Can women be colourblind?

[the jiffle king]

I know it seems like a stupid question, but I'd always been led to believe that women cannot be colourblind for some reason, but this has been called into doubt today as a woman at work was tested for colourblindness!

Anyone know the definitive on this?


T-J-K

[birdbrain]

No, I thought women could be colourblind as well?

[Jinx]

the jiffle king said:

I know it seems like a stupid question, but I'd always been led to believe that women cannot be colourblind for some reason, but this has been called into doubt today as a woman at work was tested for colourblindness! Anyone know the definitive on this? T-J-K

I know two women who are colourblind so I begin to doubt that colourblindness is only ever caused by faulty genes found on the Y chromosome.

[cazzer]

Women can be colourblind.
My mum is.
So am I.
Only women can pass it down a generation though.
To sons or daughters...it's not proud

[not love machine]

Yes, the dud gene is on X of the 23rd pair of chromosomes. Males have Xy and so there is no other X to mask the dud gene. Whereas with women, they have to have 2 dud X chromosomes. So that the probability is
1/X^2 where X=Probability of finding it in males. I think it is about 1 in 140 or something like that.

[Karen182]

Yes they can - a standard eye test will test both women and men for colour blindness though it affects more men I believe.

[Jinx]

not love machine said:

Yes, the dud gene is on X of the 23rd pair of chromosomes. Males have Xy and so there is no other X to mask the dud gene. Whereas with women, they have to have 2 dud X chromosomes. So that the probability is 1/X^2 where X=Probability of finding it in males. I think it is about 1 in 140 or something like that.

Thanks for clearing that up n-l-m, I was going back to my school day biology lessons where I was taught it was a faulty Y chromosome (seemed everything at the time was due to faulty Y's).

[jvaughan]

dont know about color blind, but I know they can be "Price" Blind...
Mine doesnt see the £100's of pounds price tags when she shops ...

[not love machine]

That is Green/Red blind. The rarer blue/yellow blind is not sex discriminate, I think.

[Lois-Bird]

I am in my right eye a bit. Have an inbalance of green sensitive iodopsin. Things are greenier out of it (only slightly!).
On the number colour blind tests I can see the normal one with my left eye and both with my right eye!!!

[cotty]

considering some of the hideous creations I have seen its not just colour they are blind to

[not love machine]

I'm red/green moderate and I reckon that my distance vision is improved over normals.....Hmmmmm Shorter wavelength and all that.

[simpo two]

That's the same concept as baldness - it's a 'sex-linked' condition (no funny comments please!)

[MilnerR]

Boring Post alert


Red green colour blindness is an X linked recessive condition. You're more likely to have it if you're a bloke. Basically the Y chromosome contains very little genetic material therefore if you have an incorrect copy on your only X chomosome then you'll be colour blind. However women have two X chromosome so as long as they have one correct copy they shouldn't be colour blind. This is complicated by the fact that every cell in the female body only uses 1 X chromosome and effectively switches off the other one, therefore you can have varying degrees of red/green colour blindness.

Activation of both X chromosomes causes birth abnormalities and mental retardation!

[Lois-Bird]

so why have I got it in one eye and not the other?!!

[MilnerR]

Lois-Bird said:

so why have I got it in one eye and not the other?!!

You probably do have it in both eyes, its just that in one eye its so slight as to be undetectable.

[Lois-Bird]

So maybe my pink fluffy dice aren't pink after all!!

[BliarOut]

Lois-Bird said:

So maybe my pink fluffy dice aren't pink after all!!

No, you just need to set your washing machine to 40C

[catretriever]

simpo two said:

That's the same concept as baldness - it's a 'sex-linked' condition (no funny comments please!)

I thought baldness was due to excessive testosterone, rather than a ginetic disorder

[MilnerR]

Lois-Bird said:

So maybe my pink fluffy dice aren't pink after all!!

spot the difference?


















Thats right they're all pink...............