Macroscope Video: A Cure for the Colorblindness Blues

Have trouble perceiving red and green? Join the club. Colorblindness is the most common genetic disorder worldwide, but its severity can vary. For some, difficulty seeing red and green may be a minor annoyance (red-green colorblindness is by far the most common variety of colorblindness). For others, it can taint even seemingly ordinary experiences—enjoying a vivid sunset, for example, or picking out fresh produce. Colorblindness can even prevent some people from pursuing jobs where color vision is critical, like nursing and aviation. Beginning in 1999, visionary researchers Maureen and Jay Neitz of the University of Washington began researching and developing a colorblindness cure. Now, using a virus-based gene therapy and a group of highly trained monkeys, the Neitzes may have finally created a cure for the colorblindness blues.