How possible is it that a cure will be found?

According to the Medical College of Wisconsin, gene therapy is the best way to cope with color blindness. Jay Neitz, PhD, who is a Professor of Cellular Biology, Neurology, and Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin said, "I'm sure that, ultimately, gene therapy will cure colorblindness." She also said, "It's not a matter of whether it will or not, it's a matter of when. I think the probability is extremely high."
I too believe in her statement. Even though there is little treatment now, there is still help. You can ask a health professional where you can take gene therapy at. I am positive, with all of the scientific discoveries being made, that someone will be the person to find a cure. Whether it be surgery, glasses, or an extra set of eyes, there is still hope.








SOURCES

Ullrich, Dan. Gene Research Shed Light On Cure For Colorblindness. 14 Apr. 2004. 26 Feb. 2009 .

What are some organizations that can help a family cope with a child's disorder?

I have looked up a few websites that committ to helping people who are color blind. I hope that these will all help you out:






1.)http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/color_blindness.jsp






2.)http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/color_blindness/eye_overview.aspx






3.)http://pediatrics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=pediatrics&cdn=health&tm=754&gps=127_553_1436_703&f=10&tt=12&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.nsgc.org/

What limitations does the person has?

Of course everyone knows that color blind people cannot see color. That is pretty much a no-brainer answer. But, affected people are missing out on important pleasures. It is extremely sad to say, but they are incapable to see the color of flowers, animals, clothes, etc. I wish there could be times when color blind people could see the extravagant colors, but there is nothing created or discovered. Right now, all the people can do is to just imagine.

PICTURE URL

http://www.yddraiggoch.demon.co.uk/railway/images/flowers.jpg

What is everyday life like? What is the quality of life?

Everyday life is just the same, except you cannot see color. The main factor that I hear most of the time is, "the only thing that affects me the most is stopping at a stoplight." Yes, this is true. As the top light is red and the bottom light is green, people can not normally see those colors. Luckily, stoplights are made so that there is a certain color on the top, middle, and bottom so that you cannot get confused. Most of the annoying factors are: almost everything is in black, white or gray, people are not able to match their clothes as easily as others, and affected people have a very bland life.

PICTURE URL

http://www.pmthink.com/ExecutiveDashboard01.jpg

How can the disease be treated?

Sadly, people who are color blind cannot be treated. Although, there is one way that can help people see regular colors. That option is tinted glasses. They are specially made so that people who are affected can see colors more vibrantly. Now, there is no promise that it will work for everyone, but it is able to help many. Other than that, unfortunately, there is no other way that people who are color blind can be cured.

SOURCES

What is Color Blindness?. 1 Oct. 2007. 26 Jan. http://www.mamashealth.com/eye/color.asp.

PICTURE URL

http://www.color-view.com/images/A-12.jpg

What is the life expectancy of someone with the disease?

If you are affected with color blindness, then you WILL NOT have a shorter life expectancy than anyone else! There is nothing natural about color blindness that can kill you. The only instance that I can think of is if a color blind person has run a red light, then they could be harmed or even killed. That is a downfall for being affected, but it is just a fact that people are going to have to face sooner or later.

PICTURE URL:

http://www.vision1to1.com/visionweb/doc_image/213.jpg

What are the physical symptoms of the disease?

The symptoms for color blindness are based on the extremeness of the disease. Sometimes, people may not even know that they are color blind. They probably don't even know that they see color differently than anyone else. In other cases, people's eyes can be severely affected, and they can only make out a few shades of color. There are certain times when people are only capable of seeing black, white, and gray. Color Blindness can also lead to other vission loss, or someone might even turn out to be blind.

SOURCES

Color Blindness- Topic Overview. 31 Oct. 2007. 26 Feb. 2009 .

What is Color Blindness?. 1 Oct. 2007. 26 Jan. .

How is the disease diagnosed?

Most likely, you can find out if you are color blind if you go to an eye doctor and have a test. Also, if you have trouble seeing multiple colors, then you are at risk for being diagnosed for the disease.

SOURCES
Color Blindness. 1 Jan. 26 Feb. 2009 .

PICTURE URL
http://www.childandfamilyeyes.com/color-blindness.gif

What are the chances of a person with this disease passing the disease to their offspring?

If your parents genotypes is a code for being a carrier for color blindness, then the offspring may be at risk for the disease. As I have said before, color blindness is very rare in females. Parents would only have to worry about their sons having the disease if the father is color blind.

SOURCES

Color Blindness. 1 Jan. 26 Feb. 2009 .

How prevalent is the disease in the population?

There are exactly 1 in 76 people in the United States who has color blindness. The percentage is 1.30%, and the population number is 3.5 million. It has been said that color blindness also affects more than nine million people in the United States. And as before, you will almost always see a male affected with color blindness.






SOURCES
Statistics by Country for Color blindness. 1 Jan. 26 Feb. 2009 .

Ullrich, Dan. Gene Research Shed Light On Cure For Colorblindness. 14 Apr. 2004. 26 Feb. 2009 .

What are the genotypes of the parents?

The genotypes for parents can be one of three options. You can either be XhY or XHY if you are a male. If you are a female, you can have XHXH, XhXh, or XHXh. These are unusual genotypes because it is an x-linked disorder. If you had a "normal" disease like cystic fibrosis, then you could have different genotypes. For example, you could be HH, Hh, or hh. So, you can now see that x-linked traits and chromosomal mutations are different in their genotypes. It is also a genetic disorder, because it is not contagious. You can only get this disease if your parents are carriers, or if your father has the disease.











PICTURE URL



http://homepages.ius.edu/GKIRCHNE/Fig6Mendel.jpg

Can I inherit this disease?

Almost every person that I have come into contact with has asked me this same question. The answer is "yes." Anyone, male or female, can inherit this disease, but it is very rare for a female to inherit it. Males are more likely to have the genotype for color blindness because they only have one x-chromosome.








Color Blindness is an x-linked trait. This means that the defective gene leading to color blindness is located on the x-chromosome. The reason that females are unlikely to be color blind is because they have two x-chromosomes (females chromosomes: XX/ male chromosomes XY). If they have a defective x, then they have an extra one that is know as a "back up." You must remember, that color blindness IS NOT CONTAGIOUS!!!








As I have said, it is an x-linked trait. If your father has it , or is a carrier, then the offspring is able to have color blindness. There are also some cases where you can inherit color blindness from an earlier family member (only if they have it, or if they are carriers).








PICTURE URL
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110254/pedigree_chart_copy.gif

SOURCES
Color Blindness- Topic Overview. 31 Oct. 2007. 26 Feb. 2009 .
Color Blindness. 1 Jan. 26 Feb. 2009 .
Color Blindness. 1 June 2007. 26 Feb. 2009 .









Health, Diana H. About Color Blindness (Color Vision Deficiancy). 1 Jan. 26 Feb. 2009 .

Genetic Counselor

My job as a Genetic Counselor is not as easy as it looks. I must research into each disease that I am given, and I have to look into the patient's life. People do not always cooperate and neither do the diseases. It is a difficult job and I am here to tell you about Color Blindness.

A genetic counselor usually talks to its patients about birth defects and genetic forms. They help families cope with a loved one who is affected, and they are usually a part of a health care crew. People are allowed, even asked, to talk about personal and medical problems that they are having. They try to help out their patient as much as possible. Genetic Counselors tend to ask patients about their family history, their health history, and even their pregnancy history.

You can see a genetic counselor on about any health problem that you may have. Your issues may include genetic diseases or mutations, and it can lead all the way to wondering if you will be affected while you have an x-ray when you are pregnant. Also, you can find a genetic counselor almost anywhere. All you have to do is ask your health care professional.

PICTURE URL
http://www.slh.wisc.edu/genetics/photo_familystories_2-1.jpg
SOURCE

Iannelli, Vincent. What does a genetic counselor do?. 16 Jan. 2005. 26 Feb. 2009 .