In this world of visualization, everything is made to appeal to the sense of sight. Companies make the brightest colors and use the most visually stunning images to captivate consumers. We were born to be sensory beings. Why would we not want things to be appealing? If it looks good, it must sound, smell, taste or feel good as well...right? That Porterhouse steak, that ice cream sundae in the window at Cold Stone...yup that's the one I want...and I want it to look JUST like that.
What if you could not depend on your sense of sight to see the world the way it visually is? You are devoid of all the colors and beauty. You are now looking at life through a 1973 black and white television. You are colorblind. The technical term is Daltonism. Named after the first scientist who wrote about the disorder. There are also several types of colorblindness; four to be exact which is virtually unbeknownst to most people. Different levels of "blindness" or color deficiency which would be a more accurate term. The disease is a genetic one and is passed from the X chromosome. If this chromosome becomes damaged, then there is a chance that an individual will be colorblind. One in 12 men are colorblind, where only one in every 200 women are so. In a different time, a person would have to live a life never knowing the color of a rose or how blue the ocean really is. In this age of ever changing technology and advancements in science to improve the quality of life, one company has bridged the gap between the impossible and the unbelievable.
Image via Enchroma
Enchroma is a company based in Berkeley, California. They have developed a pair of glasses with special lenses that block out particular wavelengths of light, allowing the wearer to receive cues from the brain that makes distinctions between certain colors. The issue for someone who is colorblind is that they can't distinguish between different colors and their eyes do not allow color perception under normal light. The glasses originally had a different purpose. They were first made as protective eye wear for surgeons, protecting the laser surgeon's eyes from certain wavelengths of light during a procedure. The glasses have now evolved as an innovative way to open the world to those who have been cut off from seeing it in its true color.
An individual who suffers from colorblindness can live a relatively normal life. There are some very noteworthy people who are afflicted with the deficiency. Bill Clinton, Prince William, Paul Newman, Matt Lauer, Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers), Keanu Reeves, Mark Twain and countless others. Enchroma has discovered a way to get a person who is red-green colorblind to be able to see by using a special filter to block out the colors that hinder the red-green person from seeing clearly. Using top of the line technology, originating from computer simulations that reference the genetics behind color blindness, Enchroma has found a practical method that addresses how color is perceived by those with red and green color blindness.
There are many obstacles as one could imagine that come along with being colorblind. A person is limited in most aspects of day to day life socially, professionally and educationally. There is a faded effect to everything, with no opportunity to appreciate all the many hues that the world offers. There's no ability to pair the correct color pants with the correct top. Since there is no differentiation between stop light colors, no ability to tell if someone in front of you is hitting their brakes. Driving a car is not an option. A colorblind person is not able to hold certain occupations that require use of color judgment. Children are limited in school, as they may have difficulty in class if the teacher is using coloring on graphs, charts or maps.
While innovative, groundbreaking and advanced, it should not be implied that these glasses provide a cure. They are merely a portal into a "more normal" life for those who are colorblind. Ken Streeb,
Director of Marketing for Enchroma states, "The glasses do work for 4 out of 5 users and they do not provide 100% color vision." Despite this, for those that they do work for, this product is life changing. Customers report that it takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes to experience an effect.
Image via Enchroma
What they experience is an enhanced vibrancy, improvement in color discrimination, overall better depth, and detail perception. If someone does not have success, the customer has 60 days from the date that they shipped to return the glasses for a refund. Retailers can be found in 19 states including, New York, California, and Pennsylvania. The glasses can also be found in Russia and New Zealand. Glasses are available for adults and kids, can be purchased anywhere from $200-$400, and come in a variety of styles.
To "see " what the world looks like to a colorblind person, the following app can be downloaded for iPhone: http://asada.tukusi.ne.jp/cvsimulator/e/
Please take the below colorblindness test from Enchroma if you think that you or someone you know may be affected: http://enchroma.com/test/instructions/
See some user reactions: