10 Signs Your Child May Be Color Blind

When someone is color blind it doesn’t mean that they see no colors. It’s not like they see everything in shades of gray except in very rare instances. Being color blind means that you have trouble seeing red, green, yellow, blue or some combination of these. Red/green color blindness is most common. Color blindness is often inherited so if you are color blind then it is very important that you have your child checked as early as possible. Being color blind can affect the way a child learns to read. Check out 10 signs your child may be color blind to see if you think your child may need to be tested.

1. Struggles with color games: When kids are little, parents often play games with them where they tell them to pick up the red ball. At the beginning kids are just learning their colors and if they don’t pick up the red ball all the time it doesn’t mean that they are color blind. If time goes on and they can easily pick up the yellow and blue balls, but struggle with the red and green ones you might make a note.
2. Can’t point out certain colors: Another thing parents do when kids are little and they are trying to teach them their colors is to ask their child to point to the pink pony. It may be that the child can’t tell the difference between the light pink pony and the yellow pony. Continue to ask these questions, but make a point to follow their progress with certain colors.
3. Can’t match their clothes: This one is harder to tell because some kids just like to dress in wild and crazy clothes, but if you ask your child to put on their red T-shirt with some jeans and they come back with another color be sure to ask them why they didn’t grab the red shirt. More often than not it will be because they couldn’t find it. Show it to them and see what color they think it is.
4. Can’t tell which light is glowing on a stoplight: When in the car you can work on colors and safety issues by asking what color light is shining right now on the stoplight? If the child doesn’t know you can tell them, but if it becomes a pattern that they can’t tell the green light from the red light you may need to get them checked.
5. Have trouble finding patterns: Kids books will sometimes have patterns. If the patterns are made up of green and red a child who is green/red color blind won’t be able to see the pattern. Unless the colors are different shades. Then it would be like the shades of gray thing.
6. See no difference in light green and dark green: Another sign that your child may be color blind is if you ask them about different shades of a color. If you ask a child to get their light green sweater because it matches that outfit and they come back with a different sweater it may be that they can’t tell the difference between light and dark green.
7. Browns, blues and blacks get mixed up: This is a very common issue for color blind people. They can’t tell the difference between dark blue, dark brown and black. While they don’t all look the same they may look similar to each other enough that they can’t distinguish which is which. While it’s uncommon for girls to be color blind it does happen. If you asked your daughter to put on her black skirt and red top to go to school she may come out with a brown skirt and pink top. Don’t just chalk this up to her taste in clothes. She may not have been able to tell.
8. You find yourself correcting them on colors a lot: Children tend to talk a lot and may be running around touching things in a store and say isn’t this a pretty pink shirt and its yellow. Once or twice making a correction is nothing to worry about, but if you find yourself correcting them on colors a lot you may need to get them checked.
9. They complain about glaring light: Color blindness is caused by missing cones in the eye. For some reason children can see better when there isn’t a glare on the page. Most kids won’t complain about lighting so if you hear your child complaining about lighting you may need to have them checked.
10. When they use crayons they stay away from certain colors: While this may also just be whim take note if your child stays away from certain colors all the time. Like they never use brown for trees or green on leaves. Apples are not red they are some other color. This may just be your child being creative and that’s great, but if it’s not then you might have a color blind child.

Taken From National Nannies