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• 1 2017-11-14T08:51:31-08:00 Limitations of Cerebral Achromatopsia 21 image_header 2017-11-19T22:03:09-08:00 While patients with Cerebral Achromatopsia, including Oliver Sacks' Mr. I, have absolutely no problem identifying details and perceiving depth extremely well, most are unable to identify any colors whatsoever. In Mr. I's particular case, Oliver Sacks describes his life as though living in a black and white television with absolutely no hint of color. It seemed as though, over time, Mr. I lost his whole perception of ever having color vision in the first place. As there is no treatment for Cerebral Achromatopsia, the only feasible option for Mr. I and other patients suffering with this condition  seems to be to simply learn to live in a colorless world. This task can be daunting for many who have this condition as they are required to reformat the very basis of the world they live in to become a world that is made up of black and grey. Many achieve this by simply pretending as though color never truly existed in their lifetime. Specifically, in Mr. I's case, this task was extremely difficult as Mr. I was an avid painter. As a lover of art, Mr. I once loved visiting museums and galleries but after a short period of time of having this condition he "could no longer bear to go to museums and galleries or to see colored reproductions of his favorite pictures" (Sacks, 11). Even seeing a colorful rainbow in the sky would deeply sadden Mr. I as all he could see was a "colorless semicircle in the sky" (Sacks, 11). 
  
  Mr. I could not even listen to music anymore. As someone who experienced extreme synesthesia, Mr. I would frequently associate different tones in music with different colors. Because of this, Mr. I became depressed even when listening to music as he could no longer picture the color that he associated with the different tones that he was hearing. These few challenges, along with many others, made it tough for Mr. I to see the bright side of continuing his hobby and passion of painting. 
  
  While Mr. I had a strong urge to paint, the colorful nature of painting itself made it extremely difficult for Mr. I to find a workaround due to his abnormal condition. During the initial period of time that Mr. I had cerebral achromatopsia, it almost seemed as though he was going to give up his passion of painting. However, he eventually realizes that he does not have to give up his passion simply because the way he perceives color has been altered. Mr. I decides to continue painting by reluctantly putting away his colored paints and only utilizing the black, white, and grey colors to continue creating masterpieces. 
  
  While the lack of treatment can make life for those with cerebral achromatopsia challenging, it does not necessarily mean that their identities need to be altered to compensate for the way they see world. Those with cerebral achromatopsia can undeniably maintain their personal identities and be who they were prior to acquiring this condition regardless of how they see the world. In Mr. I's case, he realizes that his condition should not prevent him from continuing his passion of painting.
  
  Rohit Balaji