Dr. Hitesh K. Patel of Edison, NJ: Detecting and managing color blindness

Color blindness is a condition which makes a person unable to see a color or a mix of colors. Ophthalmologists like Dr. Hitesh K. Patel of Edison, New Jersey believe that color blindness is usually inherited, though it is also sometimes acquired by people who have eye problems (e.g., cataracts, glaucoma) or are suffering from Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, among others. Other possible causes of color blindness include aging and side effects from medication.

Dr. Hitesh K. Patel Edison Photo Credit: Logodesignworks.com

Though it is a common misconception that being colorblind means not being able to see colors at all, achromatopsia – the inability to perceive color – still occurs but on very rare occasions. In color blindness, the colors red, blue, and green (or a mixture of these) are the ones often missing from a person’s vision. To know if someone is colorblind, ophthalmologists like Dr. Hitesh K. Patel of Edison conduct color blindness tests which come in two types: screening tests and quantitative tests. The most common screening test is the Ishihara Test which makes use of plates that contain circles or dots of different colors and size. These dots form numbers that should be visible to people with normal vision.

Dr. Hitesh K. Patel Edison Photo Credit: Milenyumtasarim.com

Although color blindness cannot be cured especially if it’s inherited, there are several ways to make one’s vision clearer. Glasses that block glare can be worn by colorblind people so they can identify colors more easily. Developing color identification systems is also helpful. For example, the order and brightness of traffic lights can be used to identify which light is on.

Dr. Hitesh K. Patel Edison Photo credit: Visionandlearning.org

To know more about Dr. Hitesh K. Patel and his Edison, NJ-based clinic, visit PatelEyeAssociates.com.