Color vision refers to an organism's ability to distinguish between stimuli based on the wavelengths of light they emit, reflect, or transmit. We live in a world full of colors that we use every day as an advantage; to indicate danger, make things stand out and help us classify the world around us. However, 1 in 12 males and 1 in 200 females (approximately 4.5% of the population) suffer from some sort of color vision deficit or blindness (Colour Blind Awareness, 2014). It is therefore interesting to investigate what is different in the visual system of this minority and why this occurs. This essay will investigate this by considering what "colors" actually are in terms of wavelengths of light, investigating the differences in what we perceive as a "colorful" world based on the different visual systems of non-human animals. Finally it will examine what makes the system of color-blind humans different, asking whether we can really consider them to be completely color-blind. The basis of our vision is a direct cause of photons (light) entering our eyes from our surroundings. We examine these photons in two ways; or the intensity of the light (number of photons) or by examining the energy of the waves. This wave energy is what enables color vision and refers to our eyes' ability to detect subtle changes through the electromagnetic system of light. Overall this is made up of a variety of parts; cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible/white light, infrared, microwaves and radio waves. Our human eyes are sensitive only to visible white light which varies from approximately 400 to 700 nanometers (nm) across the electromagnetic system. Newton is strongly credited with... middle of paper ...... color differences therefore depend on the sensitivity of different types of cone cells within our retina. This is what allows us to see the entire spectrum of visible light, from blue to deep red. It is evident from studies with dogs, birds, snakes, and other animals that having different numbers of cones, or having these cones sensitive to different wavelengths, causes a completely different perspective of our world of colors. Consequently, dichromatic or monochromatic humans who lack a certain type of cone(s), or even trichromatic humans with a cone sensitive to an anomalous wavelength may be labeled as color blind. Although these "color-blind" individuals are generally still able to detect color differences across the visible spectrum of light, they ultimately see the world of colors abnormally for an individual with a normal visual system.