Health
How colour blindness can affect your job choices
Opticians are encouraging children to undergo colour vision tests at an early age to help guide their future career choices .
This is one of the reasons Specsavers Ópticas in Marbella and Fuengirola include colour vision testing as part of a standard eye test when parents take their children to the opticians for their first appointment .
It is estimated that around 8 % of men and 0.5 % of women are born colour blind . Colour blindness , also known as colour vision deficiency , is a genetic condition affecting the colour sensing cells in the retina of the eye . The vast majority of people with colour blindness can see many colours , but have problems distinguishing certain colours , particularly red and green . Total colour blindness , an inability to see any colour , merchant navy as an officer . You will also not be able to be an air traffic controller , train or bus driver , a customs inspector , firefighter , or hold certain positions in the police force or in civil aviation .
Specsavers Ópticas use the Ishihara test to identify colour deficiency during a sight test . The optician will show you a number of plates which are printed with dots of different colours , brightness , density and sizes , arranged so that the dots of similar colour form a figure ( for example a number ) among a background of dots in another colour . If a person has defective colour vision , they will be unable to identify some , or all , of the figures hidden in the dots depending upon what type of colour deficiency they suffer from .
Nerea adds : ‘ We recommend a yearly eye test for children from six years old and asking for your optician to test the colour vision if your child hasn ’ t had the test before . Regular is very rare .
Although colour blindness or colour vision deficiency does not usually cause people many problems , it can limit their career choices , with some jobs requiring a colour vision test to be able to work in that field .
Store director of Specsavers Ópticas in Marbella , Nerea Galdos-Little , says it is much better for children and their parents to find out if they are colour blind at an early age , so they can focus their energy and dreams on the right careers .
‘ I ’ ve seen a lot of young people , who have been following the dream of becoming a pilot , firefighter or police officer for many years , only to find out at the final hurdle that they can ’ t work in that field due to being colour blind . It is a real blow to find this out so late , that ’ s why we always offer children a colour vision check during their first appointment . Knowing that you ’ re colour blind from an early age allows you to focus your energy and dreams on a profession that you are able to do and ensures there are no nasty surprises .’
There are various careers which require you to have good colour vision and colour identification . These include entering the air force or navy as pilots or engineers , or the
eye tests are particularly important for children , as during the first 12 years of their lives , as much as 80 % of learning is accomplished through vision . One in four children has an undetected vision problem that may inhibit their progress , so make having an eye test part of your ‘ back to school ’ routine .’
Specsavers Ópticas offers free comprehensive eye tests for children , including a colour vision test as standard during a child ’ s first appointment . There are stores in Marbella and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol , please visit www . specsavers . es to find your nearest store .
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