According to the US National Eye Institute, 8% of men and 0.5% of women have the most common form of colour blindness, which is red-green colour blindness. This mild disability is inherited. Men are more likely to be colour blind than women because the gene for the trait is on the X chromosome. For a majority of people with colour vision deficiency (CVD), however, their colour-challenged days may be over. EnChroma, a company started by glass scientist Don McPherson, specialises in making eyeglasses that allow people who are colour blind to see actual colours. McPherson, an Alfred University graduate, initially developed special glasses for eye doctors to wear while performing laser surgery. After discovering the doctors were taking the glasses home for personal use, he started wearing them as sunglasses. When a friend, who happened to be colour blind, asked to borrow the sunglasses, he was suddenly able to see colours for the first time. That incident led McPherson to turn his efforts toward research to develop glasses for the colour blind. He was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health and created a lens with a filter that separates the overlap of red and green cones. His company, EnChroma, is currently developing a contact lens version of its glasses. McPherson says the impact of the glasses has been emotional. "It's overwhelming to see something that we've crated go out into the world and have such a big impact. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me." To learn more, please visit: https://youtu.be/I9ANon90Moc
