Alternative spellings

• colour blindness

Noun

Singular color blindness

Plural color blindnesses

color blindness (plural color blindnesses)

1. (pathology) Any of several medical conditions in which the physical ability to see colors is impaired, especially Achromatopsia, Daltonism.
2. (figuratively) Indifference to a person's skin color or race.
   • 2003, Kimberly L. Ebert, "Demystifying Color-Blind Ideology", in C. Herring et al., Skin Deep: How Race and Complexion Matter in the "Color-Blind" Era, p. 1985:

     Despite the fact that race is embedded in American social life, "color blindness" has recently emerged as the dominant ideology of race.

Derived terms

• red-green color blindness / red-green colour blindness

Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability to perceive differences between some of the colors that others can distinguish. It is most often of genetic nature, but may also occur because of eye, nerve, or brain damage, or exposure to certain chemicals. The English chemist John Dalton published the first scientific paper on the subject in 1798, "Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours", after the realization of his own color blindness. Because of Dalton's work, the condition was often called daltonism, although this term is now used for a type of color blindness called deuteranopia.

Color blindness is usually classed as a mild disability, but in certain situations, color blind individuals have an advantage over those with normal color vision. There are some studies which conclude that color blind individuals are better at penetrating certain color camouflages and it has been suggested that this may be the evolutionary explanation for the surprisingly high frequency of congenital red-green color blindness.