EnChroma Wins Prestigious East Bay Innovation Award

– Innovator in Lens Technology for Color Blindness and Low Vision, EnChroma Becomes the East Bay Innovation Award Winner in Life Sciences Category–

Berkeley, CA – October 19, 2020 – EnChroma, Inc. – creators of EnChroma Eyewear for Color Blindness and the EnChroma® Lx Series Lenses for Low Vision and Age-Related Eye Conditions – has been named the winner of the Innovation Award in the highly competitive Life Sciences category by the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA).

“Over 200 organizations submitted applications for the eighth annual East Bay Innovation Awards, which showcase the best examples of innovation in the Bay Area,” said Stephen Baiter, Executive Director, EDA. “EnChroma really stood out due to its pioneering work to help the color blind surmount daily frustrations and expand their opportunities to access more of life’s colorful experiences.”

“EnChroma is honored to receive this award and grateful that East Bay EDA has recognized the innovation involved in developing a viable solution to color blindness, a problem that has vexed scientists for generations,” said Tony Dykes, CEO of EnChroma. “I want to applaud the outstanding team at EnChroma for all of their hard work, resourcefulness and dedication to helping those with color blindness and other vision challenges overcome them. Thank you to East Bay EDA for creating a supportive environment for businesses in the region.” Click here to watch the awards ceremony.

One in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.05%) are color vision deficient; an estimated 13 million in the United States and 350 million worldwide. While people with normal color vision see over one million shades of color, those with color vision deficiency are estimated to see only about 10% of hues and shades.

EnChroma’s patented lens technology is engineered with special optical filters to remove wavelengths of light where the red and green cones in the eye of the color blind overlap excessively. The advanced optical filters increase the separation between color channels to help people with color blindness see colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly. A recent study by world-renowned color vision scientists at the University of California, Davis, and France’s INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, demonstrated the effectiveness of EnChroma’s lens technology.

EnChroma continues to lead in advocating for “color accessibility” through its EnChroma Color Accessibility Program. The program helps public venues, schools, state parks, libraries, museums and other organizations purchase and loan EnChroma glasses to color blind students and guests to help make schoolwork that involves color, colorful exhibits, attractions and/or experiences accessible to the color blind.

Solutions for the Low Vision and the Aging Eye

The recently launched EnChroma Lx Series is engineered to support functional vision for people with low vision and other related impairments by reducing the disabling effects of glare and improving color contrast across multiple lighting conditions. According to the World Health Organization, over 285 million people in the world suffer from severe forms of visual impairment, with roughly 246 million qualifying as low vision.

About East Bay Economic Development Alliance

The East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA) is a cross-sector, public-private partnership that convenes diverse networks of business, government and community leaders who embrace the extraordinary value of the East Bay region (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in California) as an unrivaled place to live, work and do business. For more information on East Bay EDA and the East Bay Innovation Awards, visit www.EastBayEDA.org or iawards.eastbayeda.org.

About EnChroma

Based in Berkeley, Calif., EnChroma produces cutting-edge lens technology and eyewear for color blindness, low vision and other color vision solutions sold online and through Authorized Retailers worldwide. Established in 2010 by a Ph.D. glass scientist and a mathematician, EnChroma’s revolutionary patented eyewear for color blindness combines the latest in color perception neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with color vision deficiency around the world. EnChroma received an SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and earned the 2016 Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration in recognition of the firm’s innovative impact on the human experience through technology. For more information visit EnChroma.com.

Media Contacts:

East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA)
Stephen Baiter
Executive Director
510.679.7911
stephen@EastBayEDA.org