Understanding Colour Vision Deficiency ‑ Helping Children Who See Colours Differently

Understanding Colour Vision Difference in Children: What Parents Should Know

Colour vision differences (sometimes called colour vision deficiency, or formerly “colour blindness”) affect many children. It means they see colours differently than most people—not that they can’t see colour at all. This can make some tasks harder, but with understanding and support, children thrive.

What is colour blindness? 

Colour vision differences, or colour vision deficiency, happens when the ‘cones’ (colour-detecting nerve cells located in the back of the eye) do not develop correctly. So people who have colour vision differences, can in fact see some colours, they just have trouble distinguishing between the specific kinds. For example; like red and green or blue and purple.  

There are two main forms of colour blindness that are more common;  

• Deutan (deuteranomaly) In Deutan-type colour vision deficiency may experience confusions between colours such as green and yellow, or blue and purple.  
• Protan (protanomaly & protanopia) In Protan-type colour vision deficiency may experience confusion between greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and browns.  

It is said that the ‘Protan’ type colour vision deficiency is more common. Especially in men where studies show 1 in 12 males may have varying degrees of colour vision differences. There are degrees of severity when it comes to having colour vision differences, from people who see everything in dull shades to no colour definition at all, and in extremely rare cases only black and white.  

So how do you treat colour vision differences? 

Unfortunately, there is no real treatment for colour vision differences. However, with our current technology we can find ways to help people with colour vision differences see some form of colour definition. There are now special glasses and even contact lenses that can assist mild cases with correcting colours. 

What are the warning signs? 

You may notice some of these, especially between ages 3‑8, when children are learning colours and doing tasks involving colour recognition:

• Frequently using unexpected colours when drawing or painting (e.g. colouring the sky purple, mixing up blue/purple)
• Difficulty identifying crayons, pencils or objects that are red/green or have red/green components (or brown/green, etc.)
• Avoiding colouring or art tasks, or becoming frustrated with worksheets that use lots of colours
• Trouble reading charts, maps, or charts that use colour coding (especially in poor lighting)

If you notice these signs, it does not mean your child is less capable, just that some learning tools or environments may need to be more supportive.

What can I do as a parent? 

In South Africa there is not a lot of awareness with what to do when you suspect your child to have colour vision deficiency. Well, we here at Labels4School have done some homework! If your child is aged 4-5 you can go visit an Ophthalmologist, they will perform a simple colour recognition test with shapes and colours, where as a child aged 6+ can go to a standard Optometrist where they can do a more in-depth colour recognition test.

The ideal age to test a child for colour vision deficiency is around the age of 6, as this is when they will be starting a more demanding form of schooling in terms of colour recognition and working with colours on a regular basis.  

As a Parent/Gaudian, it is important to explain to your child what it means to have colour vision deficiency (to be colour blind). Teach them that it is not a disability that should be feared, encourage your child to be open and honest with a school task that they might be having trouble with. Be understanding when they are faced with a challenge like playing certain boarded gamer or TV games.

Also remember that it is important to think about the word choices you use when giving an instruction to a child, do not use descriptions based on colour, but rather what the object is e.g. don't say “put it there by the red book”, rather say “put it there by the big book on the second shelf”.  If after you have had your child tested for colour blindness, and they do in fact have one of the two most common variations, ask the optician to write you a letter that you can send to the school to inform them of a possible difficulty in learning due to this colour vision deficiency.  

Lastly, never feel guilty about your child having colour vision differences. Children are very resilient and very good at hiding the fact they might not see the world quite like you can.  

What can I do as a teacher? 

It is not often that a teacher will notice a colour vision deficiency child in their class, sometimes they chalk it up to having ADHD, or simply not paying attention to an instruction, and sometimes it goes unnoticed simply because a child has learnt to differentiate the subtle changes in certain shades to know that it links to what we would call ‘red’ or ‘green’. Other children might even have a close friend that they ask to point out the colours they are struggling with. So, it is not always possible for a teacher to pick up these things unless they know what to look for.  

Here as some easy changes to help in your classroom: 

• Write the colour ‘red’ underneath a shape or object that is red etc 
• Do not put key colours next to each other such as; greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. Purples and Blues. 
• Do not base a pattern purely on colour, use shapes or objects as well 
• Try not to write with red and green markers on a white board as they will appear similar 
• Write out the name of the colour if it is relevant to the instruction e.g. ‘yellow sun, ‘red car’ etc 
• Make sure that all the art supplies and colours are labelled correctly 

Being more mindful about a child's needs can help you a lot of trouble in the long run, if everyone understands the limitations of colour vision deficiency, then they can help by being more mindful about the way they verbalise and instruction or even provide key visual aids to assist a child during their developmental years.  

This is why we at Labels4school have introduced our ‘Colour Clarity Labels’ pack. This unique label pack has been specifically designed to assist children entering pre-school and junior school to identify and easily learn colour variations at home and in the classroom. Each label is marked with a colour bar, a corresponding symbol and the descriptive word, the words are written in all lower case for younger children, and with black text on a white background so it appears crisp, clear and easy to read. 

Our Colour Vision Difference labels are printed on out premium range labels so they are waterproof, freezer and dishwasher safe. Offering you a wide variety of sizes, you can use these labels on anything from cutlery, lunch boxes and toys to pencil crayons and other general stationery items. 

Get your set of Colour Clarity Labels labels here