On Celebrity MasterChef, Anupamaa actor Gaurav Khanna reveals he is colour blind: Is it more common in men?

While hereditary colour blindness is more prominent in men, it's essential to remember that both men and women can be affected by the health condition.

Gaurav Khanna is a contestant on the cooking reality show Celebrity MasterChef. In a recent episode, the Anupamaa actor revealed while preparing a dish that he was colour blind. Colour blindness, also known as colour vision deficiency, is a condition in which a person has difficulty perceiving certain colours, usually red, green, or blue.

Gaurav Khanna has revealed he suffers from colour blindness. (Instagram/ Gaurav Khanna)

“Many don’t know this; I am colour blind,” Gaurav said on the show. Not just Gaurav, many celebs such as actor Eddie Redmayne, singer Sting, as well as Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg are colour blind.

Did you know colour blindness is more prominent in men due to the genetic basis of the condition? In a 2022 interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Neetu Sharma, consultant, opthalmologist, Fortis Hospital, Noida had said, “Red-green colour deficiency is an x- linked recessive trait, which means that the green responsible for the colour vision defect is transmitted from the carrier mother to her son on the x- chromosome that he inherits from her - men have one x and one y chromosomes in their genetic composition.”

Colour blindness more prominent in men than women

Dr O P Anand, director and senior consultant, ophthalmology, Accord, Super Speciality Hospital, Faridabad, had also said, “Approximately 8 percent of the men and 0.5 percent of the women are colour blind. The important crux of colour blindness is hereditary disorder.”

He added, “A man having X-chromosome having defective gene will present with defective colour vision despite its recessive nature, but a woman will not suffer with defective colour perception due to its recessive nature but one will be a potential carrier of defective colour vision.”

Acquired colour blindness affects both genders equally

However, acquired colour blindness can affect men and women equally. The initial symptoms include sudden colour vision problems. This can happen due to multiple reasons – some of them include usage of drugs like sildenafil, Ethambutol digoxin and some antimalarial and also by optic nerve diseases, diabetes, chronic alcoholic and certain retinal diseases, as per doctors.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.