Are you color blind?
I am. I hadn't realised it was the case until I was about 12 or 13. And it was at that moment when I started wondering how the world really looks - what am I missing? Sounds familiar?
I’m not completely blind to the colors (I do not see everything in greyscale as some would think). I have the most common type of color blindness (which btw. affects about 6% of males), known as “deutan color blindness”, “deuteranopia”, and “daltonism”. I can see most of the colors but with lower sensitivity - sometimes I have trouble differentiating reds and greens.
Here is a link if you would like to read more about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_blindness
What if…?
For the first time I heard about color correction glasses that miraculously help daltonists see the world in true colours a couple of years ago. I need not say that I was quite sceptical. But as I kept on (accidentally of course ;-) stumbling across those videos with guys getting emotional after putting the glasses on, a thought started banging on at the back on my skull: what if...?
Investigation
I decided to learn a bit more about it. The first website I explored was Enchroma’s as this is the most popular (and the first?) company that started selling glasses for color blind people. They quickly discouraged me from buying anything from them as they apply ridiculous shipping prices to Europe (they are based in the US) and barbarian taxes which nearly double the price of already $420 a pair. I emailed them saying that this is pure cruelty. No other company from the US I bought products from does that. They replied that there is nothing they can do. Really??? They are either lazy or… I better bite my tongue.
By pure accident, I have come across a new company in the UK which sells those kinds of glasses and call itself: “Colorblind Experts”. Free delivery, 60-day money back guarantee - encouraged me to give them a try. My upcoming birthday helped to make up my mind. Let’s do it!
Pilestone TP-024
Designed for red/green color blind, improved technology with titanium coating (talk to me more!), UV400 blocking for £95. Deal! A simple website with not many frames to choose from only sped up the process. 5 working days delivery - I haven’t been so anxious about anything for a very long time.
Unboxing
Finally, they arrived. With shaking hands, I opened the package. Inside a rather cheap case, made of brushed aluminium (with some marks or dirt on it already) and a kind of a leather-imitating material (instantly catching fingerprints) with a magnetic latch. I would have expected something better for the price, honestly.
The box includes a colorful cleaning cloth which usefulness is questionable but you have something with a rainbow spectrum to immediately test your vision.
The moment of truth
OK, hit me! I went outside, took a deep breath, put them on and... IS THAT IT??? Well, yes. No tears of joy, no running around touching things and shouting the color names. Everything just a bit more pink-ish around. I waited for my eyes to get used to the new saturation. I heard this might be the case sometimes.
I took a photo through the lens and compared with the normal one below.
It wasn’t my case, unfortunately. I know they work differently with a different spectrum of color blindness but I’m not on the supported kind list. They made all the white colors look pink, blue ones a little less blue (Daltonism is usually about the imbalance between different color receptors in the eyes. Deutans have more blue receptors than red and green ones), and all the reds more vivid (the only improvement).
Proper test
I got back home and opened an online color blindness test (you know those circles with numbers composed with colorful dots like the one below?). I wanted to have a measurable comparison before and after.
I did the one available on Enchroma website (thank you for that Enchroma - it adds to your cruelty score. I’m joking now). The result? Well… I saw improvement on 2 boards that were unreadable to me previously but some I could see better without! Overall, I was again diagnosed as mild deutan. Very disappointing. Looks like either my case is hopeless or the technology is not good enough.
Look and feel
The glasses itself are light and made from (again) inexpensive frames. I have ordered a medium size which is way too big for my face’s build but here was no way to check that before buying.
The fit is strange. For some reason, they are leaning to one side and I couldn't tell why. I have many pairs of shades and don’t have that issue with any.
As mentioned earlier the lenses are pink (confirmed by someone who sees properly) and have a mirrored (supposedly titanium) coating. The coating looks like something that could potentially wear off pretty soon or be easily scratched if you clean them too often, so be careful.
Bonus category: customer service
I live in Jersey (the old Jersey, part of the Channel Islands between France and the UK). This is a VAT-free jurisdiction (tax heaven, if you will). So whenever I buy goods in other countries usually they either automatically deduct the VAT or in rare cases, I have to email them and ask for it. I haven't had any problems with any online store in the past. Never.
The paper invoice received together with the package indicated 20% of the VAT tax included so I decided to email the seller and ask for a refund (£15.83 is something worth to email about and ask). Normal procedure. To my surprise, this is the exact reply I got from them (him?):
If I refund you this VAT it will take any profit away from me on this sale. There may well be something I could do to claim this VAT back myself but I don't have the time or energy to pursue this.
This made me speechless. I really appreciate James’ honesty and I feel for his lack of energy but, WTF???
Overall score
To sum up. These glasses are not for me. Even though I’m diagnosed as a mild deutan there is only slight improvement with the red color. No WOW factor, no emotions, no life-changing moment. Look and feel of the glasses is disappointing but I wouldn’t mind. I just wanted to see the world more vividly. Somewhere close to what is given to others by nature. Please.
If you are a daltonist, you have to try for yourself. There are different types and levels of color blindness and maybe you will be a lucky bastard. But be careful with the company. It seems to be a sole-trader’s business, operated from a private apartment by a life-tired, dude.
Up until finishing writing this post I haven’t decided if to send the glasses back. I'll let you know if I get hold of the Enchoma glasses any time soon by a reasonable price to do a proper comparison.
Update
I mentioned above that the price was £95 without any discounts and including tax. This is what I saw on their website when posting this review...
This is just a pure rip-off. They have increased the price from £95 to £119 and now pretend it is a sale from £149.99! What a... %&@#! They are begging you not to buy anything from them.