Color Blindness Simulator
Upload any image — a screenshot, UI design, chart, or infographic — and instantly see how it appears to people with different types of color blindness. Essential for testing whether your designs are accessible to the 300 million people worldwide with color vision deficiency.
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Color Blindness Type
Original
Protanopia Simulation
Understanding Color Blindness
Color blindness (color vision deficiency) affects approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (0.5%) worldwide — roughly 300 million people. It is not actual blindness but a reduced ability to distinguish between certain colors. The most common types affect red-green perception, making it difficult to tell reds, greens, oranges, and browns apart. Designers, developers, and content creators must consider color blindness when choosing color schemes for websites, apps, charts, maps, and any visual communication.
Types of Color Blindness Explained
The Four Main Types
- Protanopia: Missing red cone cells. Reds appear dark/black, oranges and greens look similar. Affects ~1% of men.
- Deuteranopia: Missing green cone cells. The most common type. Reds and greens are confused. Affects ~6% of men.
- Tritanopia: Missing blue cone cells. Blues and yellows are confused. Very rare (~0.01% of population).
- Achromatopsia: Total color blindness — only shades of gray. Extremely rare (~0.003%). Often accompanied by light sensitivity.
Design Tips for Color Accessibility
Never use color as the only way to convey information. Always pair colors with text labels, patterns, icons, or shapes. For charts and graphs, use patterns (stripes, dots) in addition to colors. Ensure sufficient contrast between adjacent colors — aim for at least 3:1 contrast ratio between meaningful color pairs. Test your designs with this simulator before shipping. The most critical colors to differentiate: red/green (error/success), orange/gray, blue/purple.
WCAG Requirements for Color
WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Color) requires that color is not the only visual means of conveying information. Success Criterion 1.4.3 requires text contrast of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Success Criterion 1.4.11 requires non-text contrast of at least 3:1 for UI components. Meeting these criteria ensures your content is accessible to people with color vision deficiencies and low vision.