I am colorblind and I want to know why I can't see a red Laser Pointer on a White Board...?

Question

I am a protanope, so I see red as very dark (probably like you see brown), and I can only tell red, orange, and yellow apart due to the brightness of them, not the hue.

Apart from annoying things like having to assume a stoplight is red because I dont see it lit up (and yea I stop at mostly every stoplight that is out) and not knowing if the light is green or yellow...

I really wanna know why I can't see a red laser pointer on a white board. Its not that I don't see red, cause I Definitely do..
Please tell me why laser pointers completely invisible to me??


Being colorblind has never bothered me.. until now, when I can't see a professor pointing to diagram and explaining what he/she is pointing at...

Answer 1

because you are colourblind thats all

Answer 2

A laser pointer is a very specific wavelength of light or has a narrow band. Normally when you see something that is red its from a broad band source (eg. red pen).

You basically have 3 types of colour receptors... one for red, green and blue. As a protanope your red rececptors don't work at all. When you look at a red pen as it is a broad band source it also stimulates the other receptors...and as such you still perceive some form of colour.

With the laser pointer because it is such a narrow band source it would usually only stimulate the red receptors in your eye (which don't work in your case).

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Most red things are a mixture of various colours in addition to red -- they have mostly red and little of the others. You don't see the "red" part but do see the other colours which is why red things look brown or gray to you.

A laser pointer uses a single wavelength of light instead of a mixture. A red laser has wavelength in the red range and so you don't see it.

About 10% of men have a colour defect and half of them will be red blind like you, so there are likely others in the class not seeing the pointer. Speak to your prof and ask him to switch to a blue laser which both red blind and green blind can see. Blue blindness is very, very, very, rare.

Answer 4

Lasers use a higher frequency wave length. So even though it looks red to most people. Its not the same as looking at a red stop light. I guess your color blindness doesn't allow you to see the wave length of the laser.
Try a green laser pointer. If you can see that ask the teacher to use a green one instead.
Most people can see the green ones better than the red anyway.

Answer 5

You do not see red light. You see red objects because most of the light from them is red, so they look dark, because little is left when the red is eliminated. The laser does not stop the light of non-red wavelengths from leaving the board, it just adds additional red light to what it already there.

Answer 6

I am not sure as to the answer of your question but "Icyelene R" I believe is completely wrong, not all colour blind people only see black, white or grey!! I know a few people who are colourblind and they can see maybe 2 of the primary colours and varitions of them!

Answer 7

A color blind person only sees black and white ,sometimes different shades of gray.Ask professor for assisstance.And I wouldn't drive.only an doctor can explain the rest.