What Do Color Blind People See?
What does the world look like to someone who is color blind? Try it yourself: the simulation below switches between normal vision and the different types of color blindness.
Contents
How color blind people see: simulation
Tap the buttons to see roughly how the same scene appears with different color vision deficiencies. Watch the red flowers, the apples, the traffic light and the red ball on the green grass.
What red-green color blind people see
With red-green color blindness, reds, oranges, yellow-greens, greens and browns merge into similar yellow-brown shades, while blue and yellow stay easy to tell apart. That explains everyday situations like these:
- Red berries or strawberries "disappear" among green leaves.
- A red laser pointer dot on a slide is hard to find.
- Purple looks blue because the red part is barely noticed.
- Red and green LEDs (charging lights) look alike.
Deuteranomaly – the most common type
In deuteranomaly differences are weaker but not gone. Many people only notice in a test – or when others wonder about their "green" shirt that is actually brown.
Protanopia – red looks dark
In protanopia the red cones are missing. Red is not only shifted in hue but also much darker – a deep red can look almost black.
What blue-yellow color blind people see
In the rare tritanopia it is the other way round: red and green stay distinguishable, but blue and green, and yellow and pink, get confused. The sky looks more turquoise-gray, yellow appears pale pink.
Seeing without color: achromatopsia
People with achromatopsia see only shades of light and dark – usually together with strong sensitivity to light and reduced sharpness.
Why simulations are only an approximation
Color is created in the brain. People born color blind have never seen differently and use other cues – brightness, saturation, context – very skillfully. Simulations show which colors are hard to separate, not how vision "feels". Screen settings also affect the result.
Tips for color blind friendly design
- Never rely on red/green alone – add symbols, patterns or labels.
- Choose easy-to-separate pairs such as blue and orange.
- Make sure there is enough brightness contrast.
Animals see colors differently too – dogs see much like people with deuteranopia. More in what colors can dogs see?
Frequently asked questions
How do color blind people see traffic lights?
Most people with red-green color blindness still read traffic lights through brightness and above all the position of the light (red on top, green at the bottom).
Do color blind people see in black and white?
No – only people with the very rare achromatopsia. Everyone else sees colors but mixes up certain shades.
Which colors do red-green color blind people see well?
Blue and yellow, as well as differences in brightness, are usually easy to see.