No, there is no "cure" colourblindness:
These corrective glasses will noticeably improve your ability to distinguish between colours you have problems either seeing or difficulty distinguishing between. The vast majority of people who are colorblind have difficulty distinguishing between red green. The majority of our glasses help with red-green colorblindness. Type E helps with the blue-yellow colour spectrum.
I myself am colourblind.
I have tried on many glasses and done multiple tests with Pilestone corrective glasses and “other” companies' glasses.
After using Pilestone for over 2 years I can say they work…..however, they are not a “cure”. They help to enhance the colours I have difficulty seeing.
This is a very subjective observation as I can’t see through your eyes and you can’t see through mine. I have done the online colour blind tests without my glasses and with my glasses on and the results vary greatly depending on the glasses and the computer used to do the testing.
My online tests were taken on 4 different computers using the same glasses. The results were different on each computer.
Why??
My results were noticeably different depending on what computer I used. The colour, luminance, etc of each computer monitor affects the colours on the screen which changes the outcomes of the test.
For a conclusive test please consult an optometrist for an in-person colour blind test. Once the results as known then you will be able to order the correct lens for your deficiency.
After I bought my first glasses I used the “computer test” to determine if the glasses work after purchasing them. I now believe this is not as important as wearing them and asking yourself, do they help?
I suggest the following test after purchasing the glasses.
The test I propose you use is to ask a friend who is not colourblind, what is that colour you are looking at. If you can now see colours with the glasses on that your friend sees, that you couldn’t see before without the glasses, then they work!!
Or
Get a Canadian Flag and a Tim's Horton Coffee cup and look at them with and without the glasses on. Are the red's brighter?
I know this is not scientific, however, after trying on all types of glasses and doing multiple tests on different computers this is what I do.
I am a retired RN and not an optometrist. It really comes down to, do they work in my real world? I love my glasses and I continue to be amazed by how much I now see that I couldn’t see before. The best place to test them is outside on a sunny day…. go for a walk in the neighbourhood, look at stop signs, flowers, cars, sunsets, but take a friend with you who can confirm what you believe you are seeing.
All glasses are tinted to enhance the colours you have difficulty seeing. Some glasses have more of a "pink" tint others more "brown". After having them on for 10-20 minutes your eyes will adjust and the tint effect will lessen and the missing colours will pop out!. Not every colour is changed and not every colour is enhanced only those colours that are missing from your spectrum.
I hope this helps to demystify the glasses and create a realistic expectation. Please use our online test to only determine if you are colour-blind and help guide you to chose what type of lens to purchase.
From a blog from a pilot who is colorblind.
"The first thing you have to do is actually figure out if you are color blind or not. I fly 767's for AC, and was initially told I could never fly because I was colorblind. I fought it.
When you initially go to an AME, they will give you a color test with the Ishihara Color Test. It is the test that has a bunch of multi-colored dots and you are supposed to be able to see a number. If you are color "perfect" you will see a certain number. If you have a deficiency you will see other numbers.
Now. I know what I am talking about here because I have Cat 1 medicals in the US and Canada so the same standard applies to both countries.
There are three tests available to candidates that can determine color "efficiency." The problem is, most AMEs do not know this. Most AMEs only have the "dot" test because it is the most cheap test available to doctors. It's just a little flip chart. The next test, which is actually the "gold standard" when it comes to color "blindness" is the Farnsworth D-15 color saturation test. This comprises of 15 pastel "pucks" that are numbered 1-15. The doctor mixes them up and you match the closest shade to the baseline shade. This test will actually tell the examiner if you are colorblind or not. The Ishihara test will only tell the examiner if you have a color deficiency.
The last test is the FAA and TC basic test. In Canada they call it the lantern test. Two shades of green lights, a white and a red light. If you can tell the difference between them, you pass.
I am color deficient. But I pass the Latern and Farnsworth but the Ishihara says I have a major deutan (?) blue/green defiency.
I reserached this like crazy and I hope you read this because that damn Ishihara test prematurely ended more possible aviation careers than you could imagine. Where it stems from is the second world war. Everyone wanted to be a pilot and they were looking for any reason to weed people out. Despite the other tests being relevant, medical examiners in the USAAF used the most restrictive test as there were ample "able" candidates to fill the demand.
The problem is, this practice carried on. My older brother was told he could never fly because he failed the Ishihara test. I came along and failed it to but would not take no for an answer. I had to call all sorts of AMEs in Canada and finally found these other two tests buried in their manuals. I had to drive four hours to an AME who had the Farnsworth test and passed it easily. The sad thing was years later my older brother took the farnsworth test and passed. He could have flown for a living but took the doctors word for it.
If there is one thing I could ever do, I ask you make them prove your color blindness. Don't take no for an answer. Too many people in the past have been told this and never knew there were options. I have always wanted a forum to tell this story and I hope as many people with this problem read it. Best of luck, and I hope you pass!!!!!"
I do like the glasses. At first I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed but that was because of my lofty expectations. I thought I was going to be Dorothy swept from Kansas to the Technicolored world of Oz. Over about a week of wearing them outside I found that the colours really popped out at me while driving around. Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Blues and Purples looked like they practically glowing and vibrant against the rose tinted background (the Canadian Flag almost glows orange it's so bright). Greens and browns don't really show up a lot for me with the glasses. Bottom line is, I would reach for those glasses every time I went out because it was very cool to really see the colours pop out. I let a friend with more severe colour blindness try them and He absolutely loved them. He sat there looking around the office and at pictures from his trip to Hawaii and kept saying "Whooooaaaa!" I have a feeling he'll be purchasing a pair. :)
Thanks for your help in this. I do look forward to getting back into my vivid coloured world again (I say it's sorta like being in Tron with them on).
Chad
It can actually take some time for your eyes to adjust to the lenses. Give yourself at least 10 minutes to adjust to the darker tint of the glasses; don’t remove them as your eyes adjust. To become fully adjusted to the glasses, some manufacturers recommend wearing them for at least 10 hours in a variety of lighting situations over the course of one to two weeks.
Pilestone Canada's Return Policy
Pilestone Canada uses Amazon Canada as its storefront so you can be assured of your purchase, shipping and returns.
PILESTONE CANADA wants you to be completely satisfied with your purchase. If for any reason you want to return your glasses, they must be returned to AMAZON CANADA where they were purchased from for a full refund. Return shipping will be provided by through Amazon Canada provided it is within 30 days of receipt of glasses. On approved returns beyond the 30 days, the buyer is responsible for return shipping directly to Pilestone Canada.
Perhaps you ordered the wrong glasses. When in doubt contact us before you purchase.
Please Note: Once the glasses are received undamaged a refund will be processed by Amazon Canada within 24 hours.
Returns will only be honoured when purchased from Pilestone Canada and not "third party resellers"!
Colour blindness affects the way the cones in your retina perceive wavelengths of light. In turn, your ability to differentiate between certain colors is impaired. Colour blindness correction glasses have tinted lenses that can remove certain wavelengths of light, so you can distinguish between colours more easily.
As mentioned above, not all color blindness correction glasses work on all types of color blindness. Specific wavelengths must be removed to address your specific color vision issues.
As a kindergartner at Green Acres Elementary in Lebanon, Ore., William Jeffrey Harding failed a scholastic aptitude test and was placed in special education. His parents, having observed their son’s abilities, asked to see the test and discovered that the questions were color-based: “How many green crayons are in the picture? How many red?” But William is colorblind.
The following link will take you to the rest of this story.......
Deuteranomaly/Deuteranopia or otherwise more commonly known as 'red-green' color blindness. This type of colour blindness is the most common and can affect a broad spectrum of colors including reds, greens, browns, oranges, blues, purples, pinks and yellows.
Protanomaly/Protanopia - this is a less common sub-type of red-green colour blindness and mostly affects reds more than greens.
Tritanomaly/Tritanopia - This is a very rare type of colour blindness and affects only 1 in every 100 people that suffer from color blindness. Tritan colour deficiency affects the blue-yellow spectrum.
You can add a single vision prescription or progressive lens prescription to your colour blind glasses.