LIVING WITH CVD

"What color is this?" is the most common asked question if you are color vision deficient. You get used to it, and you learn how to handle it like most other difficulties that arise from color vision deficiencies. 

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Even though this disorder is not like threatening or altering, it is important to take a closer look at the every day life of a color vision deficient  person and the impacts this vision deficiency can have on their career choice and consumer understanding.

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Most people think traffic lights are one of the biggest issues for everyone suffering from a color vision deficiency. They are a very common issue and can cause some great confusion depending on the persons deficiency type and severity. Some states also do not allow you to get a drivers license if you are color deficient, even if the issue is not to this level of concern.

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There are, however, some individuals who are suffering from moderate to strong color vision deficiencies.

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           - A sunburn cannot really be seen, only if the skin is

             almost glowing.

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           - If meat is cooked, it cannot be told by its color like usual.

           - There is no difference between the colors for

            vacant (green) and occupied (red). 

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           - Flowers and fruits cannot be easily spotted sometimes.

           - You cannot tell if a fruit or vegetable is ripe or not.

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           - Every electrical device which uses LED lights to

             indicate something is a permanent source of annoyance.

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           - Colored maps and graphics can sometimes be very

             hard to decipher. 

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By far though, the biggest issue is matching colors and especially matching clothes. 

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If you have a CVD you cannot just choose flowers which fit together nicely, or a painting which fits with the furniture, or a carpet. You also cannot create a web site or an image with nicely matching colors. You will never be able to easily match your shirt with your tie, your trousers with your shoes, your whole wardrobe. 

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In this case, a color vision friend is of great help. 

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A color vision deficient often gets more attention when it comes to choosing a future career, if they are aware . Parents are especially concerned about possible restrictions. But also young people ask themselves, if the job of their dreams will stay just a dream because of their vision disorder.

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Professions that require good to perfect color vision: 

           - Airline pilot, air traffic controller, firefighter, police officer, train driver, some ranks in the armed forces,

             some electrical / electronic engineers.

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Jobs that require good color vision can be split into two different categories.

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In the first category, color matching or color recognition is a main component of the job. This includes color quality control, art teaching, interior decorating and more. It is easy to decide over for CVD people as each one knows themselves best and will perform well in such a profession or not Most CVD people can also accept this fact more or less easily.

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The other category includes, jobs which also require good color vision but only in support of the job itself.This group includes the job profiles of pilots, firefighters, police officers and more. These jobs have the following facts in common: 

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           - Bad color vision is a security problem in this job.

           - Passing a color blindness test is required to qualify for the job.

           - The impact of a color vision deficiency is not well described.

           - There is no international standard on color vision requirements.

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The points above unfortunately make it very complicated. Many color vision deficient people believe that they still could perform in such a position perfectly and that turning them down just because of their CVD is not right. Some even start thinking about how to cheat on such a test just to get through the exams and get the job of their dreams. But this is not the way to go.

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A better strategy for the CVD to plan towards their future career is: LEARN. INFORM. TALK. COMMUNICATE. GO. DISCUSS

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           1. Learn. During your time in school learn how you can handle colors. Learn about the severity of your color vision deficiency and learn the special techniques to get around your disorder. This way you are very well prepared when it comes to choosing your future career.

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           2. Inform. Get all possible information about the job of your dreams and possible disabilities for color vision deficient people. You can get information from a prospecctive employer, from special authorities like the FFA for pilot candidatesa nd of course from the internet. It is important to check your local requirements as they can vary between different countries.

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           3. Talk. Try to find some people who are working in this job and talk to them. They will know the best if there are special tasks which might be a problem and you will know from your personal experiences, if you will be able to handle and also most important, if you feel comfortable in such a position. First check your relatives, ask around in your neighborhood, maybe you will find somebody at the college and otherwise I'm sure you will be able to find somebody online who will be happy to help you out. Just check forums where those people could hang around. 

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           4. Communicate. Do not try to hide your color vision deficiency. Be honest and communicate if it might be a problem. Of course you only have to do this if color vision could be a possible disability. But it is important to inform your prospective employer what you learned about the job to be done and how you have overcome those disabilities despite your imperfect color vision. 

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           5. Go for it. Don't forget to take the last step Do the required tests to learn more about your color blindness. You might pass without any problem and you might fail. You may also like to try different employers as there are in most jobs no national rules concerning color vision deficiency. 

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      6. Discuss. Did you fail the color vision deficiency test and did they use the Ishirhara plates or some similar form? Read the about the different CVD test and learn about other possible ones. This should help start a discussion about the used test and if maybe that one was just too restrictive. There are many different tests available and sometimes it would be even much better if your prospective employer would just check possible job restrictions and if you can handle those or not. 

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And please do not forget the fact, many people have some from of disability which is a burden and sometimes becomes a big obstacle. Get used to your color vision deficiency and try to accept that moderate to strong CVD people should not dream to work for sample a pilot or a professional firefighter. If you cannot accept this, do not try to cheat on tests but start a discussion about it!

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We are color vision deficient.

We may not be able to name colors, but we

can handle most situations perfectly even if

we do not know exactly and correctly which

color it really is. 

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Left image: Color vision view of red apples.

Right image: CVD view of red apples.

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