Is there help for people who are colour blind? Are there any glasses that will correct colour blindness? Better yet, do colour blindness glasses help? Below is everything you need to know about colour blindness glasses.

Colour blindness is an eye condition in which one has poor colour vision or colour vision deficiency. Such an individual normally struggle seeing depth or richness on a number of colours. While colour blindness is a condition that affects both men and women, it is more common with men. In fact, a study by the American Optometric Association on colour blindness revealed that as much as 8% of males had colour blindness compared to 0.5% of females. In addition, the study shows that it is more-so inherited. It’s good to point out however that it can also be acquired. While some cases have been reported, complete colour blindness is very rare.   

In the past, if one had this condition, not much could be done. Think of it as a condition that couldn’t be changed regardless. Today, however, thanks to the advancement in technology, this thought is changing fast. One such huge advancement is the development of colour blindness glasses. But do they really help with colour blindness? Are colour blindness glasses the solution to poor colour vision or colour vision deficiency? We get to answer these questions below.

What Are Colour Blindness Glasses?

The big question, especially for those who aren’t familiar with them is what are colour blindness glasses? So what are they? Well, these are eyeglasses that spot special tint lenses. These lenses help individuals who have poor colour vision or colour vision deficiency see colours more accurately. Key to note with colour blindness glasses is that they do not cure colour blindness. What they do is simply give individuals with this condition an opportunity to see or experience a world that’s full of colour more accurately.

Practical applications associated with colour blindness glasses include one being able to choose and match colours and patterns of their clothes. This goes to reduce the chances of them settling on an outfit that spots odd colour choices or mismatched colours. In addition, it does help widen one’s career opportunities. Some careers require one to be able to differentiate colours be it on some levels. With colour blindness glasses, one will be able to do just that.

Do Colour Blindness Glasses Work?

Now that you have some knowledge of what colour blindness glasses are, the next big question is, do they work? To better answer this question one would need to understand the science behind them. Furthermore, knowledge of how this eye condition happens in the first place helps a lot. Colour blindness all comes down to photopigments. What do photopigments do? They give our brains information on all things colours. If you don’t have enough of them, chances are you’ll have difficulty identifying colours. To put it in simpler terms, you’ll have colour blindness. In most cases, poor colour vision or colour vision deficiency involves difficulty identifying red and green colours.

Now to colour blindness glasses, these specialised eye wears are typically sunglasses. What’s special with them is a material that exaggerates light wavelengths. The unique addition makes colours look rich and saturated when one wears colour blindness glasses. While there are countless cases of colour blindness glasses working, it is good to point out that they don’t work for everyone. Furthermore, the extent to which they work varies from one person to the other. If you have complete colour blindness, colour blindness glasses will not work for you. Why? Well, for them to work you need to be able to detect some colour in order for the glasses to enhance them. That said it’s safe to say colour blindness glasses work best for individuals who have moderate or mild colour blindness.

Popular Colour Blindness Glasses Brand

While there are a number of brands offering colour blindness glasses, one beats them all. Which one is it? Well, it is EnChroma. EnChroma is basically a California tech-based company. Colour blindness Glasses by EnChroma are developed by Andrew Schmeder.  He is known worldwide for his invention of laser safety glasses that surgeons use.

That said, EnChroma, while developing their glasses, gave out certain causes of poor colour vision. One such cause is abnormal overlapping of light response by specialised eye cells. These cells are called cone photoreceptors. The cones affected are sensitive to either green or red light wavelengths.  This, in turn, results in one developing green-red or red-green colour blindness.

To deal with this, the colour blinded glasses by EnChroma have special materials. These materials are designed to remove light wavelength where an overlap occurs. This results in better accuracy of colour perception. How you ask? Well, the brain can better distinguish between light green and red wavelengths.

For added information on all things colour blindness glasses, do contact Salisbury Optometrist. We do have a team in place that’ll help you in making the decision on whether to get one or not. You can contact Salisbury Optometrist by dialling 08 8285 7100 or 0433 510695. You can as well send us an email to salisburyoptometrist@gmail.com.