Anupamaa actor Gaurav Khanna reveals he's colour blind on Celebrity MasterChef¡ªare men more prone to the condition? Experts weigh in

Anupamaa actor Gaurav Khanna, also a contestant on the recent cooking reality show 'Celebrity MasterChef,' opened up about a serious health disease that he suffered. In the latest episode of Celebrity MasterChef, while preparing a dish, the actor revealed that he is colour-blind.

The well-known TV actor who gained fame from his role in the famous TV show Anupamaa mentioned that he struggles with getting the colours right due to his colour blindness. This revelation came as a shock to his fans and viewers, as his friends and fellow contestants often help him with tasks that require his cooking skills on the show. He also mentioned that some people are aware of this and some are not.

Firstly he doesn't eat non-veg, secondly he's color blind which I wasn't aware of ??
His struggle is real ?#GauravKhanna#CelebrityMasterChef pic.twitter.com/e4VVlhof9A

¡ª ? ?? ? (@luvkapilsharma) February 10, 2025

Colour blindness (CVD) refers to a condition in which an individual experiences difficulty in distinguishing between certain colours. ¡°This occurs due to a lack of certain cone cells in the retina or due to a fault in the functioning of these cells that help in the detection of red, green, and blue light,¡± explains Dr. Aditi Sharma, Consultant-Ophthalmologist, Akhand Eye Jyoti Hospital.

Is colour blindness more common in men than women?

The most common form of colour blindness is red-green, in which these two colours cannot be well distinguished from one another. However, Dr. Shrey Srivastava, Senior Consultant¡ªInternal Medicine, Sharda Hospital, Greater Noida, says, ¡°Colour blindness is more common in males than in females because of its most prevalent form, red-green colour blindness, which is associated with the X chromosome.¡±

Dr. Srivastava explains the reasons and says, ¡°Men only have one X chromosome (XY); any defect is sufficient to produce colour blindness. On the other hand, since females have two X chromosomes (XX), if the allele on one is affected, there exists a possibility that a healthy gene on another X chromosome may suppress the defect caused by the affected allele.¡±

This mode of inheritance makes colour blindness more common in males than in females. Other rare forms include blue-yellow deficiency and full-colour blindness, or complete achromatopsia, in which the affected individual only sees in black and white.

Does genetics play a role?

According to Dr. Sharma, ¡°The genetic nature of this disorder essentially makes it more prevalent in men than in women. The prevalent trichromacies of CVD are generally linked to the X chromosome. Since males possess only one X chromosome (XY), it only takes one defective gene to cause the vision defect.¡±

¡°On the contrary, the females possess two X chromosomes (XX), and one semi-functioning gene can take over the initiative where the other gene fails. Statistically, it has been found that colour blindness prevails in males at 8%, compared to a mere 0.5% in females,¡± she adds.

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