Bengalab… an island where 10% of the population cannot see color

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean within the Micronesia group of islands, an atoll does not exceed an area of ​​2 square kilometers and consists of two parts, one of which is called “Banglab” island.
According to the Italian magazine “Focus”, perhaps no one would have known about the island of Bengalab had it not been for a hurricane that struck 250 years ago on that island and killed 90% of its population.
color blind island
That disaster caused a genetic drift known as a “bottleneck”, which caused 10% of the island’s population to become color blind, meaning they live a life in which they see only black and white.
In 1996, author Oliver Sacks published an article entitled “Island of Color Blindness” in which he questioned the origins of the rare neurodegenerative syndrome, similar to ALS, which affects the indigenous people of Guam, also in Micronesia.
When a cyclone hit the island of Bengalab in 1775, only 20 people were left alive, including King Mwael, who appears to have a recessive gene that causes the inability to see colors.
The reason for the outbreak of the disease, despite its rarity
A study conducted in 1972 revealed that King “Mawael” had seven children from three wives, and the study explained that the gene responsible for color blindness was present in the king, but it did not appear clearly until he moved from the king by marrying the few survivors on the island. .
It is noteworthy that this rare disease usually affects the retina of one person in 30,000 people, unlike partial color blindness, which reduces the ability to perceive colors (mainly green and red) and affects 8% of men and 0.5% of women worldwide. .
It is worth noting that the total color blindness we are talking about can make vision less clear, and also cause involuntary eye movements and excessive sensitivity to light.
This is what was admitted by one of the fishermen on the island of Banglab, where he said: “It is difficult for me to go out during the day, because when the weather is sunny, I do not see anything and I cannot do my work,” explaining that this is why he used to fish at night.