Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Color blindness is a condition in which a person has difficulty seeing or distinguishing certain colors. In this video, I explain the biological mechanisms underlying color blindness and how it is inherited.
🧠Take your learning further with my free, self-paced Introduction to Neuroscience course featuring my videos, articles, and hundreds of quiz questions: neuroscientificallychallenged.com/course
If you're looking for accessible and entertaining ways to learn more about the brain, check out my books:
đź“šYour Brain, Explained: What Neuroscience Reveals About Your Brain and its Quirks: amazon.com/Your-Brain-Explained-Neuroscience-Reveals/dp/1473696569
đź“šBizarre: The Most Peculiar Cases of Human Behavior and What They Tell Us About How the Brain Works: amazon.com/Bizarre-Peculiar-Cases-Human-Behavior/dp/139980121X
TRANSCRIPT
Color blindness is a condition in which a person has difficulty seeing or distinguishing certain colors. It typically does not involve a complete loss of color vision. Color blindness can be due to various causes, but the most common forms are inherited and caused by genetic differences that affect the function of cone photoreceptors in the retina. The most common type of color blindness is red-green color blindness, where individuals have difficulty distinguishing red and green hues.
Normal color vision relies on three types of cones—each sensitive to different ranges of wavelengths corresponding roughly to blue, green, and red. Some individuals have all three cones but have abnormalities in cone sensitivity that cause irregularities in color perception; this is referred to as anomalous trichromacy and is the mildest form of color blindness. When only two of the three cone cells are functional, it results in a type of color blindness known as dichromacy. The rarest and most severe form of color blindness is called monochromacy and involves a complete loss of color vision.
Red-green color blindness is much more common in males because the mutations that typically cause it are found on the x chromosome. If females possess such a mutation on one x chromosome, it is likely to be balanced out by a functional gene on the other x chromosome. Because males only have one x chromosome, a mutation is more likely to result in color blindness.
Color blindness can be diagnosed using color vision tests, and although it cannot be cured, various technologies like color-enhancing lenses can help in some situations.
REFERENCES
Breedlove SM, Watson NV. Behavioral Neuroscience. 10th ed. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2023.
Carroll J, Conway BR. Color vision. Handb Clin Neurol. 2021;178:131-153. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-821377-3.00005-2. PMID: 33832674.
Meister M, Tessier‑Lavigne M. Low‑Level Visual Processing: The Retina. In: Kandel ER, Koester JD, Mack SH, Siegelbaum SA, editors. Principles of Neural Science. 6th ed. New York (NY): McGraw‑Hill; 2021.
Naifeh N, Kaufman EJ. Color Vision. 2022 Oct 31. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 29261952.
Simunovic MP. Colour vision deficiency. Eye (Lond). 2010 May;24(5):747-55. doi: 10.1038/eye.2009.251. Epub 2009 Nov 20. PMID: 19927164.
đź“ť Pass your next test with my neuroscience videos!
I’m Marc, a university professor at Penn State, and I’m here to take you on a journey into the fascinating world of the brain. I created this channel to break down complex topics into easy-to-understand snippets—perfect for both students and curious minds alike. 📚
My goal is to make learning neuroscience fun and accessible. Whether you're a student looking to supplement your studies or simply eager to understand the basics of the brain, this channel is for you.
Hit subscribe and get to know your brain, one video at a time! đź§
Color blindness is a condition in which a person has difficulty seeing or distinguishing certain colors. In this video, I explain the biological mechanisms underlying color blindness and how it is inherited.
🧠Take your learning further with my free, self-paced Introduction to Neuroscience course featuring my videos, articles, and hundreds of quiz questions: neuroscientificallychallenged.com/course
If you're looking for accessible and entertaining ways to learn more about the brain, check out my books:
đź“šYour Brain, Explained: What Neuroscience Reveals About Your Brain and its Quirks: amazon.com/Your-Brain-Explained-Neuroscience-Reveals/dp/1473696569
đź“šBizarre: The Most Peculiar Cases of Human Behavior and What They Tell Us About How the Brain Works: amazon.com/Bizarre-Peculiar-Cases-Human-Behavior/dp/139980121X
TRANSCRIPT
Color blindness is a condition in which a person has difficulty seeing or distinguishing certain colors. It typically does not involve a complete loss of color vision. Color blindness can be due to various causes, but the most common forms are inherited and caused by genetic differences that affect the function of cone photoreceptors in the retina. The most common type of color blindness is red-green color blindness, where individuals have difficulty distinguishing red and green hues.
Normal color vision relies on three types of cones—each sensitive to different ranges of wavelengths corresponding roughly to blue, green, and red. Some individuals have all three cones but have abnormalities in cone sensitivity that cause irregularities in color perception; this is referred to as anomalous trichromacy and is the mildest form of color blindness. When only two of the three cone cells are functional, it results in a type of color blindness known as dichromacy. The rarest and most severe form of color blindness is called monochromacy and involves a complete loss of color vision.
Red-green color blindness is much more common in males because the mutations that typically cause it are found on the x chromosome. If females possess such a mutation on one x chromosome, it is likely to be balanced out by a functional gene on the other x chromosome. Because males only have one x chromosome, a mutation is more likely to result in color blindness.
Color blindness can be diagnosed using color vision tests, and although it cannot be cured, various technologies like color-enhancing lenses can help in some situations.
REFERENCES
Breedlove SM, Watson NV. Behavioral Neuroscience. 10th ed. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2023.
Carroll J, Conway BR. Color vision. Handb Clin Neurol. 2021;178:131-153. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-821377-3.00005-2. PMID: 33832674.
Meister M, Tessier‑Lavigne M. Low‑Level Visual Processing: The Retina. In: Kandel ER, Koester JD, Mack SH, Siegelbaum SA, editors. Principles of Neural Science. 6th ed. New York (NY): McGraw‑Hill; 2021.
Naifeh N, Kaufman EJ. Color Vision. 2022 Oct 31. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 29261952.
Simunovic MP. Colour vision deficiency. Eye (Lond). 2010 May;24(5):747-55. doi: 10.1038/eye.2009.251. Epub 2009 Nov 20. PMID: 19927164.
đź“ť Pass your next test with my neuroscience videos!
I’m Marc, a university professor at Penn State, and I’m here to take you on a journey into the fascinating world of the brain. I created this channel to break down complex topics into easy-to-understand snippets—perfect for both students and curious minds alike. 📚
My goal is to make learning neuroscience fun and accessible. Whether you're a student looking to supplement your studies or simply eager to understand the basics of the brain, this channel is for you.
Hit subscribe and get to know your brain, one video at a time! đź§
