How does color blindness happen?

Colour blindness is a usually a genetic (hereditary) condition (you are born with it). Red/green and blue colour blindness is usually passed down from your parents. The gene which is responsible for the condition is carried on the X chromosome and this is the reason why many more men are affected than women. read more

Color blindness almost always is inherited from the mother's genes. It affects boys most often, as girls usually have additional genetic material that overrides the vision problem. About 1 in 12 males has some degree of color blindness, whereas only about 1 in 100 females has it. read more

Color blindness is most commonly a disorder of the retina's light-sensitive photoreceptor cells, which respond to different colored light rays. There are two kinds of photoreceptors: Cones work best in bright light; Rods work best in dim light; Each photoreceptor produces pigments that respond to specific colors of light. read more