Color Blindness Tests
Color blindness is a deficiency that prevents the individual from being able to distinguish colors from one another. Since it is generally a genetic factor very small children are often struggling to deal with it. The fact that they are color blind may go undetected until they start preschool or kindergarten. They may be having trouble identifying colors and it is brought to the attention of the parents.
The most common test for color blindness is the Ishihara Color Test. It features various pictures that contain colored spots. There is a number or picture inside of the colored dots but of a different color. If the individual is able to detect colors normally they will have no trouble distinguishing the numbers or the picture inside of the colored spots. However if they suffer from color blindness they won’t be able to.
If the individual is able to distinguish some patterns and not others it helps the doctor to determine the type of color blindness the individual suffers from. They may suffer from complete color blindness or just partial deficits.
If you suspect you or your child is color blind you can find similar tests online. The answers are given at the bottom of the page. If you can’t distinguish the numbers or the pictures within the colored dots you should see a professional to have a complete assessment done.
The Holgren Thompson Wool Test for Color Blindness isn’t used very much now that computer generated testing is available. However it is still a viable option if you want to measure for color blindness. The test involves 40 skeins of thread without identification tags on them. The individual is then give testing skeins to as a guideline. There are different colors of reds, yellows, greens, and blues. The individual has to separate the colors according to the shade they match with.
While there is no cure for color blindness it is very important to identify it, especially in children. There are too many misdiagnoses of learning disabilities and other labels in the school system. The child may be placed in special education courses when what they really need is an alternative method for identifying colors.
