If you came here looking for a color blindness cure, I’m very sorry to say that there is none.
Thanks to some amazing research at the University of Washington, a successful color blindness cure in monkeys has been created. Two monkeys have been cured with no ill effects – With such promising results, hopefully a true cure for this, and many other eye diseases are not that far away!
Dont miss the full article on the potential cure!!
Corrective Lenses: A Color Blindness Cure?
There are currently 4 main companies developing products to aid color blind people in reducing the effects of their condition: ColorMax, ColorView, ChomaGen, and ColorLite. All 4 companies base their efforts around utilising tinted lenses to alter the light entering the eye.
The way this works is actually quite simple. You use a lens in one or both of your eyes, the lens can either be a contact lens or in glasses frames. Because one eye has a modified quality of light, the brain can use the difference in the feedback it receives from each eye to identify more information about the colors present than it would normally. You can also use tinted lenses for both eyes, but the tints must be different colors to maintain difference in what each eye is seeing.
ChromaGen report that over 97% of patients in their study reported significant improvement in their color vision. However it should be noted that initially many patients are unsure whether they are happy with the change as the tinted lenses do change the way a patient is accustomed to seeing the world. The manufacturers of these lenses generally promise the following improvements:
- Improve general color perception
- Make colors brighter and clearer
- Allow shades of color, previously unseen, to be observed
- Improve the ability to name colors correctly (especially when assistance is provided in this area e.g. by relatives or friends)
Ultimately, all of the companies providing corrective lenses for color blindness are aiming to improve color perception in the real world, however many critics believe the lenses are only providing a dramatic increase in the success rate when taking the Ishihara Test. This critical analysis is somewhat fuelled by the fact that tinted lenses appear not to offer any benefit to patients undertaking a color arrangement test or any other types of test for that matter.
so isn’t there any solution that i can see upon to impove a way to distinguish between colors??
please figure me a solution!!
Hi Sagun,
The only solution available is to try corrective lenses. Corrective lenses adjust the color of what you see, changing the shade of everything you see may enable you to distinguish between shades you can’t normally see at – i’ve never personally tried them, though.
What things in particular do you struggle with in daily life?
Charles
elo charles, im struggling to got a job now, 2 times i failed for a medical requirements because of ishihara test, what solution i can make with this matter? were the ishahara tester will allow me to use corrective lenses during the test if i ever a bought glasses? i feel wimpy when i found out that im color blind, ur help will be very much appreciated….
Hi Pulandit,
What job are you going for? The corrective lenses are nearly speficially designed for passing ishihara test – so if the job is important to you, you could consider getting Color Blindness corrective lenses – when you go to visit their specialists, they will tell you how successful the lenses will be for you!
It does seems like the job you want is important to you, so you should definately investigate getting some corrective lenses for color blindness – they might make all the difference:) Once you get them, you can always come back here and do my ishihara test to confirm you’ll be fine !
Charles
my work is all about computer software and hardware, thus the lenses costs that much? is it possible to have a glass that have corrective lenses and grade at the same time? im planning to have one but im considering the price and the possibility 1 glasses at same time…
Interesting, i also work with computer software development, and hardware – i’ve never been confronted over my color blindness. The only situation i can see it being a major problem is with engineering the actual hardware.
If you want to find out the price for color blindness corrective lenses, you will need to contact a specialist, the price will be different depending on your country – I also have never attempted to get them – so i dont know the cost. I am sure that they will have a lense that suits your needs, no harm in asking them:)
Charles
can please tell me which and all job i can go?????
i’m color blind i could see only the no 25 in that exam..so wt does it mean…i’m not able to see anyother no!!can u tell me wt color blindness i have….am i curable??????i’m waiting for reply………also send reply to my one more mail id vignesh20505@yahoo.co.in
plz reply and replt to both ids..tks
from where i can buy that corrective lenses?
Hi Vignesh,
You can still undertake many jobs even with color blindness, the only ones that you may find impossible to get are jobs such as being an Air Force pilot, and electrical engineer work. These days commercial air lines will still allow color blind people to fly for them.
If you are being denied a role in IT because of color blindness, you should consider applying to another company.
If your color blindness is extreme, such as being totally color blind, you may find it hard to do many jobs beyond what i listed above but i cannot tell the state of your color blindness, only you can 🙂
Sam (and vignesh again)
Color blindness is not curable, but corrective lenses work like sunglasses, tinting what you see so that colors are changed to the ones you can distinguish. The best way for you to find a person who deals with them is to search on google. I dont know your local areas, you could also try contacting your local optometrist as they may be able to help.
Charles
Hello Charles,
I have been thinking about getting some corrective lenses because I’m an art student, planning to go into graphics design, do you think this would be a good decision? When I took the color arrangement test I only messed up two, which I switched with each other, but when I took the Ishihara test I only got maybe 4 right. I don’t really know why I did ok on the color arrangement test because I normally am absolutely no good with similar shades. What do you think?
Hi Jacob,
For your reference, i do quite poorly with the colour arrangement test – my results basically zigzag totally. On the isihara test i do get more than 4, but some are quite difficult to see – remember that there are 4 or 5 in there that someone with normal vision cannot see anything, and colour blind people can.
Using corrective lenses is like wearing sunglasses where each lense is a different color. The lenses may give you the abilitiy to detect the presense of two shades that would normally look the same to you, but they also modify the shade of the colors you’re looking at, put some sunglasses on and note how different colors on your screen look :). They might help you in certain situations, but i would imagine you would find it easier to operate without them most of the time.
My opinion – color blindness corrective lenses may enable you to detect shades you normally wouldn’t, but they would adjust the colors you are viewing too much to be of practical use. I most certainly think you can still achieve success in the graphic design industry even if you do have moderate color blindness.
I read about a fellow in America who graduated graphic design with honors, and it wasn’t until someone commented that his pink dog piece was genius – that he found out that dogs aren’t actaully pink!
Hope this helps – i have made many personal observations working with graphic designers, including my wife, though comments here are not the place for those, we could talk by email if you are interested.
Charles
Thanks that helps a lot! I would love to talk more by email, if you aren’t too busy of course.