Do colour-blind glasses actually work?
Some people report stronger contrast outdoors. Standard tests show little or no change. They don't treat or cure anything.
Updated Sep 14, 2026 · by Marcus V., deutan, data-viz designer
Editor reviewed
What the glasses do
Colour-enhancing glasses use notch filters that cut a band of wavelengths where red and green cone responses overlap. For some anomalous trichromats that can increase the perceived separation between reds and greens in bright light.
What the studies find
Small controlled trials generally find that wearers report more vivid colours outdoors, while performance on standard plate tests and colour-arrangement tests changes little or not at all. Effects are smaller or absent for dichromats and for tritan types, and indoors the filters mostly darken the scene.
What that means for buying
They may be worth trying if you have an anomalous red-green difference, spend time outdoors, and can return them if they don't help. They are not a fix for exams, licences or work that requires normal colour vision. Use the return window.
Our position
We don't score these products until a professional reviewer has signed off on this page. Until then, this is information, not a recommendation.
What the science says
- Gómez-Robledo et al. (2018) found no improvement on Ishihara or Farnsworth-Munsell tests with EnChroma lenses across 48 participants, while some reported subjective changes.
- Martínez-Domingo et al. (2019) reported changes in the appearance of colours but no normalisation of colour vision.
- Manufacturer-sponsored surveys report high satisfaction outdoors; they are not controlled trials.