Oxy Iso
Review: Oxy-Iso glasses – We are Colorblind
There a several ‘cures’ to colorblindness in the form of special glasses available. I’ve always been interested in giving them a try. Luckily got me a pair of their Oxy-Iso glasses to review.
The sporty looking Oxy-Iso glasses are made for medical purposes but incidentally also seem to help the colorblind. On their website they claim to “isolate and enhance perception of blood oxygenation under the skin, and eliminate perception of blood concentration. Also known for reducing the effects of red-green colorblindness” ()
Putting the glasses on for the first time is very strange. Looking around in my apartment everything got a purple glow over it. Especially my white walls where screaming purple at me, almost fluorescent.
Once my eyes got a bit more used to the glasses I did start noticing the floor looking somewhat brighter brownish, it too seemed to emit a strange glow, but not in the same way my walls were still glowing purple – although less than they did before.
I walked up to my bookcase and looked at the different colored spines of the books in there. The reds are very bright, they seem to shift from red to a more orange tint. Greens get a bit darker, but they remain distinctly green.
I didn’t feel like I saw more color, the glasses seem to make the difference between certain colors bigger. I didn’t feel as if life as I knew it had changed. So much for curing my broken eyes I guess.
But then I got my Ishihara test plates from my bookcase and opened it at a random page. I immediately saw a very bright 16. It took no effort or second thought to determine the number, the dots where just completely different from the ones surrounding it.
I knew there where some practice plates in the book, used to explain how the plates work. I flipped to the next page, but immediately saw a 7, and a 5 too.
I took off the glasses and the numbers disappeared. The 16 at the previous page was gone too, all that was left was a circle made up of almost identically colored dots. I put the glasses on again and the 16 was back in all it’s brightness. I started turning the pages and was able to see every single number, without any effort at all.
It was pretty mind-blowing to say the least.
Let me give you an idea of how amazing this is for a colorblind parents usually find out that you’re colorblind from a school doctor who made you do a test. There’s various tests available, one of them being the Ishihara test: circles made up from dots with numbers in them.
Being colorblind, you will fail these tests – all of them – you won’t be able to see any of the numbers or figures. At the same time, the people around you (with their perfect color vision) see all of them. They just see the number, they don’t have to think about it, squint their eyes, tilt the paper in the hopes of getting more light on it or ask someone. They just see it.
Not being able to see something everyone else just sees is frustrating. There’s nothing you can do about it, you just can’t see it. To make things worse, almost all people without colorblindness will look at you in disbelieve when you’re not able to see the bright 16 in front of you.
They’ll ask you “you really can’t see it? ” with a wondered look, as if you’re not trying hard enough. This can be tough on you growing up, as you can read in the guest article by Karen published earlier.
So being able to just see this mythical 16 appear right in front of you – effortless – is really, really amazing. I can only describe it as magical. But magical enough to be worth the $297 the glasses will cost you? Difficult to say.
Your eyes do get used a bit to the purple after a bit, but I couldn’t stand having them on for long periods of time. Everything looks different, not just the colors you normally have trouble with. It might just be me, but having everything look a bit fluorescent is just a bit too much and gave me a headache after a while.
They’re not the cure to colorblindness either, that would require my retina to actually pick up the wavelengths I can’t see. The glasses merely increase the difference between certain colors, amazing none the less, but not life changing in terms of color sight.
The glasses feel as if they’re most suited for practical uses. They’re really good for the things you normally can’t do alone, I can see myself using them for lots of things in the future: working on electrical wiring, reading a chart, defusing a bomb or playing trivial pursuit. Being able to do these things alone and without any effort or help is absolutely amazing.
If the glasses are too pricy for you, you can also get separate uncut lenses, small enough to take with you and use whenever you need it. I can see this being really useful in all kinds of situations.
Order Oxy-Iso glasses on mOrder A single Oxy-Iso lens on
Oxy-Iso Vein Finder Glasses – VINO Optics
[Pro-Tip: Try the subscription plan instead, which is essentially a “Subscribe to Own” plan. You’ll get up to two replacement pairs per year if damaged. And you get one lost-replacement each year; and that means you can stop your subscription after a year, keep your “lost” pair, and have paid less overall than buying a pair. A subscription is a win-win. ]
The OXY-ISO specializes in enhanced perception of veins, and is favored by nurses, phlebotomists, paramedics and any medical personnel interested primarily in blood draws; it amplifies oxygenation and veins, but ISOlates perception to the oxygenation signal, and is thus more of a special purpose tool for blood draws. Veins appear to fluoresce, making it also a great tool for training.
For more about the difference between the Oxy-Iso and the Oxy-Amp, see See hundreds of user reviews. And even more here.
About the product
Fully adjustable, comfort frames
Anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings
UV protective
Exceeds ANSI Z87. 1 impact standards
Made in the U. S. A.
So powerful it even works for colorblind folk.
Patented by two U. scientists
~ The Oxy-Iso was designed to amplify perception of the oxygenation signal coming from the blood under the skin. It aids color deficiency because color vision actually evolved to see these oxygenation signals from skin, so as to sense blushes, blanches, etc., a 2006 discovery from O2Amp’s scientists.
~ VINO OPTICS Vein Glasses technology has no batteries, no wires, no special lights. They look just like protective eyewear. But they still take training. You have to acquire experience with how they work, and how to employ white light so that you get enough, and without glare. It takes time. Give yourself a couple weeks. And begin outdoors where lighting is great.
Reviews
UV ProtectionBlocks all light rays with wavelengths up to 400 nanometersMade in USAInvented and patented by scientists from Princeton and CaltechHIGH QUALITYAnti-static, anti-fog, and anti-scratch coatings. Lightweight and fully adjustable
Can Glasses Really Fix Colorblindness? (EnChroma …
Table of Contents
Color Blindness
Can Special Glasses Improve Vision
Brands of Color-Correcting Glasses
Color blindness, also called color vision deficiency, is most often a genetic condition that does not go away; however, there are treatments to improve quality of life.
One treatment involves special glasses, which can change depending on what type of color blindness you have. There are several brands of color-correcting glasses, but it is important to get an eye doctor’s advice and a prescription to determine which ones will work best for you.
What Is Color Blindness & How Is It Diagnosed?
Color blindness, also called color vision deficiency, refers to a spectrum of conditions—to anyone who cannot partially or fully distinguish between certain colors such as:
Orange and yellow
Brown and green
Gray and pink
Blue and purple
There are several types of color-vision deficiency, including red-green deficiency; blue-yellow deficiency; and complete color blindness.
Red-Green Color Vision Deficiency
This is the most-diagnosed type of color blindness. It usually affects a person’s ability to discern between red and green colors. Four types of red-green vision deficiencies exist within the group:
Deuteranomaly is the most prolific type of red-green color blindness. The condition makes green colors appear redder. Deuteranomaly is usually mild and doesn’t significantly affect your day-to-day activities.
Protanomaly is the opposite of deuteranomaly. It makes green colors appear red. Similarly, the condition doesn’t affect your quality of life.
Deuteranopia and protanopia both mean you can’t discern between colors of green and red.
Blue-Yellow Color Blindness
A less-common type of color blindness, this condition affects the ability to differentiate between blue and green and yellow and red colors. Tritanopia and tritanomaly are the two kinds of blue-yellow color blindness.
Complete Color Blindness
Also known as monochromacy, complete color blindness is rare. It affects your ability to discern any colors at all.
Complete color blindness may be accompanied by vision problems such as double vision and blurry vision.
Color Blindness Testing & Diagnosis
Comprehensive eye exams are the only way to receive a diagnosis for color vision deficiency or color blindness. Part of the exam will involve a series of charts called pseudoisochromatic plates, which typically feature several dots of color in different configurations — numbers and shapes, for example. Those with a specific color deficiency will be unable to see the number formed by different colored dots, while someone with normal color vision will see it.
You can download these charts online, but working with an optometrist or ophthalmologist is the best way to understand your form of color vision deficiency, if you have one.
There is no cure for any color vision deficiency if the condition is inherited, but color blindness caused by eye or brain trauma, injury, or illness can potentially improve. Some types of glasses have been created to increase contrast by filtering the light that enters the eye. Sometimes, a person may wear a red contact lens in one eye, which can improve the ability to differentiate between colors. However, eye doctors have criticized some of these glasses recently because the marketing claims are inaccurate.
Can Special Glasses Improve Color Vision for the Colorblind?
Since genetically caused color blindness has no cure, the primary treatments involve learning to live with the condition. For example, you can learn that the “stop” light on a traffic light is at the top, and the “go” signal is at the bottom. Many people with color blindness organize their clothes so they can keep track of which items are supposed to match which others. Reading signs for transportation, maps, or even electronics manuals becomes vital since color-coding might be missed.
In some instances, people with more serious forms of color blindness wear special glasses, which enhance the contrast between colors by filtering out light. For most prescription forms of these glasses, the filtered light serves to distinguish the difference between colors like red and green, but it does not cause the person to truly see the colors as a person with average color vision would.
Some color vision glasses, however, have claimed to improve color vision specifically. Unfortunately, this is not true in most cases.
There are a few brands of color-correcting glasses, most of which are available in stores or online.
EnChroma: This company produces the most popular and famous color-correcting glasses on the market right now, designed specifically to treat red-green color vision deficiency. According to research conducted by the manufacturer, color blindness stems from overlapping response to light in the photoreceptors, which are clustered in the retina and triggered by light. The proprietary optical materials used in EnChroma’s lenses leads to more accurate color perception by allowing the photoreceptors to fire differently when light hits them, so the brain can differentiate between those wavelengths.
EnChroma has faced some controversy when an unaffiliated, unbiased medical study of 48 people with color blindness found that the glasses did not function as advertised. Users in the study reported that they could distinguish colors like red and green from each other with the help of the glasses, but it did not improve their ability to see these colors. Instead, EnChroma glasses heighten the contrast between these colors, so they can be perceived as different. However, other colors became more difficult to distinguish, and subtle shades were lost.
Pilestone: Often touted as an “introductory” pair of color-correcting glasses, this brand is less expensive than EnChroma. The main model treats red-green color blindness, and another model treats blue-yellow color blindness. People who wear Pilestone glasses typically report immediate improvements in their red-green deficiencies, while reviews are mixed for blue-yellow deficiency.
Golden: This brand boasts lightweight frames that are more comfortable than other options. They also enhance more subtle colors, such as pink, which other brands are less proficient with.
The method used by the lenses to filter light makes them unsuitable for people with epilepsy, which is a condition that sometimes causes color blindness. There are some indications that the brand has solicited positive online reviews, so the glasses may not improve color vision as advertised.
Vino: This brand does well correcting both red-green and blue-yellow color blindness, and it has several different lenses available for different uses. These glasses are sometimes used by medical professionals to see veins better for drawing blood. However, colors are typically altered from their natural hues through enhanced contrast rather than true color correction.
ColorCorrection System: This is a trademark system of glasses, developed by an optometrist living in Maryland. The custom filters change the wavelength of the colors as they go into the eyes, so the brain perceives the signals coming from the photoreceptors differently. These glasses are not available at retail sites since they are entirely by prescription and customized to each individual’s form and level of color blindness.
The most effective glasses to treat your color blindness may not be the most famous brand. Instead, talk to your optometrist or ophthalmologist about a prescription along with recommended brands, and try a few if possible. If your optometrist cannot prescribe these glasses, ask for a referral to get a prescription.
References
Color Vision Deficiency. (January 2015). Genetics Home Reference (GHR), National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Color Vision Deficiency. American Optometric Association (AOA).
Facts About Color Blindness: Are There Treatments for Color Blindness? (February 2015). National Eye Institutes (NEI), National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Color Blindness Glasses: Help for the Colorblind? (August 2018). All About Vision.
Best Color Blindness Correction Glasses. (January 2019). Best Reviews.
Debunked the Effectiveness of Glasses for Color Blind People. (October 26, 2018). EurekAlert! The Global Source for Science News.
Red-green color blindness. (June 26, 2019). National Eye Institute.
Gene Therapy for Color Blindness. (December 19, 2017). Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine.
Color Blindness May Soon Be Treatable With a Single Injection. (May 28, 2015). American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Study finds that special filters in glasses can help the color blind see colors better. (June 13, 2020). National Eye Institute.
A Vision of Traffic Lights for Color-Blind People. (2015). The Fourth International Conference on Smart Systems, Devices and Technologies.
The information provided on this page should not be used in place of information provided by a doctor or specialist. To learn more, read our Privacy Policy and Editorial Policy pages.
Frequently Asked Questions about oxy iso
Is Pilestone better than EnChroma?
Pilestone: Often touted as an “introductory” pair of color-correcting glasses, this brand is less expensive than EnChroma. … People who wear Pilestone glasses typically report immediate improvements in their red-green deficiencies, while reviews are mixed for blue-yellow deficiency.Feb 4, 2019
How do vein finder glasses work?
Color-blindness is often a result of a malfunctioning cone that causes wavelengths to overlap even more, resulting in poor color discrimination. The EnChroma glasses use a filter to cut out these overlapping wavelengths, allowing for a clearer distinction between colors, especially red and green.Jun 27, 2016
How do Colour blindness glasses work?
Preliminary research suggests the glasses do work — but not for everyone, and to varying extents. In a small 2017 study of 10 adults with red-green color blindness, results indicated that EnChroma glasses only led to significant improvement in distinguishing colors for two people.Oct 12, 2018
