Designing for the Life Span Segment 3
Designing for the Life Span Segment 3 
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[D]
Closely related colors with regard to intensity and value- especially in the blue and green range- become difficult to differentiate from one another.
Among older adults who are beyond their 80s, there has likely been a loss of sensitivity to blue and there will be general difficulty with colors in the "cooler" ranges. Additionally, older adults who may have not reached advanced years, but have experienced other difficulties (such as opacity of the lens) will also experience a loss of color sensitivity in general and have difficulty distinguishing between closely related colors that are similar in value and intensity.
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All closely related colors will be harder to differentiate for the older adult than if the colors have greater separation in hue and contrast. The most difficult colors to differentiate for the older adult will be blues and greens - especially blue combinations. For the old-old, people in advanced years (80s and 90s) these colors may appear to be gray and may have no hue whatsoever.
Choices of cosmetics can be most difficult for older women as well as the discretion used in hair dyes to either cover gray or enhance it. The blue-haired older woman seems to have gone from the shopping mall, largely due to better advice from cosmetologists and hair dressers who have increased their sensitivity to the requirements and perceptions of older women.
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