| Liam can't see the number 5 in green dots |
It is a test for colour blindness.
I didn't care before, well, up until last Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, the pre-school directress called my attention because she accidentally discovered that Liam might be colour blind. She was actually testing another boy using the Ishihara test, as requested by another parent, when by some twist of fate, she was able to discover Liam's inability to see the green number in the pool of orange dots. She then advised me to bring Liam to an eye doctor to formally test and see if he is indeed colour blind.
And so he is.
Today, we went to an optometrist and she did perform a series of tests to Liam. The diagnosis? Liam is blue-green colour blind.
Yes, he can identify the colours in isolation, but when it is blended with other colors, he will have difficulty seeing and identifying it. Brought back memories when he was still learning his colours and he had a hard time distinguishing the purple from a different shade of blue.
Some facts:
No need for me to worry since we really can't do anything about it. You can't treat it. The only implication of him being colour-blind is: he cannot join the army, the navy, the air force and become a pilot. These professions require 100% accuracy in vision. (I'm actually relieved hehehe).
The mother is usually the carrier of the deficiency (recessive) and it comes out as a dominant trait with their sons. So, I'm to blame. Sorry, Liam :( The optometrist actually advised me to ask my brothers to have their eyes checked for colour blindness. It is predominant in males.
The test this afternoon was not only with colour blindness but with his vision too. The optometrist said that he had perfect vision. It's even better than most kids his age. He aced the letters and numbers, he uses both eyes to read and look at pictures, but really showed difficulty identifying them when set in a green background.
The optometrist said that it can also have an implication with his studies if ever the teacher uses the green coloured ink on the whiteboard or on the smartboard. To prevent that from happening, I already asked for a medical report which I plan to give to Liam's school next year. At least they are already aware of Liam's case.
We just have to teach him the green in the traffic signs in a different way, especially the walk-don't walk sign.
I am actually relieved that it has been diagnosed this early. Though the doctor assured me that I shouldn't really be worried because kids can adapt easily (goodbye tennis lessons?), but still, part of me is remains sad :(
Hopefully, in due time, I'd come to terms with it and move on :)
Now, I'm just looking at the brighter side of life :) There are still a lot of things to be thankful for :)
