Essentially, 98 percent of Tennessee’s cones are not functioning at all. In blue cone monochromacy, the individuals just have functioning rods and blue cones, which account for only 2 percent of all the cones in the retina portion of the eye. Most people born with normal eyes have rods-which see black, white, and shades of gray-and cones-which can see red, green, and blue. For Loveless, he can see yellow.īeing able to see yellow is typical of those with blue cone monochromacy, a version of limited achromatopsia. That means the person may be able to distinguish the warm color spectrum from the cooler color spectrum. But incomplete or limited achromatopsia is a milder form of the condition that allows for some delineation of color. Individuals with complete achromatopsia cannot see any colors other than black, white, and shades of gray. He was diagnosed with limited achromatopsia, which is the state of being almost completely color-blind. But, how about those individuals who are presented with physical challenges that are beyond their control yet they defy the odds overcoming those handicaps and achieving success.Ĭhicago based pop artist Tennessee Loveless is just such an individual. Those sometimes-devastating setbacks that turn into massive successes like when Walt Disney lost the contract to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and bounced back by creating Mickey Mouse. I love stories that showcase triumph over adversity.

Mickey mouse with gas mask drawing