Color Blindness Simulator
See how your colors look to people with color vision deficiencies. Choose a type of color blindness and compare the original (left) with the simulated view (right). All processing happens in your browser.
Normal Vision
Deuteranopia
About Color Vision Deficiencies
Approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women have some form of color vision deficiency. The most common types are deuteranomaly (reduced green sensitivity, ~6% of men), protanomaly (reduced red sensitivity, ~1% of men), and tritanomaly (reduced blue sensitivity, rare). Use this tool to verify your designs are accessible to all users.
Types of Color Vision Deficiency
Color vision deficiency (CVD), commonly called color blindness, affects how people perceive colors. It is usually inherited and caused by absent or altered photoreceptors (cones) in the retina. There are three types of cones, each sensitive to different wavelengths of light: long (red), medium (green), and short (blue). CVD occurs when one or more cone types are missing or impaired.
Red-Green Color Blindness
- Protanopia — no red cones. Red appears dark; red and green are confused. Affects about 1% of men.
- Protanomaly — reduced red cone sensitivity. Reds appear washed out. Affects about 1% of men.
- Deuteranopia — no green cones. Red and green are confused. Affects about 1% of men.
- Deuteranomaly — reduced green cone sensitivity. The most common type, affecting about 5% of men. Greens and reds look shifted toward yellow.
Blue-Yellow Color Blindness
- Tritanopia — no blue cones. Blue and yellow are confused. Very rare, affecting less than 0.01% of people.
- Tritanomaly — reduced blue cone sensitivity. Blues and yellows appear muted. Also very rare.
Complete Color Blindness
- Achromatopsia — no functional cones at all. The world is seen in shades of gray. Extremely rare, affecting about 1 in 33,000 people.
Designing for Color Blindness
Designing accessible color schemes means not relying on color alone to convey information. Best practices include using patterns, labels, or text alongside color coding; ensuring sufficient contrast between elements; and testing designs with a color blindness simulator like this one. Pair this tool with our Contrast Checker to verify both color and luminance accessibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
How common is color blindness?
Approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (0.5%) have some form of color vision deficiency. Red-green color blindness is by far the most common type. Blue-yellow and complete color blindness are rare.
What is the most common type of color blindness?
Deuteranomaly (reduced green sensitivity) is the most common type, affecting about 5% of men. It shifts the perception of greens and reds toward yellow, making it difficult to distinguish between certain shades of green, red, and orange.
How do I design for colorblind users?
Do not rely on color alone to convey information. Use text labels, patterns, icons, or shapes alongside color coding. Ensure sufficient contrast between elements. Test your designs with a color blindness simulator to verify they are still understandable. Pair color testing with contrast ratio testing for full accessibility.
Can color blindness be cured?
Inherited color blindness cannot be cured, as it is caused by genetic differences in the photoreceptors of the retina. Some acquired forms (caused by disease, medication, or aging) may be treatable by addressing the underlying cause. Special glasses can enhance color discrimination for some people but do not restore normal color vision.
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