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In the Eye of the Beholder: Sight, Illusion, and Disorder Color Blindness
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Mon Jun 5 14:08:40 2006
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Color blindness is usually a hereditary trait found most often in men. Color
blindness can also be the product of disease or injury to the eye. In either
case, the condition can be easily detected and overcome. Concern about color
vision arose in the mid19th-century when the need to read signals was demanded
for railroad safety. As a result, the transportation industry became the
leading proponent of screening for color blindness.
One of the most widely used tests for color blindness was developed in the
1870s by Frithiof Holmgren. This test, a version of which is on display,
grouped pieces of yarn according to various color categories. Current testing
methods, including the well-known plate test and the more thorough Farnsworth-Munsell
100, which involves organizing dozens of color chips, are also discussed
in the display. Although most color-blind people learn to compensate for
their disorder, various products can assist them in accurate color identification.