Tips for living with colour-blindness

People who are colour blind don't simply see the world in black and white, of course. But they may find it almost impossible to distinguish between certain colours. Here are some tips for dealing with a few of the practical difficulties of colour-blindness.

• Fluorescent light can disguise colour differences that you might normally distinguish, so when buying clothing or decorative household items during daylight hours, take them near a window or outside (after checking with the shop assistant first).

• If you are red–green colour-blind, you may not be able to detect skin reddening — so put on plenty of sunscreen in sunlight so that you don't end up lobster pink.

• Is it hard to tell when meat is cooked properly? Don't try to judge whether food is cooked solely by its appearance; instead, always follow recommended timings, remembering to preheat the oven, or use a meat thermometer. Best of all, ask someone else to confirm that food — especially pork and chicken — is properly cooked.

• Buy some sock locks. Everyone has the problem of odd socks appearing from the dryer, but if you are colour-blind you may never match them up again. Sock locks are little plastic rings that bind socks together when you take them off so they go straight through the washing machine and back into the drawer as a pair.

• Look for computer software that allows you to detect and adjust colours on screen, including colours on websites, to make text more readable.