“Hunny, did you know Trevor’s house is red?”
That was the first thing I said as I walked into my house. From the day I was diagnosed as colorblind when I was eight, up until two days ago, I was certain that Trevor’s house was brown. What allowed me to suddenly be able to see the true color of his home? A pair of glasses.
EnChroma is a company that began by accident, but that accident turned into a life-changing experience for millions of people. Some of you out there may already be familiar with EnChroma through their videos of people trying on the glasses for the first time. I didn’t expect to have the emotional reaction that a lot of others had, and while I didn’t tear up like many of them, I did sit through a green traffic light while cars behind me honked. This was the first time I’d ever seen that a green light IS green, and not white Like I’d always thought.
Approximately 300 million people worldwide suffer from some form of colorblindness. While colorblindness may not be a severe disability that can strike someone as debilitating, but it does result in fewer choices and a lot of frustration in those that are afflicted. For instance, forget being a pilot, first responder or even an electrician in some states. Colorblindness can also result in learning difficulties as well as social awkwardness when clothes are mismatched, or my favorite “You’re colorblind?! What color is my shirt? “haha no it’s green haha how about that picture? What color is that?”
It’s important to note that while these glasses have made a huge difference in my quality of life, they don’t work for everyone, and they don’t cure colorblindness. As stated on the EnChroma site, these glasses work for roughly 80% of those with Deutan (green cone deficiency) and Protan (red cone deficiency). Unfortunately, EnChroma glasses have mixed results with Tritan (blue and yellow color discrimination loss) but they do offer a 60-day refund for those who wish to try them out.
I took the colorblind test at www.enchroma.com before receiving these glasses and registered as a “Strong Protan.” After using the glasses for the first time I registered as a “Mild Protan.” The instructions state to wear them for an extended period of time to maximize the permanent effect of the glasses, so after a day or so had passed I took the 100 hue test. I took this test a few years ago and scored a 215. in this case the lower your score is, the better the results are. While using my EnChroma glasses, I scored a 111. It’s obvious that there are some types of colors I just won’t be able to see, but those colors are minimal.
The world is a very colorful place to me now, and for that, I can’t thank EnChroma enough. They’ve changed my life. I encourage those with colorblindness to try them, I think you’ll be happy that you did.
