How do you know if you are color-blind?

Question

How can you self-diagnose yourself as being color-blind? Is the only way to know by having someone point at colors and ask you what they are?

I've never been diagnosed as being color-blind, nor have I thought I was, but who's to say that I don't see colors different than the next person? What if what we are all told is blue looks in my mind like red? And red what if that looks like blue? I know the difference, and can tell them apart, but what's to say that the way I see blue isn't the way you see red?

Answer 1

I realize that your question was philosophical and not really about color blindedness. But much like the character in The Matrix talking about toasted wheat and the real flavor of chicken, it's really just symantics.

You can call whatever color you want whatever name you want, but that doesn't change how others perceive it. Everyone perceives it the same way, unless, of course you are color blind. But yes, your reality is based upon the realities of everyone else.

Just like the sane man living amonst the insane - by definition he would therefore be the only insane one in his world. You wouldn't know you existed unless something else existed with you. ie: time, space, someone else.

Answer 2

In the world of colour blind people, the one person who could see different shades for that separate colour red/green would be considered odd or delusional. At least until scientific instruments were developed that could show the spectral differences. Colour vison difference can easily be demonstrated to someone with a red/green defect. But without an external comparison, they are unlikely to realise their vision is different to the majority...
Doesn't everyone tell a tomato is ripe by feel, or pick strawberries by shape? (Marked R/G defects only, not mild ones)

But for normal vison and each person seeing the colours the same? Difficult to prove, but there some evidence. This will take a little while: The three primary colours for LIGHT are red, green and blue (Not as for paint!)
Consider the secondary colours.
B+G = Turquoise, which you see as a blue-y green
B+R = Purple, which you see as a red-y blue
R+G = Yellow, which you see as a red-y green?
No. Yellow doesn't seem like a secondary colour, it's much more distinct, and the concept red-y green doesn't work. *Everyone* processes the secondary colour yellow differently from the other two. It seems to be hard-wired in, and there is real structural evidence for this.

Answer 3

Cataracts prevent seeing colors as they actually are. After cataract surgery youu world becomes a different place., with colors that are brilliant. For example jewelry made of pink quartz, before needed cataract surgery looks about like the color of dishwater. As soon as cataract surgery is done, you look at the same jewelry and the pink quartz is pink and brilliant and sparkling. It is beautiful.
If you have cataracts you will see colors in a passing way--you will know the difference betrween a red and green traffic light. But by comparison you are color-blind.

Answer 4

My stepdaughter is colorblind. She realized this when certain colors would look like others. For instance, blues and purples look brown to her. She can tell the difference, but she says it takes her a while and some concentration to tell the difference. At least she admits this...my mother-in-law is colorblind also and refuses to admit it. Although color-blindness is more common is males than females. Two guys I dated were color-blind.

If you suspect you're possibly colorblind, talk to your doctor about it.

Answer 5

I had cataracts bumped off and lens alternative in the two eyes. My resourceful and prescient is now slightly better than 20:20 and the only time i can't see colorations is at night! I not in basic terms can make it easier to be conscious of what 2 flies are doing in the kitchen around the line, i will make it easier to be conscious of in the event that they're taking section in it!

Answer 6

Color from the cones in your retina. red/green and blue/yellow. some people are just red green or blue yellow color blind. eye doctors have a little book of color plates that they show you. sometimes, if you are color blind, you can't read the numbers, or you read a number that is different than what color seeing people read. it takes about 1 minute to do.
is my blue your red, who knows!

Answer 7

That's when you see a red light, go on and have a car crash because you thought it was green. Also if you put one say green for example sock on your left foot and another colour on the right (this is not a joke : the best golfer ever is totally colour-blind and needs his wife to assort his clothing).

Answer 8

When you get into hour long debate with 5 friends and they all are telling you your shirt is blue, and your the only one saying it's purple.
That's a BIG hint.
And exspecially if instinces like this happen all the time.

Answer 9

There are color dot pattern tests, probably openly available on the Internet. These incorporate dots of the color that color blind people typically can't see. These dots make a pattern of their own among the "frame" of other colored dots. If you can't see the "hidden" pattern then you are color blind. People who aren't color blind CAN see the patterns - easily.

Go to : http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/Ishihara.html

There you will find a selection of these color dot pattern tests.

Answer 10

No, if you go to google or yahoo and type in "color blind test" they have colored bubbles with numbers arranged in different colors. There are different levels of colorblindness and these help you determine you deficiency. I am colorblind (not 100%) myself.