Color blind blood test may help children

17 Jun 2002

A simple new experimental blood test can detect color blindness and measure its severity, researchers said Thursday. The test could help determine if a child is learning-disabled, or is merely having trouble with color-coded basic learning tools.

The test, described a recent edition of the journal Science, is still experimental and there are no firm plans on how to commercialize it, although potential uses for the test include evaluating color vision for job skills ranging from jet fighter pilots to pharmaceutical inspectors and other professions that rely on color-coded computer information.

Roughly one-in-10 men have some degree of color blindness, and about one-in-20 have a form of red-green color blindness known as deuteranomaly. Recent research has demonstrated there are at least 10 pigment genes related to colorblindness.