Testing Children for Color Blindness

Your child is full of wonder at everything there is in the world – but sometimes you wonder if he or she can truly see all the colors there are.  Color blindness can be a common disorder that most typically affects Caucasian boys, but that doesn’t mean it should be treated with indifference.  Multiple studies have shown that children who are color-blind can perform poorly on tests or assignments that incorporate colors.

If a student isn’t aware that he or she is color-blind, he or she may be more likely to become frustrated at this inexplicable poor performance – and that may result in an increasing dislike of classroom lessons and school in general.  What’s more, teachers who may be unaware that a student is colorblind could try to counteract the child’s poor performances by using academic lessons that aren’t as advanced as your child’s mind.

In order to avoid these disruptions in your child’s pursuit of academic success, it’s critical to get your child tested as early as possible for color blindness.  A new study conducted by researchers from the Multi-Ethnic Pediatric Eye Disease Study Group demonstrated that successful color deficiency testing can be done as early as the age of 4.   If a child is shown to have a color deficiency, this gives both parents and teachers the opportunity to create a plan of action that helps the child stay active and engaged within the classroom.

In addition to these findings, researchers discovered that Caucasian boys were more likely to experience color deficiency (1 in 20 testing color blind).  Researchers also noted that African-American boys are less likely to have color blindness.  Girls, in general, were less likely to have color blindness than their male counterparts.

It’s important for parents and teachers to keep in mind that color blindness isn’t a “blindness;” rather, it’s an inability to see certain shades on the color spectrum.  The most common colors that cannot be seen are red and green; the eye interprets these colors as a shade of gray.  Colorblind people cannot typically tell the difference between these two colors.

Parents should test their children as early as possible for color blindness, as this can help them avoid the stigma that they’re not “smart enough.”  Dr. Jacqueline Griffiths and her staff at NewView Eye Center in Reston, VA (also serving the greater Washington DC area) can test your child for color blindness.

Contact NewView Eye Center to make an appointment for your child today. You can reach us directly at 703-834-9777 or by filling out the form in the top left corner.