Two years ago, I bought a cool t-shirt which was luckily on sale at the mall. Having worn it a lot of times, I have never spoken about its design and color until months ago, some friends just happened to talk about my light green t-shirt when I was wearing it.
The problem? All along I though it was light brown.
Yep, you've guessed it. I am colorblind. And those many instances where my friends found out I was mistaking a color for another were just mere jokes in my mind. They even thought I was just playing around. I just thought my eyes just needed some rest.
Two days ago, I was able to confirm that I was officially red-green colorblind. A friend told me to try out an online colorblindedness test because it was one medical prerequisite of a nice job I was looking forward to apply. Having no clue at all, I took the test.
They call it the Ishihara test for colorblindedness, developed by a Japanese man named Dr. Shinobu Ishihara. It is a series of colorful spotted plates, where normally, one should be able to see a specific number hidden in the spots, such as this:
The problem? All along I though it was light brown.
Yep, you've guessed it. I am colorblind. And those many instances where my friends found out I was mistaking a color for another were just mere jokes in my mind. They even thought I was just playing around. I just thought my eyes just needed some rest.
Two days ago, I was able to confirm that I was officially red-green colorblind. A friend told me to try out an online colorblindedness test because it was one medical prerequisite of a nice job I was looking forward to apply. Having no clue at all, I took the test.
They call it the Ishihara test for colorblindedness, developed by a Japanese man named Dr. Shinobu Ishihara. It is a series of colorful spotted plates, where normally, one should be able to see a specific number hidden in the spots, such as this:
Do you see that number 45 in that sea of spots? Wow, good for you, because I don't! And so does the rest of the colorblind population. Colorblinds, according to the test, won't see the number 45 however brain-wrecking way they try to. And that's just one plate. The Ishihara Test has at most 24 of them. Try this one:
If you don't see anything, don't freak out. You're perfectly normal. If you see the number 5 like I do, then you're definitely colorblind. Try these sites if you want to see the rest of the slides: You might think that I should see a real doctor before concluding anything, but the mere fact that my whole family (I even invited our helper to try the test) was able to see all those numbers easily while I kept wondering what number I should be seeing on those damn plates, it meant that these online tests, in such a way, hold something true..
I am therefore colorblind. Such deficiency is hereditary, and unluckily, has no cure. Red-green colorblindedness, like what I have, is the most common one, especially in males - it's 1 out of 12 in men, while it's 1 out of 200 in women.
Why it happens more in men lies within the genes - it's the X chromosome which is the culprit. Women, which in chromosome terms are XX, have an extra X in them in case the other X is positive for colorblindedness. Both X's should be postive for them to be colorblind. Men, on the other hand, are coded XY, which means it only takes one bad X to take effect.
I should blame my mother then. She isn't colorblind, but genetically she gave me the X.. pfft..
Colorblindedness is such a harsh word. People might think colorblindedness is the absence of color in sight if it were that way. I prefer to call it color deficiency.
People might say "so what if you're colorblind?". Although most colorblinds are having no problem at all in their daily lives, looking for a job becomes a problem. The army, navy, and air force do not accept colorblind men, therefore implementing Dr. Ishihara's tests on aspiring applicants. And so do other companies and industries.
Even though I am red-green colorblind, I can definitely identify these colors independently with ease (except those colors which are almost alike, especially light pastel colors). My only problem is that Ishihara test thing, since it is a part of most medical exams. Just when I though I was having a hard time looking for a good job, now I have to consider that I am colorblind, and that I will definitely fail in Ishihara tests! And this condition limits my possibilities.
The day I found out I was colorblind was, let's say, a bit disappointing. I felt so down that I did so many pathetic things just to prove that I wasn't (denial stage in short). I tried to adjust the lighting, flipped my laptop in various angles, even took a bath and ate a lot just to see if it makes a difference. I called my nurse friends and asked them about a possible cure- and yet I know it's genetic! Up to the day I am writing this post, I am still taking the Ishihara exam over and over again, hoping I would notice something from those damn spotty plates. There was even a day when all I did was stare at the wall, point blank, thinking why of all people..
(dramatic score starts playing here)
I have a friend who have known he was colorblind ever since he was in elementary, and he already learned to accept his deficiency. It hasn't been a week since I learned that I am colorblind, and I am still in the process of, well, accepting it - sticking into my mind that I am, and that there's nothing I can do but live with it.
Again, statistics show that 1 out of 12 men is colorblind. I, supported by my colorblind friend, think that this data also holds true for the ratio of handsome men in the population, ergo.. (somebody stop me..)
I am sharing this so others may be educated about it, also hoping that while I am sharing this, I may feel better about myself.
Color is power. Yeah right. Next time I would want to buy a shirt, I'll just keep to myself whether it's light brown or light green, as long as I look good on it, who cares..
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