Xanthopsia is a color vision deficiency in which there is a predominance of yellow in vision due to a yellowing of the optical media of the eye. The most common cause is 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 Digitalis-derived digoxin, used to treat heart failure, induced xanthopsia is responsible for the yellow tinting exhibited by many of Van Gogh's 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
- Cyanopsia
- Van Gogh syndrome
References
- ^ "Vincent van Gogh". Psych.ucalgary.ca. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
- ^ Weatherall, D. J.; Ledingham, J. G. G.; Warrell, D. A. (1996). Oxford Textbook of Medicine. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2055.
External links
- Acquired Colour Vision Deficiencies —University of Calgary, Vision & Aging Lab