Reviewed by Dr Jessica Gunawan and Physician Brandon Yew

Red or Green? This Colour-Blind Test Will Show If You Can Tell Two Shades Apart

Published March 12, 2023| 6 min read

Red and green colour blindness can stem from various factors. Take this colour-blind test to check if you have the condition.

Woman seated in a chair and looking at a book containing images of dotted plates.

Red-green colour blindness often goes undiagnosed. A common condition, a person who has it will find it difficult to see shades of red, green, or yellow. The good news is, there are colour-blind tests that can identify if you suffer from this vision disorder.

Dotted image of the number seven. — If you see the number seven, you likely do not have red-green colour-blindess.

Dotted image of the number three. — If you see the number three, you likely do not have red-green colour-blindess.

Dotted image of the number four. — If you see the number four, you likely do not have red-green colour-blindess.

Dotted image of the number zero. — If you see the number zero, you likely do not have red-green colour-blindess.

Dotted image of the $ symbol. — If you see the $ symbol, you likely do not have red-green colour-blindess.

The Ishihara test is one colour-blind test that involves looking at images made up of coloured dots and pointing out a differently coloured object or number in the middle. Although this colour-blind test doesn’t qualify as a clinical diagnosis, it can still help determine if you have red and green colour blindness.

What are the Risk Factors Associated with Colour Blindness?

Graphic depiction of a man with Alzheimer’s disease’s head disappearing as he looks at a device while holding his forehead with his left hand. — Alzheimer’s disease is a prominent risk factor for red and green colour blindness.

Men are more likely than women to develop colour blindness. But you may be at an increased risk of the condition if you:

Take certain types of medication for high blood pressure, mental health disorders, autoimmune diseases and infections
Suffer physical damage to your eye or brain

Have a family history of colour blindness
Have been diagnosed with other eye conditions, such as glaucoma, cataracts or age-related macular degeneration
Have been diagnosed with chronic conditions like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, or multiple sclerosis

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes the condition stems from genetic or acquired factors. But both types share similar pathogens, including:

Cold
Fire
Phlegm
Dampness

Blood clots
Liver Blood Deficiency
Spleen Qi Deficiency
Heart Yang (active energy) Deficiency
Kidney Yin (passive energy) Deficiency

Qi (vital life force) Stagnation

Remedies That Help You Differentiate Between Shades after a Colour-Blind Test

There’s no cure for colour blindness, but you can use technology or certain devices to identify different hues. TCM may be able to help improve vision quality through natural decoctions and acupressure massages.

Close-up of a red-green colour blindness trial lens set. — An optometrist will test your eyesight and customise your eyeglasses so you can distinguish different colours.

Use of speciality visual aids

You can wear special eyeglasses or contact lenses to help you differentiate colours. Mobile phone applications may be used for the same effect. It’ll reveal the colours in a specific area of a selected photo.

Use of herbal formulas that tackle the underlying causes

Real Health Medical’s Senior Physician Brandon Yew says natural formulas can improve colour blindness by addressing specific body constitution imbalances. For example:

Bao Yuan Tang (保元汤): Regenerates Heart yang to dispel Cold, and nourish and improve blood and qi circulation to the eyes

Long Dan Xie Gan Tang (龙胆泻肝汤): Dispels Liver Fire and Dampness, and regenerates Liver blood and yin to nourish the eyes
Di Tan Tang (涤痰汤): Dispels phlegm and Dampness from the head and restores and enhances blood and qi circulation to the eyes
Chai Hu Shu Gan San (柴胡疏肝散): Dispels Qi Stagnation, blood clots, phlegm and Dampness from the Liver, and restores and enhances blood and qi circulation to the eyes

Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (补中益气汤): Strengthens Spleen qi to promote better blood and qi circulation to the eyes

Massage distal and localised points on the body

Massaging acupressure points can help you live with colour blindness in two ways.

Localised Points	Distal Points
Jing ming (BL1, 睛明)	Kun lun (BL60, 昆仑)
Yang bai (GB14, 阳白)	Luo zhen (EXUE8, 落枕)
Feng chi (GB20, 风池)	Guang ming (GB37, 光明)
Tai yang (EX-HN5, 太阳)	Tai xi (KI3, 太溪)
Yi ming (EX-HN14, 翳明)	He gu (LI4, 合谷)
Cheng qi (ST1, 承泣)	Xing jian (LR2, 行间)
Si bai (ST2, 四白)	Yang lao (SI6, 养老)
	Zhong zhu (SJ3, 中渚)
	San yin jiao (SP6, 三阴交)

Localised acupressure points

Areas of your body that are experiencing pain or tension are known as localised acupressure points. Massaging these points can help relieve symptoms by promoting blood and qi circulation.

Illustration showing location of the jing ming acupoint. — You can find jing ming (BL1, 睛明) slightly above the inner corner of the eye.

yang bai — Located above the left eye, on the left side of the forehead.

An illustration of feng chi as one of the acupressure points to heal symptoms of cold — Feng chi is located at the back of the neck, where you can feel a depression on the base of the hairline as shown above.

TAI YANG — Tai yang (EX-HN5) is located in the region of the temples, in the depression about one finger-breadth posterior to the midpoint between the lateral end of the eyebrow and the outer canthus.

Yi ming — The acupoint Yi Ming is located on the neck, at the junction of the head and occiput.

Located directly under the eye and centre to the eye area.

An illustration of si bai to relieve eye pain — With the eyes looking straight forward, the point is directly below the pupil, in the depression at the infraorbital foramen.

Distal acupressure points

Areas of your body that aren’t painful are known as distal sites. These body parts contain acupressure points that can be activated to relieve symptoms by eliminating pathogens and improving Deficiencies.

kun lun — Located in a depression midway between the tip of the lateral malleolus (the external ankle bone) and the outer edge of the achilles tendon.

Located in the hollow on the back of the hand between the second and third knuckles.

guang ming — Located 5 finger-breadths directly above the tip of the ankle bone, on the anterior border of the calf bone.

3D illustration of the tai xi acupressure point — Located on the tibial aspect of the leg, posterior to the medial border of the tibia, three finger widths inferior to the yin ling quan acupoint.

An illustration of the he gu or LI4 acupoint as one of the acupressure points to relieve a runny nose — He gu is useful in helping rebalance the flow of qi and expel lingWind, providing relief from allergy symptoms.

On the dorsum of the foot between the 1st and 2nd toes, proximal to the margin of the web at the junction of the red and white skin.

On the dorsal ulnar aspect of the forearm, in the depression on the radial side of the styloid process of the ulna.

An illustration of zhong zhu (SJ3) acupoint for soothing mallet finger. — Located n the dorsum of the hand, in the depression between the 4th and 5th metacarpal bones, proximal to the 4th metacarpophalangeal joint.

San Yin Jiao — Located 4 finger-breadths above the ankle.

If you don’t have colour blindness, consider yourself lucky, as it can pose challenges to daily life. But if you’ve been diagnosed with the condition, early intervention can help you to see normally.

Physician Yew explains, “Herbal formulas target the various pathological states of colour blindness and only correct unbalanced body constitutions. Acupressure stimulation acts as a supplementary treatment to acupuncture.”

“Acupuncture provides a more potent and comprehensive therapeutic effect on the imbalances which provoke colour blindness onset. It’s advisable to refrain from self-medicating without prior consultation with a TCM practitioner as it’ll minimise undesirable side effects and other health complications,” he adds.

If this colour-blind test has helped you identify if you potentially have the condition, share it with family and friends who may also be at risk.