Color Blindness Test
Test your color vision with Ishihara-style plates
About Color Blindness Test
Understanding Color Vision and the Ishihara Test
Color blindness, or color vision deficiency (CVD), affects approximately 8% of men and 0.5% of women worldwide â that is roughly 300 million people globally. Most color blindness is inherited and present from birth, caused by an absence or malfunction of certain color-sensitive cells (cones) in the retina.
Our online test uses the Ishihara method, developed by Dr. Shinobu Ishihara in 1917 and still considered the gold standard for color blindness screening. The plates consist of colored dots arranged to form numbers that are visible to people with normal color vision but difficult or impossible to see for those with color deficiency.
This browser-based screening provides a quick and convenient way to check your color vision from anywhere. While not a replacement for professional diagnosis, it offers valuable insight into potential color vision issues that may affect daily activities, career choices, or safety.
Types of Color Vision Deficiency
Color blindness is not a single condition but a spectrum of vision differences. The most common types affect the perception of red and green colors, while blue-yellow deficiency is much rarer.
Red-Green Color Blindness (most common): Includes Protanopia (red-weak) and Deuteranopia (green-weak). These conditions make it difficult to distinguish between reds, greens, browns, and oranges. Approximately 6% of men have some form of red-green deficiency.
Blue-Yellow Color Blindness: Called Tritanopia, this rare condition affects the ability to distinguish blue from green and yellow from violet. It affects less than 1 in 10,000 people.
Complete Color Blindness (Monochromacy): Extremely rare, affecting about 1 in 30,000 people. Those with this condition see the world in shades of gray.
Understanding Your Results
Score Interpretation
- 15-17 correct: Normal color vision
- 11-14 correct: Mild color deficiency
- 6-10 correct: Moderate color deficiency
- 0-5 correct: Strong color deficiency
Important Considerations
Online tests are screening tools, not diagnostic instruments. Results can be affected by monitor calibration, screen brightness, ambient lighting, and viewing angle.
For accurate diagnosis and to explore treatment options like color-correcting lenses, consult an eye care professional who can conduct comprehensive color vision testing.
Living with Color Vision Deficiency
While there is currently no cure for inherited color blindness, many people with CVD lead completely normal lives by developing adaptive strategies. Modern technology offers several helpful tools, including color identification apps, special glasses (like EnChroma), and accessibility features built into smartphones and computers.
Color blindness may affect career choices in certain fields requiring precise color discrimination, such as electrical work, graphic design, or aviation. However, many careers are perfectly suitable, and some research suggests that people with color blindness may have advantages in detecting camouflage and certain visual patterns.
Gene therapy research shows promise for treating color blindness in the future, with successful trials already conducted in animals. Early detection through screening tests like this one helps individuals understand their vision and make informed decisions about their education and career paths.
