My Journey with Color Blindness: Realizing the Truth Behind the Meme

Have you ever come across a meme where one number in an intentionally blank grid stands out as a sign of color blindness? While some of these tests are intentionally deceitful, one particular experience hit close to home. During my early days, I stumbled upon such a test that left me questioning my eyesight. However, it wasn't until much later that I realized I was color blind and specifically tritanopia.

Discovering My Tricanopia During a Military Physical

My journey with color blindness began during my early childhood. Around the age of 8, I took a brief colorblindness test out of boredom. I noticed I couldn't see a few numbers in the grid, leading me to think, "Oh, maybe I am colorblind." However, I didn't take it seriously until a significant incident occurred.

At the age of 10, I was playing a card game with friends. I kept losing games because I frequently confused the red cards with the green ones. It was a turning point. I realized with a sense of urgency, "Oh crap, I’m colorblind!"

Late Confirmation: My Permanent State of Color Blindness

Though I had a hunch, it wasn’t until I was 14 that I took a more definitive test and confirmed my condition. I was officially diagnosed with red-green color blindness, albeit to some degree. My parents had faced this challenge earlier as my 3-year older brother was also color blind, though not as severely as I was.

My parents, being well aware of the genetic factor, had decided to test me early. They found one of their Time-Life books with test circles, and I couldn’t distinguish any of them. It was a stark realization that I was indeed color blind.

Knowing from a Tender Age: The Early Diagnosis

My journey with color blindness wasn't a surprise as I had known about it for as long as I can remember. My mother had already had a colorblind son, and they decided to test me early on. It was a clear indication that there was a genetic predisposition to this condition.

My mother first suspected I was colorblind when I brought home a kindergarten coloring of a tree. The trunk was green, and the leaves were brown, but they were clearly dolphins and bananas. Upon noticing my difficulty, my parents reviewed a book with test circles and, much to their dismay, I could see nothing. My 3-year older brother was also colorblind, but his condition was less severe.

Understanding My Specific Case: Tritanopia

From my early diagnosis, I was informed that I have tritanopia, a slightly rarer form of color blindness. In my case, it's specifically tritanopia, which means my red sensing cones are partially damaged and they overlap with the green ones. This condition makes red appear dark and dull, blending with other colors. Consequently, green and brown appear the same to me, and blue and purple are indistinguishable.

Red text on a black background poses a significant challenge, as this combination makes the text almost invisible. Similarly, distinguishing a ripe banana from an unripe one can be challenging, as the green and yellow shades look nearly the same to me. I rely on tiny black spots to tell if a banana is good or not.

Conclusion: Embracing the Unseen

Color blindness, particularly tritanopia, has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. While the realization came early, understanding and accepting the condition has been a journey. It taught me to appreciate the subtle differences and challenges that different individuals face and to use my unique perspective to my advantage.

Tags: color blind, tritanopia, red-green color blindness