Can Electricians Be Colour Blind?

Which two colours can not be identified in colour blindness?

Tritanopia (colourblindness) mainly affects the colours blue and green, purple and red, and yellow and pink. So you can see it can be a problem in some careers if you cannot identify these pigments.

It also makes colours seem less bright and vibrant, which is a distinct disadvantage in some career options.

What are the two causes of colour blindness?

If colour blindness has not been passed down through genetics, you can become colourblind if you suffer from a brain injury.

Other causes of colour blindness are eye diseases such as glaucoma or macular degeneration, brain diseases that affect the nervous system also contribute to colourblindness.

Folks who have Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis experience colour blindness.

Is colour blindness a disability?

Yes, but it is considered a minor disability and can be a deciding factor in what type of job you do.

Just short of 10% of males are colourblind. Colour blindness can affect males and females equally throughout the population, particularly in an ageing society.

However, in an ageing society, the problem of not being able to distinguish colours is not so much of a problem.

What does a person with Tritanopia see?

If you have tritanomaly, blues and greens merge into each other, making the colours indistinguishable also, red and yellow will look alike, making colour blindness somewhat debilitating.

Colours, in general, will be dampened across the colour spectrum.

Is Tritanopia curable?

No. However, there have been advances with optical correction techniques that can now add filters to glasses or contact lenses to correct colour blindness.

The filters fitted to the glasses or contact lenses are specifically for outdoor and indoor applications and cannot be mixed.

Can colour blindness get worse?

If your colour blindness is from a faulty gene passed on by generations in your family, then it is unlikely your colour blindness will become worse and conversely improve.

It’s worth mentioning that colour blindness can occur later in life. This is mainly associated with illnesses such as eye disorders and or problems with the nervous system preventing signals from the brain to the eyes.

If the underlying condition improves over time, your colour blindness will probably improve and may disappear if the illness is cured.

Does colour blindness run in families?

Colour blindness is a genetic fault and is inherited from the parents or grandparents. It would be normal for the child to be colour blind from birth and is unlikely to be picked up until school when a colour blindness test is initiated.

The good news is colour blindness is not a sign of any other underlying condition in children. It’s just a faulty gene that has been passed on.

Can colourblind people drive?

Yes, it’s one of those oddities where the person has to adapt to real-life even with this vision impairment. A colourblind driver will not be able to see the colour red on a traffic signal.

So, the colour blind driver adapts to knowing the sequence of lights on the traffic signal negating the need for colour.

Can colourblind people see brake lights?

A person with severe colour blindness would find it hard to see the red of the brake light but would be able to see the lamp is illuminated.

The problem arises when the driver needs to concentrate on the brake lights that they may miss other potential hazards.

Can colourblind get a driving licence in the UK?

Yes, a colour blindness test is not part of a driving licence requirement in the UK. nThe DVLA takes the view that colour blindness is similar to being short or long-sighted.

Furthermore, it is not a requirement to disclose your colour blindness to the DVLA.

Are dogs colour blind?

A dog’s vision is different from a human’s, dogs are not colour blind, but they do not see the same colour spectrum as humans.

Humans have three colour receptors in their eyes known as cones. A dog has two.

What jobs can’t you do with colour blindness in the UK?

Some jobs exclude colour blindness, and not all seem to have a valid reason, but here is a list of a few such jobs:

• Doctor
• Police officer
• Graphic designer
• Chef
• Airline pilot

You would imagine a doctor needing perfect vision, and colour perception would be important in the profession. How would they know if you had yellow jaundice?

Police officers’ vision should be good, but plenty of police officers wear glasses, so you can understand why colour perception would be needed in identifying illicit substances.

Graphic designer, it’s a no brainer why being colour blind would hamper your work.

Chefs need to be aware of colour, such as if the meat is cooked rare and also for presentation skills.

Airline pilot, If you have ever looked out of the window when taxiing to a runway, there are red and green marker lights at each threshold point. It would be a nightmare for a colourblind pilot and possibly terrifying for the passengers.

Can you be an electrician if you are Colourblind in the UK?

Yes, you can. Back in 2004, the wiring was changed to alleviate some of the discrepancies in wiring colours which simplified wiring colours.

These changes to the Big Brown Book BS7671 addressed the potential issues of colour blindness.

Today, the earth is yellow and brown, live is brown, and the neutral is blue, making it impossible to get the wires out of sequence when terminating.