Regarding Color Blindness

If you are trying to do color coded wiring, interpret chemical dye tests, etc., color blindness might be a pertinent issue. Interestingly, some types of multiconductor marine cable are all black, but are numbered and also labeled with the words: black, white, blue, pink, and so on, plus combinations thereof. In that environment, you might do just fine.

One of the BIG problems with socialized medicine, or nanny states and companies in general, is that every damned busybody becomes interested in your often irrelevant health conditions or habits.

Color-blind persons are sometimes used as plane spotters because, perhaps surprisingly, they are less fooled by camouflage than color-sighted persons. I once knew a WWII spotter who became a professional photographer. He was great with composition, contrast, and value, which play strongly in black/white photography; and he worked in color as well.

Another story I once heard was about a color-blind electrician who got all the wires messed up, so you do need to beware of limitations that may actually matter.

Good luck in finding the right niche where this will be no problem.

That is true. The colour blind person that is complete colour blind isn't fooled by artificial greens etc.

I noticed while in the territorial army that i could spot camo nets and the like easily.

i was told later on when i tried to join the fire service that i could under stress and wearing a misted up BA that i may confuse red from green, And yet i can easily identify the navigation lights at night of aircraft thousands of feet in the air.

But i understood the problem

By the way the way of passing the colour test i found was to have a pair of glasses made with a slight red tint, you can try this with a red filter used on cameras, if you look at a test chart through the filter the numbers and patterns become clear.

i work this out by reasoning that if red was short in my eyes then increasing the amount of red would by pass the test, I had a hell of a game getting the optician to make me a pair of red tinted glasses.

Tinted glasses are in use by people with dyslexia to help them read more easily.

I am sure it is not the same electrician, but I can verify this indeed has happened. I was in charge of plant maintenance for a few years and often my department also had to add on additional circuits. I did not know until I was full time in engineering that my main electrician was color blind. Red and green were about the same to him. I never saw it in any circuits I inspected, but those who followed me in that position, found red wires on the ground in several locations. Color blind could be a problem if one intends to run wires. Perhaps that is why most of the world now uses a yellow stripe on the ground conductor.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=colour+blindness+genes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYzmo9BgXtc&NR=1

the above link has some very good colour tests.

I have red green colour blindness, its the most common one, i see red and green slightly darker than most. It was discovered when i tried to get a job with british telecom.

their reason is valid if you mix some colours up there could be disastrous effects.

Red green colour blindness is hereditary and is normally passed down through the males and not females.

That said my son who is now 14 does not have my colour blindness.

By the way its possible to cheat the test but be carefull if you were for instance a fireman wearing a BA that was misted up and you had to turn of the red stop tap it could be fatal if you mistook the green one for the red one.

If its any consolation i have never had a problem with wiring its just the tests, You can also get a more definitive test done called the lantern test which will identify the exact amount of colour blindness.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web03.pdf

http://www.stereooptical.com/html/optec-900.html

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lantern+colour+vision+test&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

Interesting you saying that you can cheat the tests; I know people who have learned the correct answers, but I can actually see both possible answers on the test cards. Thought I was very smart during my army medical when I managed to be 100% colour blind. This was a reason for rejection in the dim and distant past. The medic was smarter than me and brought out some new multi-dotted cards that I had not seen before. Though I could see two possible numbers or alternatives I did not know which one showed me to be colour blind and which one not.

Had to go and shoot at people and be shot at - did not enjoy either.

My wife tells me that I am in fact colour blind, but this is not true, I just get the names mixed up sometimes.

to test if you are colour blind just look at some of the links i have already posted.

the test also show the answers so you can tell right away.

the reddish filters mean you dont have to remember

Actually, the gene for color blindness is passed from the mother, not the father. A woman who carries the gene may have color-blind sons (but not necessarily). Her daughters may carry the gene and pass it on to their sons. The mothers and daughters are not usually color blind. (It's rare, but there are cases.)

Men do not pass the genes on, so their sons and daughters would not carry the gene.

I have a friend who is an electronics engineer and is red-green color blind. He has worked in the industry for decades, without any problems.

The statement "Actually, the gene for color blindness is passed from the mother, not the father" is not entirely correct. The genes for the altered retinal pigments responsible for colour blindness are carried on the X chromosome. As a male has both X and Y chromosomes, this means that a man can pass the genes to his daughter, but not to his son. His son could, however, in theory be colour blind if his mother also possessed the defective genes on either or both of her X chromosomes. A female would be colour blind only if both her X chromosomes carried the defective genes.

The females pass it on to the males. Your sister's sons will be color blind.

Since you are an engineer and not a technician or electrician, color blindness should not impact a large part of the job. If you're in the US, check with the Americans with disabilities act. Most companies must make allowances for your condition.

That is only true if the disability does not impact your ability to perform the requirements of the position safely. Color blindness can have a very large impact on your ability to perform in many positions safely for your self and the engineers/technicians who follow you.

A fair share of my business involves through-hole printed circuit layout. My software setup generally uses red to represent the component-side copper and green for the solder-side. A student discovered his previously unknown color-blindness while trying to use my computer.

Once the condition is known and appreciated, most folks can compensate. It would be a sadness to be rejected for employment for a non-critical "disability". The nature of the job will, of course, determine the level of need.

I too was also in the same position in my last year of university.

I joined the Merchant Navy as an engineer officer, and had to undergo a colourblindness test as aprt of the medical. I knew I was mildly green/red colourblind and expected to fail the Ishihara test. I did, but was told prior to application by employer that the City University or Farnsworth D15 test were acceptable (More realistic tests in my opinion) The only pain was that the MCA doctor (Maritime and coastguard Agency) I went to see did not have the other tests, so I had to go to an optician and get tested and certified, and then go back to the same doctor.

I was permitted to do wiring onboard any merchant ship in the world. Had I failed the City University or Farnsworth D15 tests I would have had a limitation on my certificate stating I could not work with coloured cables or equipment. Understandably that was not acceptable to most shipping companies.

Recently I did get rejected from a job in the rail industry. The PTS (Personal Trcak Safety) medical relyed on the Ishihara test and nothing else. For the job I would have been on my own at times as a service engineer most likely when making my way to a job accross the tracks. I would have been permitted if I was with someone constantly, but the company understandfably didnt want to employ me a guide. I was disappointed as I didnt think it was fair given I can determine signal colours with no problems.

I too have heard that colourblind people have worked as electricians for years with no problem. But In our very H&S concious world today it would seem this is less likely.

Color blindness comes in different categories. Daltony should not be to much of a handicap. My brother is green/brown affected and is a prototype electronics circuits designer. He also is good at repairs.

I to am considered color blind. I can only identify 2 of the 12 dot charts. However, I was trained as an electronic technician and can read the color bands on 1/4 watt resistors. The fact that I could not identify the other charts in the color test proved that I could not differentiate between different shades of red and green. I was able to get a waiver when I was going for my pilots license. The only colors the FAA was concerned with in being able to see are red, green, and white. I was tested by using the signal light from the tower. So you can see that color blindness is a matter of degree.

My colleague Anand Gunasekaran two times rejected for colour blind in BHEL Trichirapalli for welding job, but third time he was selected and placed in welding dept. 15 building 5^th bay in BHEL how it is possible I'm rejected for the same reason. Any one advise me how to get recover from this colour blind problem.