause of the majority of cases of <a href="/facts/Color_blindness/02Taxf5C">color blindness</a>. It has no significant symptoms aside from its minor to moderate effect on <a href="/facts/Color_vision/j3ou3Izz">color vision</a>. It is caused by variation in the functionality of the red and/or green <a href="/facts/Opsin/5kBeewYI">opsin</a> proteins, which are the photosensitive pigment in the <a href="/facts/Cone_cell/JoQeEzoF">cone cells</a> of the retina, which mediate color vision. Males are more likely to inherit red–green color blindness than females, because the <a href="/facts/Genes/e1swwPY6">genes</a> for the relevant opsins are on the <a href="/facts/X_chromosome/hpJxhSUr">X chromosome</a>. Screening for congenital red–green color blindness is typically performed with the <a href="/facts/Ishihara_test/6mpKRe9w">Ishihara</a> or similar <a href="/facts/Color_vision_test/EFnfmVGB">color vision test</a>. It is a lifelong condition, and has no known cure or treatment.
This form of color blindness is sometimes referred to historically as daltonism after <a href="/facts/John_Dalton_(scientist)/oS8grQR4">John Dalton</a>, who had congenital red–green color blindness and was the first to scientifically study it. In other languages, daltonism is still used to describe red–green color blindness, but may also refer colloquially to <a href="/facts/Color_blindness/02Taxf5C">color blindness</a> in general.

Congenital red–green color blindness open-in-new

Congenital red–green color blindness