Color Blindness May Be Cured

     Genetic scientists have discovered a cure for color blindness, offering hope to millions of sufferers.

Photo: Color Blindness May Be Cured

    Scientists at the University of Washington, in Seattle, and the University of Florida restored normal vision to two color-blind monkeys. The technique could prove to be a safe and effective cure for color blindness and other visual disorders related to the cones in the retina.

   “Although color blindness is only moderately life-altering, we have shown we can cure a cone disease in a primate and that it can be done very safely,” said Professor William Hauswirth, an ophthalmic molecular geneticist at the University of Florida. “That is extremely encouraging for the development of therapies for human cone diseases that really are blinding.”

    Color blindness is sometimes classed as a disability; in certain situations, however, color blind people have an advantage over people with normal color vision. There are some studies which conclude that color blind individuals are better at penetrating certain camouflages.

    Those suffering from red-green color blindness cannot distinguish between colors in the green-red-yellow part of the spectrum. This can make reading maps, using the internet and selecting a matching shirt and tie impossible. The disorder affects about 8 percent of Caucasian males, but less than 0.5 percent of females, according to Fox.News.com.