Xanthopsia is a color vision deficiency in which there is a dominantly yellow bias in vision due to a yellowing of the optical media of the eye. The most common causes are digoxin's inhibitory action on the sodium pump, and the development of cataracts which can cause a yellow filtering effect.
It has been suggested that Van Gogh contracted xanthopsia as a result of digoxin consumption. Digoxin is a medication derived from digitalis and used to treat various heart conditions. This theory claims xanthopsia as the cause of the yellow tinting exhibited by many of his works.[1]
Xanthopsia is also a rare side-effect of jaundice, in which bilirubin may be deposited into the eye in sufficient quantity to produce a yellow tint to the vision.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Van Gogh, Vincent (1853–1890)". Art, Vision, & the Disordered Eye. Vision & Aging Lab. University of Calgary. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ Weatherall DJ, Ledingham JG, Warrell DA (1996). Oxford Textbook of Medicine (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.[page needed]
External links
edit- Acquired Colour Vision Deficiencies —University of Calgary, Vision & Aging Lab
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