A very odd side-effect!

[elfs]

We discovered this weekend that my mild color-blind status has a very curious side-effect: under blacklight, I can identify the colors I can see with more accuracy than normally color-capable folks.

Comments

Did you run the experiment against the kids?

[pakraticus.livejournal.com]

Some varieties of sex linked color blindness lead to a 4th color receptor pigment in female offspring.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[pakraticus.livejournal.com]

Ack, an A.T.er...

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[srmalloy.livejournal.com]

Being able to see UV doesn't require you to be a tetrachromat; human retinas are capable of registering near-UV (300-400nm). The lens of the eye is opaque to UV. Many people who had a cataracted lens removed or received an intra-ocular lens replacement for cataracts have been tested and demonstrated the ability to see UV (current IOLs are UV-blocking). So it could simply be that your lenses aren't as opaque to UV as the average person's are.

I seem to be the other way; I can see a little further off the red end of the spectrum than other people. It doesn't help me much, except that when camping in the Boy Scouts, using a red lens in my flashlight to prevent glare didn't hinder me much.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Re: Did you run the experiment against the kids?

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was the kids who could no longer identify similar items when switching from blacklight to ordinary spectrum light, whereas I had no problem.