Color blind people aren’t aware of what they can’t see. It’s a common problem. Most of us are blind to the spiritual warfare happening all around us. After all, “we walk by faith, not by sight” because our understanding of reality is so limited.
How We See Color
A good eye gathers light and focuses it clearly on the retina. This allows us to see. The human retina is made up of two photoreceptor cell types: rods and cones. The rod cells detect light. The cone cells detect color. Interestingly, each cone cell only detects 1 color, either blue, red or green.
So how do we see purple? Or yellow? Or bright orange? It’s because green and red light combines to create the yellows and oranges. While blue and red light combines to produce the different shades of purple. In fact, eye experts estimate most people can see millions of different colors.
That number decreases drastically for a person who is color blind.
The Circle of Dots Eye Test
Most people living with color blindness can still see color. But they perceive a much narrower range of colors. Their eyesight is actually “color distorted” and it’s a genetic condition from birth. About 1 in 12 men (8%) are color blind and 1 in every 200 women. Complete color blindness is extremely rare. Only 1 in 30,000 people live in a black, white and grey world, unable to see any color at all.
Click on this link to discover how this color blindness effects vision; “Photos Show How Color Blind People See the World” Moving the slider reveals what the true color is vs. what someone with this genetic condition sees.
A person can have perfect 20/20 vision and still not see the world correctly. Eye doctors use a simple test to detect color blindness.
Patients stare at a circle made up of colored dots. Some dots are a different color and appear as numbers to most of us. People with color blindness can’t see the number and that’s diagnostic. This test not only detects color blindness, but determines what type of color blindness it is.
Different Types of Color Blindness
There are 3 basic types.
- Red-Green Color Blindness: This is the most common type. People with this condition have trouble distinguishing between green and red.
- Blue-Yellow Color Blindness: Humans with this condition have difficulty telling the difference between blue and green or yellow and red.
- Complete Color Blindness. This is a very rare genetic condition; these people live in a black and white world. They see only shades of grey.
Truly Handicapped
I was once in a large hospital, which had developed a very elegant way to direct people to the different departments. Painted on the floor in the lobby were lines in 7 or 8 colors. Each color would lead the visitors to a different area. Follow the yellow painted line to cancer treatment. Stroke victims? Blue. Red led to the cardiac wing, green to skeletal-muscle injuries. etc.
Directing visitors was easy.
Except for the color blind. The hospital staff had to come up with a “plan B” for them.
Glasses for the Color Blind
In 2005, a materials scientist named Dr. Don McPherson discovered that the unique eyewear he’d designed for surgeons to use in the operating room also helped his color blind friend Michael see the color orange for the first time. Seven years later, McPherson and two other men founded EnChroma Labs and began selling their specialty glasses.
Our Flawed “Reality Eyesight”
When people offer these special glasses to a family member or friend for the first time, the color blind person is usually pretty calm. Maybe even a little skeptical. But when they put the glasses on and see the true, vibrant colors for the first time?
It’s life-changing. Both men and women start to cry.
As humans, our “reality eyesight” is badly flawed. Most of us don’t have any idea what’s happening in the spiritual realm. So, left to ourselves, we react to our circumstances wrong.
That’s why walking obediently by faith is so important. Because without the correct information, it’s impossible for us to make the right choices. We have to trust in Someone Else who can see.
A Brief Glimpse
In 2 Kings 6, Elisha’s servant starts to panic because he sees an enemy army threatening their small city. In response, the prophet asks the Lord to do show his servant what the reality of the situation truly is.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (II Kings 6:15-17 NIV)
Elisha and his servant were completely safe. But the Aramean army was in great danger and didn’t know it. Luckily Elisha felt merciful that day. So he asked God to temporarily blind the enemy soldiers, rather than destroy them.
I downloaded all images from Pixabay.com.
Resources:
These Enchroma: videos show how people experience seeing color correctly for the first time. Click on videos
Youtube has several personal videos as well.
A Scientist Accidentally Developed Sunglasses That Could Correct Color Blindness
A short video interview with the Enchroma founder and inventor about his discovery.
The NIH’s National Eye Institute shares about “Types of Color Blindness.”
