Original: The most common are red-green hereditary (genetic) photoreceptor disorders, but it is also possible to acquire color blindness through damage to the retina, optic nerve, or higher brain areas.
Simplified: Most color blindness is inherited as a genetic condition, but it can also be the result of damage to the eyes, nerves or the brain. Color blindness can therefore also result if these areas of the brain, the optic nerve or the retina have been damaged.