There’s a condition which allows those with it to see a whole bunch of colors restricted to the average person – but it’s incredibly rare so chances of you having it are pretty slim.
If you could have any superpower, would you go for invisibilty, telekinesis or shape-shifting? Or how about enhanced vision?
For most people, sight is pretty important, and sometimes even the smallest things can be impacted if you’ve got a vision condition – like this gender reveal party that didn’t exactly go as one couple would’ve expected due to the dad’s color blindness.
While some conditions, like color blindness, can make it difficult to tell two colors apart, this condition opens up a whole new roster of color unbeknownst to everyone else.
People with the condition might not even be aware other people can’t see what they can (Getty Stock Image)
The condition in question is known as tetrachromacy, and it allows a person to see a world of colors most people simply can’t see.
According to AllAboutVision.com, an average person can see approximately one million different colors, however, a person with tetrachromacy has the potential to see 100 million different shades of color.
So, what actually causes someone to have this super-human ability? Well, it is a genetic mutation and can be passed down just like any other genetic mutation, according to IFLScience.
Not quite X-Men level of power but we’ll take it.
Most healthy people are only born with three cones in each eye that allow us to identify between different shades of color on the spectrum.
People that are color blind may only have two and those with tetrachromacy are believed to have four, with 12 percent of women possibly having the condition.
However, scientists are doing more research into the condition as it is still in its infancy.
Speaking to the BBC, Concetta Antico, described her experience having the condition.
The average person is estimated to see one million different colors (Getty stock images)
She said she wasn’t even aware that other people couldn’t see so many other colors when she taught an art lesson in the park.
She told the publication in 2014: “I’d say, ‘Look at the light on the water – can you see the pink shimmering across that rock? Can you see the red on the edge of that leaf there?’”
While her students would nod in agreement, Antico said that years later, she’d realized they were just too polite to tell the truth that the colors she saw so clearly were invisible to them.
Speaking on how she sees the world differently, she noted how a pebble pathway will look different to her even though it might simply look grey or brown to the rest of us.
“The little stones jump out at me with oranges, yellows, greens, blues and pinks.” she said. “I’m kind of shocked when I realize what other people aren’t seeing.”
However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, as she says that places like the grocery store are a ‘nightmare’, adding: “It’s like a trash pile of colour coming in at every angle.”
A pretty striking visual I’d say.
