Label decoder and review worksheet
Types of Color Blindness: Decode the Label Before You Compare It
The seven types are (NEI, updated 2023):
- Protanomaly: some reds look greener and less bright; ColorJack reported 1% of men in its 2007 archive. (NEI; ColorJack, 2007).
- Protanopia: red and green cannot be distinguished; ColorJack reported 1% of men in its 2007 archive. (NEI; ColorJack, 2007).
- Deuteranomaly: some greens look redder; ColorJack reported 5% of men and 0.4% of women in its 2007 archive. (NEI; ColorJack, 2007).
- Deuteranopia: red and green cannot be distinguished; ColorJack reported 1% of men in its 2007 archive. (NEI; ColorJack, 2007).
- Tritanomaly: blue–green and yellow–red pairs are hard to tell apart; ColorJack reported 0% of the population in its 2007 archive. (NEI; ColorJack, 2007).
- Tritanopia: blue–green, purple–red, and yellow–pink distinctions are affected; ColorJack reported 0.003% of the population in its 2007 archive. (NEI; ColorJack, 2007).
- Monochromacy: all or most color vision is lacking in this separate layer; ColorJack called it very rare and gave no percentage in its 2007 archive. (ColorJack, 2007).
Quick answer
Keep the family key and the label ending separate.
The types of color blindness are easier to read when you keep two parts of the label separate. On this page, protan, deutan, and tritan are the family keys; the endings -anomaly and -anopia map to different function layers in an archived 2007 ColorJack classification. Do not shorten deuteranomaly to deuteranopia or treat those labels as interchangeable. Use the decoder below, preserve the full result wording, and record what still needs to be checked with a qualified professional.
Do this now: copy the exact label from the test or report. Underline the family key, circle the ending, and do not translate it into a more familiar label.
Do not shorten a label into a familiar word. Different labels point to different types, and a difference of only a few letters can completely change a professional interpretation.
Decode the exact labelOne label carries two different questions
The archived ColorJack page from 2007 grouped protanomaly, deuteranomaly, and tritanomaly under Anomalous Trichromacy. It grouped protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia under Dichromacy, with Monochromacy as a separate layer. That is the historical source’s organization, not a classification created by this site.
People may search for different types of color blindness, kinds of color blindness, or types of colour blindness. Those wordings point to the same practical problem here: keep the complete label before comparing definitions, simulations, or historical figures.
Two-axis label decoder
| Exact label | Family key retained here | Layer assigned by ColorJack in 2007 | Do not silently replace it with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protanomaly | Protan | Anomalous Trichromacy | Protanopia |
| Protanopia | Protan | Dichromacy | Protanomaly |
| Deuteranomaly | Deutan | Anomalous Trichromacy | Deuteranopia |
| Deuteranopia | Deutan | Dichromacy | Deuteranomaly |
| Tritanomaly | Tritan | Anomalous Trichromacy | Tritanopia |
| Tritanopia | Tritan | Dichromacy | Tritanomaly |
| Monochromacy | Separate historical layer | Monochromacy | Any of the six paired labels above |
This table is a reading aid derived from the label pairs and three layers listed on ColorJack’s archived 2007 page. It does not diagnose a condition or determine how strongly an individual perceives a color difference.
If colors look different in each eye, our guide explains how to compare what each eye sees and record the difference without assigning yourself a type.
Turn the label into a controlled design check
| Label family to preserve | Keep fixed during the comparison | What to inspect | If meaning depends on color alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protan | The same image, simulation method, and strength | Whether each state, line, region, or category remains identifiable | Add text, an icon, a shape, a pattern, position, or line style |
| Deutan | The same image, simulation method, and strength | Whether each state, line, region, or category remains identifiable | Add text, an icon, a shape, a pattern, position, or line style |
| Tritan | The same image, simulation method, and strength | Whether each state, line, region, or category remains identifiable | Add text, an icon, a shape, a pattern, position, or line style |
| Monochromacy | The same image and review conditions | Whether the task still works without hue distinctions | Add a non-color cue and retest the same task |
This is a review matrix created by this site. It does not claim that every person with the same label sees the same output. A simulator produces a model-based preview; it is not a diagnosis or a pass/fail certificate.
I would check charts first because a subtle difference can change the result. I insist on adding a non-color cue because a person with a color vision deficiency may be unable to detect the difference between two comparison images.
Keep search wording separate from the recorded label
Deutan color blindness is a family-level search phrase; it is not permission to erase whether the source said deuteranomaly or deuteranopia. The same rule applies when a page discusses protanopia color blindness or tritanopia color blindness: retain the exact term that the test, report, or cited source actually used.
How a clinical test describes severity
A type label identifies a cone-pigment pathway; a clinical test estimates the degree of color-discrimination difficulty. Published work places deuteranomaly on a broad range, from nearly typical to almost dichromatic vision. JAMA Ophthalmology review
The Hardy–Rand–Rittler (HRR) test uses test-specific categories of mild, moderate, and strong deficiency; those labels are not a score to assign from one screen or one plate. Acta Ophthalmologica study
The UK Health and Safety Executive describes Ishihara as a red–green screening test that gives only a general indication of protan or deutan status, not a diagnosis; it says further tests may be needed to classify type and severity. HSE Guidance Note MS7
Compare the three cone pathways
In plain language, “-opia” points to a missing functional pigment class; “-anomaly” describes a different three-pigment arrangement. Neither ending gives a strength grade. JAMA Ophthalmology review
| Question | Deutan | Protan | Tritan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cone-pigment pathway | M (middle-wavelength); deuteranopia lacks functional M pigment. JAMA | L (long-wavelength); protanopia lacks functional L pigment. JAMA | S (short-wavelength); the exact change depends on subtype. JAMA |
| Color distinctions that may be affected | Some greens may look redder; deuteranopia can blur red–green distinction. NEI | Some reds may look greener and dimmer; protanopia can blur red–green distinction. NEI | Blue–green and yellow–red may be harder to separate; tritanopia can also affect purple–red and yellow–pink. NEI |
| Typical strength information | NEI calls deuteranomaly mild; the type name is not an individual grade. NEI | NEI calls protanomaly mild; the type name is not an individual grade. NEI | NEI distinguishes the two tritan forms by affected pairs; strength is test-specific. NEI; HRR study |
| Test to discuss with an eye-care professional | Ishihara screens red–green deficiency; HRR or anomaloscopy can assess further. HSE; journal | Ishihara gives only a general indication; ask about HRR or anomaloscopy if subtype matters. HSE; journal | Ishihara does not screen tritan defects; HRR includes blue–yellow sensitivity. HSE; journal |
These rows are a route to a conversation, not a self-diagnosis. Read the focused guides to deuteranopia and deuteranomaly, and use the Ishihara observation page only to record what you see; it does not score or diagnose you.
Keep a short record of color mix-ups
These prompts can help you describe what caught your attention; none can identify a clinical subtype on its own. If the issue is persistent or affects daily tasks, NEI recommends discussing a color-vision check with an eye doctor. National Eye Institute testing guidance
- Charger or router lights: note which status colors are hard to tell apart, and whether a label or position—not hue—helps you know what the device is doing.
- Game rarity colors: when blue and purple items appear side by side, record whether you can distinguish their ranks by color alone or need the icon or written label.
- Pale pink and gray: compare the two objects in steady, neutral light and write down which one you would have named before checking a label.
- A family color correction: record the object, lighting, and the two color names used; keep the disagreement as an example to discuss, not as a diagnosis.
Bring the notes and the exact result label to an appointment if you want a formal interpretation; an eye-care professional can choose a color-plate test and follow-up assessment when needed. National Eye Institute
The phrase most common color blindness asks a frequency question, not a label-decoding question. This page does not use an unsourced current ranking to answer it. Any prevalence figure added later must keep its source year and denominator attached.
Result and review worksheet
| Field | Record without rewriting |
|---|---|
| Test, report, or source page | ____________________________ |
| Exact result label | ____________________________ |
| Family key shown in the label | protan / deutan / tritan / other: __________ |
| Ending or historical layer | -anomaly / -anopia / monochromacy / other: __________ |
| Simulation method, if one was used | ____________________________ |
| Simulation strength, if one was used | ____________________________ |
| Task inspected | ____________________________ |
| Meaning that became unclear | ____________________________ |
| Non-color cue added | ____________________________ |
| Question for a qualified professional | ____________________________ |
The worksheet keeps three things apart: what the source called the result, what a simulator was configured to show, and what happened in a specific task. A match between those fields is useful documentation; it is not clinical confirmation.
Questions about finding your color vision type
Can someone tell me what type of colorblind i am
An eye-care professional can tell you whether you have color vision deficiency after a color plate test, and may use other tests if the result is unclear. National Eye Institute: Testing for Color Vision Deficiency.
“I also struggle with trying to determine exactly what my color blindness is.”
— Anonymous reader
What color-blind typer I am?
A color plate test can check for color vision deficiency, and an eye-care professional can tell you the result after the test. National Eye Institute: Testing for Color Vision Deficiency.
“I also struggle with trying to determine exactly what my color blindness is.”
— Anonymous reader
Yall what type of colorblind am I?
Ask an eye-care professional to check your color vision; if the first test result is unclear, they may use another test. National Eye Institute: Testing for Color Vision Deficiency.
“im just so confused because i haven’t really gotten a consistent answer, ive also been told im in denial 😅”
— Anonymous reader
Am I protan or deutan?
An Ishihara screening result may not distinguish protanopia from deutan deficiency; an eye-care professional can select a follow-up test to clarify the type. Peer-reviewed evaluation of color-vision screening tests; National Eye Institute guidance on follow-up tests.
For a separate ordering task that reports arrangement errors rather than a color-vision type, the 15-swatch color-ordering exercise compares the row with its generated hue sequence.
“I also struggle with trying to determine exactly what my color blindness is.”
— Anonymous reader
What's the best site to determine the type of color-blindness
This guide does not compare or rank testing sites; for a personal result, an eye-care professional can use color plates and follow-up tests when needed. National Eye Institute: Testing for Color Vision Deficiency.
“this is exactly what i do too!! im mildly into cars, and my bf is a mechanic, so ill see a cool car and what i think is grey, and he’ll say “thats actually a light blue” 😅”
— Anonymous reader
I need some help determining if I'm color blind or not.
Talk to an eye-care professional, who can check for color vision deficiency with a color plate test and use other tests if the result is unclear. National Eye Institute: Testing for Color Vision Deficiency.
“And every time I feel like ive developed some trick or if “I remember really hard what the color REALLY looks like” I am reminded that I, in fact, do not have a tricks and am just as blind as the last time I looked at whatever it is.”
— Anonymous reader
Historical terminology, source, and scope
ColorJack’s archived 2007 page said the common phrase color blindness could be described more accurately as Color Vision Deficiency, and more strictly as Dyschromatopsia. This page records that as ColorJack’s 2007 wording. It does not present the terminology as a new standard created by this site.
Many modern color blindness test pages give a result without explaining labels, denominators, or sources. I use this 2007 framework to fill that gap: it shows readers how to read a result, preserve the original label, and prepare questions for a qualified professional. I do not want readers to mistake it for a clinical diagnosis or medical guidance.
Historical source: ColorJack, articles/vision.html, Wayback snapshot 20070828150059, page year 2007. No ColorJack contact detail, company identifier, implementation, authorship, or clinical authority is presented as work belonging to this site.