Color Blindness Simulator

See your image the way people with color vision deficiency do. Upload anything and preview protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia and more.

Steps to use the color blindness simulator

Pick a color, by HEX or with the picker.
Read the simulated swatches for each vision type next to the original.
Compare any two colors from your design side by side in the same view.
If colors that should differ look the same here, change one or add a non-color cue.
Copy the color you settle on for use in your design.

Types of color blindness the simulator shows

Color blindness, or color vision deficiency, comes from a missing or shifted cone type in the retina. The simulator previews the main forms so you can see which colors collapse together.

Type	Affects	Roughly how common
Protanopia	Red cones absent; reds look dark	~1% of men
Deuteranopia	Green cones absent; red-green confusion	~1% of men
Deuteranomaly	Green cones shifted; the mildest, most common	~5% of men
Tritanopia	Blue cones absent; blue-yellow confusion	under 1 in 10,000
Achromatopsia	No color at all, only brightness	extremely rare

Most common type of color blindness

Red-green deficiency is by far the most common, affecting about 8% of men and 0.5% of women. Within that, deuteranomaly (a shifted green cone) is the single most frequent form. Blue-yellow deficiency is far rarer and, unlike red-green, is usually acquired through aging or disease rather than inherited.

The difference between -opia and -omaly

Are color blindness simulations accurate?

They are close approximations, not exact vision. This simulator applies the same color-transformation matrices used across the field, based on the Brettel, Vienot and Mollon research. Real perception still varies with the person, lighting and screen calibration, so treat the result as an accessibility guide rather than a medical test.

A real-world example: traffic lights and status colors

A red error and a green success badge at the same size and shape can look identical under deuteranopia. The same is true of red and green traffic lights, which is why position matters as much as color. The fix is never to lean on hue alone.

Back red and green states with a cross and a check, not color by itself.
Run UI screenshots, charts and brand swatches through the simulator before launch.
For charts, add shapes, dashes or direct labels so series survive in every vision type.
Confirm text readability separately with luminance contrast, since simulation only checks hue.

For a quick combined verdict on a text and background pair, use the Accessibility Check. To confirm luminance contrast, use the Contrast Checker.

What is the most common type of color blindness?

Red-green deficiency, and within it deuteranomaly, a shifted green cone. Red-green types affect about 8% of men.

What is the difference between protanopia and protanomaly?

Protanopia is a complete absence of red cones; protanomaly means the red cones are present but shifted, so the effect is milder.

Can color blindness be cured?

Not currently. Gene therapy trials show promise and special glasses help some people distinguish more colors, but nothing restores normal vision.

Is blue-yellow color blindness inherited?

Usually not. Unlike red-green, tritan deficiency is often acquired through aging, diabetes or certain medications, and it affects men and women equally.

Are my colors or images uploaded?

No. The simulation runs entirely in your browser, so nothing leaves your device.