Do color blind glasses actually work?

We've all seen the videos of people getting color correction glasses as gifts, usually surrounded by family and friends as they try the glasses on and see colors around them for the first time. These are moving videos, but do color blind glasses actually work? Many people swear by their color blindness glasses and enjoy seeing rich, vibrant reds and greens all around them. Other people don't seem to see a benefit (pun intended). Let's dive in deeper to this topic.

Color blindness and its challenges

Color blindness is a condition that makes it hard to tell the difference between certain colors, usually red and green, but sometimes yellow and blue. While absolute black-and-white lack of color vision is very rare, it's surprisingly common for people to have at least some diminished color vision. Around 5% to 8% of males have some kind of color vision loss, while the prevalence among females runs to around 0.5%-1%. The condition is usually inherited, but it can also be caused or worsened by age, exposure to chemical fertilizers, certain diseases, and some injuries.

Types of color blindness

There are three main types of color blindness: monochromatism, dichromatism, and anomalous trichromatism. Each of these has somewhat different causes and shows itself in different ways.

Monochromatism

Monochromatism is sometimes diagnosed as complete color blindness because people who have it might have either no color-sensitive cone cells in their eyes or cones of just one color sensitivity. People with this condition usually only see shades of gray or black and white.

Dichromatism

Dichromatism is a condition with only two types of cones, which leaves people blind to the color the missing type of cone would have picked up. This condition can get complicated because there are a lot of combinations of hue perception that produce different color deficiencies. People with subtype protanopia can generally see green, but red and black may be hard to tell apart.

Trichromatism

Anomalous trichromacy is a condition with all three cones present but with altered sensitivity that affects color perception. This usually comes across as altered or impaired color vision, rather than a loss of color or total inability to distinguish colors.

Challenges faced by color blind individuals

It can be surprisingly hard to navigate the world with color blindness. While many normal activities can still be done, such as walking around, using computers, and most jobs, there might be some unexpected hurdles. Just preparing food, for example, can be surprisingly complicated for people who have trouble telling ripe fruit and vegetables from under-ripe or rotten food. 

More than a few jobs are hard to impossible for people with certain types of color blindness. Electricians should ideally be able to see which of their color-coded wires is safe to touch, for instance. Pilots, firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, and a whole host of other critical jobs generally require some degree of color vision, which is likely to be tested as part of the hiring process.

How do color blind glasses work?

Color blindness glasses are pretty new technology. The first commercially available pair was only sold in 2012, but it was an immediate hit, and sales have been hot ever since.  

EnChroma Glasses 

EnChroma glasses were among the first to develop the color-filtering tech that's become standard in the field. From the outside, these glasses usually look just like regular sunglasses, but the lenses are able to filter out some of the orange and yellow wavelengths in normal light. These glasses have minerals inserted into their lens coatings that selectively absorb very specific wavelengths of light. Those wavelengths are usually in the gaps between colors, such as red and green, which helps separate and distinguish these colors. It's not so much that the glasses restore color vision, as much as they eliminate a lot of the noise between colors and help mildly color blind people draw sharper distinctions between hues they can already (kind of) see.

Other brands and technologies

There are other approaches to managing color blindness. Some glasses don't bother with the filtration and go for the high-octane approach of just maxing out the saturation of the colors you see. These lenses use polarized filters to boost colors, like if you turned the color knob way up on your TV. It can work for some people, especially those with a general loss of color vision instead of total loss of a single color. 

Effectiveness and limitations of color blind glasses

Obviously, there will be limitations to what these glasses can do. People with absolutely no color vision will not be able to see colors any better just because a few wavelengths have been filtered or separated. People with severe color vision loss could see some improvement, but it may not be dramatic. 

Positive impact on color perception

Despite their limitations, color blind glasses clearly work for many people. Several online reviewers have left glowing (and sometimes colorful) testimonials about their experiences:

"Two of my sons are very color blind. My youngest son (8 at the time) was always deeply upset that he didn't know what seeing colors was really like. . . [I]t really has changed his life, knowing that he has the[m] when he wants them, such as during art class."

"Bought these for my 26-year-old son, who has red/green color deficiency. He normally sees all reds, greens, and browns as the same drab brown color. We presented them to him in the castle area of Magic Kingdom during a family reunion trip to Disney World. There were tons of brightly colored flowers and bright sunshine. He was able to see color as soon as he put them on! It was a very moving and emotional experience for our entire family. He was moved to tears at the beauty of the colors he was seeing for the first time. . . It is truly a miracle."

Limitations and varied results

These glasses don't work for everyone. Some reviewers expressed their disappointment:

"My siblings and I purchased these glasses for our father, who has been color blind his entire life. He did not see any difference when first wearing them — for the first 20 minutes and another 10 minutes on day 2. It's likely he will not spend the recommended adjustment time to see if he can get better results."

Factors to consider

The ideal candidate for color vision correction is a person with mild or moderate red-green or blue-yellow color loss whose major issue is the ability to distinguish between colors rather than a total lack of color perception. Thus, while color blind glasses are generally not helpful for a person with monochromatism, they can provide some relief for people with dichromatism. Best of all, people with anomalous trichromatism are likely to see the most dramatic improvements.

Do color blind glasses actually work? Yes! Kind of.

There's no doubt that color blind glasses have made a world of difference for large numbers of people. Unfortunately, there's also no arguing that they are of limited or no use to some others. If you think you may have a color vision issue, book an online vision exam to be sure. You might be one of the people who could benefit from affordable color-correcting lenses.

FAQs

Can color blind glasses cure color blindness? 

Color blind glasses don't cure any color vision conditions, but they can help color blind people discriminate between colors better.

Can anyone with color blindness benefit from color blind glasses? 

Sadly, many people with color blindness get little or no benefit. 

How do I choose the right pair of color blind glasses?

Test yourself for the exact type of color blindness you have, and order a set formulated just for your condition.