Tritanopia is a rare deficiency in colour
vision in which those affected are insensitive to blue light and confuse
the colours in the blue-green
wavelength range. Tritanopia may therefore be classed
as a form of Colour
Blindness.
Tritanopia is one of three forms of dichromacy
(whose adjective is dichromatic).
(People with dichromacy are called dichromats , which means that
they can match any colour with some mixture of just two (2) wavelengths
of light, whereas normally-sighted people are "trichromats",
meaning that they need three (3) wavelengths of light in order to acceptably
match any colour of light.
Tritanopia is a very rare condition, equally rare among
males as females.
For comparison (in short summary):
- Protanopia
- involves inability to distinguish between colours in the
green-yellow-red section of the spectrum due to lack of
the long-wavelength sensitive retinal cones.
- Deuteranopia
- involves inability to distinguish between colours in the
green-yellow-red section of the spectrum due to lack of
the medium-wavelength sensitive retinal cones.
- Tritanopia
- involves inability to distinguish between the colours
in the blue-yellow section of the spectrum.
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See also more general information about Colour
Blindness.
More about Ophthalmology: This section includes short definitions
of many diseases, disorders, and conditions of the eyes and visual system.
For definitions of other terms in this category, choose from the list
to the left (but note that this is not a complete/exhaustive list).
Other related pages include the diagram
of the eye, and definitions
of parts of the eye, a description
of the human retina, and definitions
of parts of the retina, and the section of short definitions
of clinical and surgical procedures re. eyes and human visual system.
For further information see also our section of Books
about Ophthalmology. |
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This Section
is about
Diseases
and Disorders of the Eyes and Visual System.
To read about other diseases, disorders, or conditions of the eye and
human visual system, use the links on the left-side of this page.
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