You Will Only Pass This Little Vision Test If You’re Colorblind
Image generated on AI
Color blindness affects about one in 12 men and one in 200 women worldwide, and a simple evaluation called the Ishihara Color Test may help indicate if you’re among them. You know the drill—you look at circles made up of various hues, with a number hidden in their contrasts. Those who struggle to see this digit might have color vision deficiency.
The Reverse Ishihara Test flips the script. If you fail it, you probably have normal, full-color vision. This is because the embedded numbers are much easier for colorblind individuals to decipher.
This is a reverse Ishihara test, where the number is only visible to people who *are* colorblind.
— Isaac King 🔠(@IsaacKing314) May 28, 2024
Everyone who said "lol I know this isn't a number, you're just messing with me": congrats! You're not colorblind. :) https://t.co/81bOuMSfXs
As Digg’s Grant Brunner details, seeing a “73” in this illusion suggests that you have deuteranopia, the most common form of color vision deficiency. If you see the number 23, you might have protanopia, where red cones are absent.
Of the colorblind people who have seen it, about half of them say it's 23 and the other half say 73. I can't see the number myself, but two people in the replies messed with photoshop to make it visible to those with normal vision and they both found 73.
— Isaac King 🔠(@IsaacKing314) May 28, 2024
Why the switcheroo? It turns out people with colorblindness often have sharper night vision and excel at picking up on variations in brightness. This exceptional ability to navigate low-light environments might even give them an edge in spotting camouflage that others miss.
@GIMP_Official has these nice color filters to emulate different types of color blindness. btw, this is even a nice tool to test if images work for color blind people. pic.twitter.com/TzKX41oOqp
— tobias (@tobias24617399) May 29, 2024
Messed with the RGB channels a bit in Gimp, and sure enough: pic.twitter.com/9zZBGbmayr
— Jens Goldberg (@Aransentin) May 28, 2024
While the inverted version offers a peek into how those with color vision issues see the world, it’s important to remember that this is not a definitive diagnosis. If you’re curious about how you have perceived the visual, a visit to the ophthalmologist is the best way to get the complete vivid picture.
[via Digg, Nvision Centers, Mighty Optical Illusions, Isaac King, images via various sources]
