Color Blindness

Color blindness generally does not cause a great deal of hardship. However, there is evidence that individuals who are color blind may face higher risks on the road. A German study found that men who were color blind were twice as likely to have rear-end collisions as were men who had normal vision. About seven million North American drivers can not distinguish easily between red and green lights.

Designers of traffic signals are working to make driving easier for color-deficient motorists. Traffic lights are generally made in a standard format today, with red on top, amber in the middle and green at the bottom. One improvement would be changing the shape of each of the different signals, so that color-deficient drivers could more easily distinguish between stop and go. Another possible change would involve altering the color of brake lights. Experts bemoan the fact that people who are color-deficient can not see the red in brake lights clearly.

There is no cure or treatment for color blindness. However, there is an abundant amount of research concerning the nature of vision in people with normal and limited color discrimination. As researchers become more knowledgeable about the process of sight, correction of color blindness may become a possibility.