Special glasses help colorblind see more hues even with glasses off

Special glasses constructed with technically advanced “spectral notch filters” enhance color vision for individuals with the most common type of red-green color blindness. The ability for colorblind participants to experience expanded color channels was demonstrated even after they took the glasses off. At least 8% of men and .5% of women have red-green color vision deficiency (CVD). A new study may be a breakthrough in treating the most common type of red-green color blindness. […]

• Special glasses constructed with technically advanced “spectral notch filters” enhance color vision for individuals with the most common type of red-green color blindness.
• The ability for colorblind participants to experience expanded color channels was demonstrated even after they took the glasses off.

At least 8% of men and .5% of women have red-green color vision deficiency (CVD).

A new study may be a breakthrough in treating the most common type of red-green color blindness.

Research conducted by UC Davis Eye Center in collaboration with Frances INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute discovered that special patented glasses constructed with technically advanced “spectral notch filters” enhance color vision for individuals with anomalous trichromacy.

Interestingly, the ability for colorblind participants to experience and discern expanded color channels was demonstrated even when they were not wearing the glasses.

The study, which was published in the journal Current Biology, had participants with CVD color blindness wear either the special filter glasses or placebo glasses.

“Over two weeks, [the participants] kept a diary and were re-tested on days 2, 4 and 11 but without wearing the glasses,” UC Davis Health detailed in a news release statement. “The researchers found that wearing the filter glasses increased responses to chromatic contrast response in individuals with red-green color blindness.” It’s still not clear how long the enhancement to vision lingers after the filtered glasses are taken off, however evidence shows that the effect lasts for a substantial amount of time.

“Extended usage of these glasses boosts chromatic response in those with anomalous trichromacy (red-green color vision deficiency),” said John S. Werner, a professor of ophthalmology and a leader in vision science at UC Davis Health. “We found that sustained use over two weeks not only led to increased chromatic contrast response, but, importantly, these improvements persisted when tested without the filters, thereby demonstrating an adaptive visual response.”

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