UC Davis Eye Center Study:
EnChroma Eyewear Enhances
Color Perception

You may have seen compelling videos of people reacting to seeing colors vividly for the first time and wondered how EnChroma glasses work—but have you wondered what happens when people take them off?

EnChroma glasses are specifically designed to help people with color vision deficiency see colors more vibrantly, clearly, and distinctly. This has been validated by a recent UC Davis Eye Center study, which evaluated the effectiveness of EnChroma’s patented lens technology over two weeks of usage by those with color blindness. The research, conducted with France’s INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute and published in Current Biology, found that EnChroma lenses, “enhance color vision for those with the most common types of red-green color vision deficiency.”

I had no idea how colorful the world is and feel these glasses can help color blind people better navigate color and appreciate the world.

While researchers concluded that extended usage of EnChroma glasses, powered by special notch band filters, “increased responses to chromatic contrast in individuals with red-green color blindness,” it also uncovered some surprising results. The participant’s ability to identify and experience color in all its hues was demonstrated when they were not wearing EnChroma glasses, stating “these improvements persisted when tested without the filters, thereby demonstrating an adaptive visual response.”

The UC Davis study underlines the importance of EnChroma’s notch band filters on the effectiveness of persistent color perception, noting "this effect cannot be achieved with [other] broad-band filters sold as aids to the color blind.” EnChroma glasses that leverage notch band technology deliver benefits to the color blind both when they’re wearing the glasses and not wearing them, something other color blind glasses cannot claim.

Better navigate color and appreciate the world with EnChroma glasses

People with red-green color blindness struggle to see different hues of red, green, brown, purple and orange. These colours seem muted and are hard to distinguish, making color confusion a daily struggle. For most color blind people who try the eyewear, EnChroma glasses are the beginning of a more colorful journey. The glasses work by increasing the separation between the red and green cone signals so that previously confused colors become vibrant and distinct. You can learn more about how color blind people see and how EnChroma glasses work here.

“I wear the glasses very often…I am certain that I am seeing differences in everything that has red in it (flowers, leaves, cars)” said a participant.

From helping you match colors when you dress in the morning to enjoying the bursting saturation of your lunch, it’s EnChroma’s mission to help those with color blindness experience the world in all its wondrous color.