(1) The retina of the human eye contains a large number of light sensitive cells. These cells are of two shapes : (i) rods and (ii) cones.
(2) The cone-shaped cells respond to various colours of light when light is bright.
(3) Thus, the perception of colour is due to the presence of the cone-shaped cells in the retina.
(4) In the retina of some persons, cone-shaped cells responding to certain specific colours are absent. Hence, these persons are unable to distinguish between certain colours, i.e., they are colour-blind. This defect is known as colour¬blindness.