Sometimes I can't distinguish some tons of blue/ gray or green/blue, but it's ok, and I make fun of myself. I'm not color blind, but I always was curious about this condition. The other day I discovered this [Color Identification System](http://www.coloradd.net/about.asp) project and it aroused my curiosity again. This is a brief resume of what I found about color blindness and about this amazing project!!
### What is color blindness?
<div class="pull-right">
https://i.imgsafe.org/975b9a0034.gif
<sub> Source: http://www.coloradd.net/why.asp</sub>
</div>
Color blindness, or color vision deficiency, is a condition where a person’s eyes are unable to see colors under normal light as most of us see. People with color blindness perceives colors differently, causing a hard time telling colors apart from each other. For example, those simple daily tasks like buying fruit, picking clothing, and reading traffic lights can be more challenging.
### Causes of color blindness
It can be a **genetic inheritance deficiency** associated with the X chromosome, resulting in a fault in the development of one or more of the three sets of color sensing cones in the eye, and **affecting primarily males**. Females have two X chromosomes, and a functional gene on only one of the X chromosomes is enough to compensate for the loss on the other. That's why men are much more likely to be color blind than women. It can be present at birth, begin in childhood, or not appear until the adult years.
Although color blind can also result from physical or chemical damage to the eye, optic nerve, or parts of the brain, or be a result of other diseases (diabetes and multiple sclerosis) or even time due to the aging process, medication etc.
### How a color blind person sees the world??
The color-detecting molecules are located in cone-shaped cells within the retina, called cone cells. It contains approximately 6 million cone cells, and each cell is ‘color specific,’ responding mainly to light of specific frequencies. There are three different kinds of cone cells that respond to the three primary colors: red, green and blue.
https://i.imgsafe.org/9ed6946cbe.jpg
<sub> Source: http://enchroma.com/technology/</sub>
Defects in these cone cells lead to color blindness. The most common form of color blindness are due to the loss or limited function of red cone (known as protan) or green cone (deutran) photopigments. This is known as red/green color blindness.
A red/green color blind person mix up all colors which have some red or green as part of the whole color. For example, they will confuse a blue and a purple because they can’t ‘see’ the red element of the color purple. Red/ green deficiency varies by individual, see the example of the picture below.
https://i.imgsafe.org/9f9ef0d9f6.jpg
<sub> Source: http://enchroma.com/technology/</sub>
Blue-yellow color blindness is rarer than red-green color blindness. In this kind of color blindness blue-cone (tritan) photopigments are either missing or have limited function. Even rarer are people with complete color blindness (monochromacy). They don’t experience color at all and the clearness of their vision (visual acuity) may also be affected.
Here's a link for a simulator http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/2.html
You can also use your own photos on [vischeck](http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/). It shows what things look like to someone who is color blind (Thanks to @rigaronib post [Take a look at the world through color blind eyes](https://steemit.com/life/@rigaronib/take-a-look-at-the-world-through-color-blind-eyes).
### How can it be diagnosed?
There are a few tests, being the [Ishihara color test](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishihara_test) the most common. I did this [EnChroma color vision test](http://enchroma.com/test/instructions/), it's the best I've performed so far.
https://i.imgsafe.org/a077132be6.jpg
### What a blind color person can do?
There is currently no cure or treatment for inherited color blindness. Color filters or contact lenses can be used in some situations to enhance the perception of colors. There are iPhone and iPad apps that help people with color blindness discriminate among colors, for example [Color Blind Pal](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/color-blind-pal/id1037744228?mt=8).
Some research as been done and there is hope on the horizon for a ‘cure’ for inherited color vision deficiency using gene technology.
### With this Color Identification System everyone is able to identify colors
The [ColorADD®](http://www.coloradd.net/mission.asp) project was created and developed by the Portuguese designer Miguel Neiva during his Master. He created this Color Identification System as a disruptive innovation in the assessment of color for colorblind individuals. It's a unique, universal, inclusive and non-discriminative language that enables the color blind to identify colors, with a wide infinite spectrum of use on companies/entities whenever color is a factor of identification, orientation or choice.
#### Symbols that include colors, becomes "a mental game" easy to memorize and apply in daily!!
<div class="pull-right">
https://i.imgsafe.org/a09157fd4f.gif
<sub> Source: http://www.coloradd.net/code.asp</sub>
</div>
The ColorADD code is based on three graphic symbols representing the **three primary colors**. Five simple symbols, represent the **Primary Colors**:
- Blue (Cyan)
- Yellow and
- Red (Magenta), plus
- Black and
- White. <p> <br />
<div class="pull-left">
https://i.imgsafe.org/a0a87a84f8.gif
<sub> Source: http://www.coloradd.net/code.asp</sub>
</div>
Adding (mixing) two Primary Colors, allows new composed symbols that represent the **Secondary Colors** (Green, Orange and Purple). Adding a Primary and a Secondary symbol enables once more new composed symbols performing **Tertiary Colors**, and so long. <p> <br />
<br /> <div class="pull-right">
https://i.imgsafe.org/a0b57f3296.gif
<sub> Source: http://www.coloradd.net/code.asp</sub>
</div> <br />
As follows, grey appears represented in two tones - Light grey and Dark grey. Adding the parenthesis before the symbol you get the gold and the silver tones. <p> <br />
<div class="pull-left">
https://i.imgsafe.org/a0d58bcdac.gif
<sub> Source: http://www.coloradd.net/code.asp</sub>
</div> Black and White background indicate Darker and Lighter tone <p> <br />
<p> <br /> <p> <br /> <p> <br /> <p> <br />
# <center>Here's the ColorADD FINAL CODE!</center>
<center>https://i.imgsafe.org/a13e1b83e0.gif</center>
## <center>What do you think about this project?</center>
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### Hope you enjoyed this informative post!
#### I really liked to search and compile info on this subject :)
<sub> Sources: </sub>
<sub> http://www.colourblindawareness.org</sub>
<sub> https://nei.nih.gov/health/color_blindness</sub>
<sub> http://enchroma.com/technology/</sub>
<sub> http://www.coloradd.net/index.asp</sub>
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hiveblocks