# I'd like to buy someone a pair of Enchroma glasses.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [September 27, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018 "2018-09-27T13:40:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/1 "2018-09-27T13:40:43Z")
This post has prior mod approval. The SDMB is in no way responsible for any of this.
I’m not ashamed (not much anyways) to admit that watching the Enchroma glasses videos usually hit me right in the feels and I’d like to help someone out that is colorblind. So, I’m offering to buy someone a pair.
I have a few conditions.
1. I’d rather not buy them for a small child. Before you “Boo hiss” me, please let me explain. The glasses DO NOT work for everyone. According to their website, they work for about 80% of people that try them. The results are not always immediate. It can take hours or even days for the wearer to experience the full effect. If they didn’t work, I don’t think that I could handle the disappointment that it might bring to a child. Adults can be made to understand that they might not work. And let’s face it, most adults are pretty used to being disappointed from time to time.
2. If you (or your friend) are the recipient of the glasses and they don’t work, you agree to return them to Enchroma. I’ll get my money back and we’ll try again with someone else.
3. I would prefer that the recipient fall into the “Moderate to Strong” colorblind category. I do this because with “Mild” colorblindness, there’s not much difference and with “Severe” colorblindness, there’s a good chance that they won’t work at all. [Link to colorblind test.](https://enchroma.com/pages/test)
Expected FAQ’s.
1. Do you need to know the recipient? No, if you know them, that’s good enough for me.
2. Do they have to do a video? No, that’s up to them. I have my preference but it’s not a requirement.
3. How many pairs will you be buying? I’ll start with one and see how it goes. I don’t have any other plans. I’m not made of money.
4. How will you decide who to pick? I’m not sure. It may very well be the first person that meets the above criteria. I really don’t know. I haven’t put that much thought into it.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/2 "2018-09-27T19:01:33Z")
I thought it said “Enchilada Glasses”. :smack:
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/3 "2018-09-27T19:28:46Z")
As I would like new, cool glasses, I passed ( failed) the color blind test. I have normal color vision. It’s a good thing, as I am an artist. And I prefer not run redlights.:(🙂
ETA I hope someone really deserving gets them.
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### Author:  [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/4 "2018-09-27T20:10:21Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> I thought it said “Enchilada Glasses”. :smack:
Enchiladas in the blender… Nah. 🙂
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/5 "2018-09-27T20:36:51Z")
The first question is what kind of color blindness, it should only work for deuteranomaly or protanomaly. If they have severe deficits it won’t work at all. So do they rarely make color confusions or is it a daily event?
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### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/6 "2018-09-27T21:10:13Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> The first question is what kind of color blindness, it should only work for deuteranomaly or protanomaly. If they have severe deficits it won’t work at all. So do they rarely make color confusions or is it a daily event?
“I know some of these words.”
I’m counting on the test in the OP being able to determine if the glasses will work.
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### Author:  [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/7 "2018-09-27T21:40:00Z")
For what it’s worth, I have a friend who got really excited over those and insisted on buying a pair for my brother (who is colorblind). My brother doesn’t really care for them. He’s used to the way he sees the world, and doesn’t really want to change the way everything looks. I hope you can find someone who feels differently about it.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/8 "2018-09-27T21:55:53Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#):
>
> “I know some of these words.”
>
> I’m counting on the test in the OP being able to determine if the glasses will work.
“Are you colorblind”?
“Yes, absolutely” = probably won’t work for them.
“I think so? Some people say I see color weird?” = might work.
Also by necessity you should probably be a little sexist, “someone” is going to be male.
From going through the test, I would’ve liked if it were adaptive. It should get harder so that on some trials even color normal people are guessing. Along with the caveat that your monitor is crap for representing color.
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### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/9 "2018-09-27T22:49:27Z")
> [@ENugent](#):
>
> For what it’s worth, I have a friend who got really excited over those and insisted on buying a pair for my brother (who is colorblind). My brother doesn’t really care for them. He’s used to the way he sees the world, and doesn’t really want to change the way everything looks. I hope you can find someone who feels differently about it.
In that case, I’d hope that the recipient returned them.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/10 "2018-09-27T23:31:05Z")
I would love to do this for my brother but I have a feeling he’s in the “severe” category.
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### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/11 "2018-09-28T00:34:08Z")
> [@Loach](#):
>
> I would love to do this for my brother but I have a feeling he’s in the “severe” category.
It wouldn’t hurt to take the test and find out.
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### Author:  [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/12 "2018-09-28T00:55:19Z")
I’ll take them but I’m old (49) and maybe severe.
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### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/13 "2018-09-28T01:30:02Z")
> [@Isamu](#):
>
> I’ll take them but I’m old (49) and maybe severe.
You’re younger than I am (55). Feel free to take the test if you’re interested.
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### Author:  [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/14 "2018-09-28T01:35:34Z")
I just did.
STRONG DEUTAN
Don’t worry! We got you covered.
What is a deutan?
Deutans are people with deuteranomaly, a type of red-green color blindness in which the green cones do not detect enough green and are too sensitive to yellows, oranges, and reds.
As a result, greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and browns may appear similar, especially in low light. It can also be difficult to tell the difference between blues and purples, or pinks and grays.
Send this test result to your email
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### Author:  [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/15 "2018-09-28T01:51:50Z")
I would like to try them out for a week and send them on to someone else. I had thought about getting a pair before but … always put it off as an unnecessary expense.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/16 "2018-09-28T04:49:19Z")
I wonder about these glasses. I don’t think they’d work on me because my colourblindness is so subtle, as far as I can tell I can see things as they ought to be except in very specific circumstances where certain shades of dull reds and greens blend together.
But then again, the videos seem to suggest there may be more to colours than even I realise and maybe they’d work better than I think.
I don’t need or want them, but I’d be curious to test them out one day.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/17 "2018-09-28T06:15:06Z")
Deutan means problems with the M cone (green…ish). It does not just mean deuteranomaly. Either in that case it’s shifted towards long wavelengths, or the cone is missing, in which case that’s deuteranopia. The latter is a stronger deficit and unlikely to be helped by these glasses. You can’t shift what isn’t there.
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> I wonder about these glasses. I don’t think they’d work on me because my colourblindness is so subtle, as far as I can tell I can see things as they ought to be except in very specific circumstances where certain shades of dull reds and greens blend together.
>
> But then again, the videos seem to suggest there may be more to colours than even I realise and maybe they’d work better than I think.
>
> I don’t need or want them, but I’d be curious to test them out one day.
So you probably have a shifted M or L cone (deuteranomalous or protanomalous), and the rest of your visual system is enough to compensate most of the time. You might see some benefit from these, but it’s probably not huge enough to invest some money in them. The crying tears of joy videos are a bit overblown; some people might do so but most are “eh, pretty cool.” Seeing Drop Bears in a new light might lead to tears of fear, though.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/18 "2018-09-28T08:53:42Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> Seeing Drop Bears in a new light might lead to tears of fear, though.
They mostly come out at night. Mostly.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/19 "2018-09-28T08:55:21Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> They mostly come out at night. Mostly.
Nuke the entire site from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure.
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### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-someone-a-pair-of-enchroma-glasses/822018/20 "2018-09-28T14:01:07Z")
> [@Isamu](#):
>
> I would like to try them out for a week and send them on to someone else. I had thought about getting a pair before but … always put it off as an unnecessary expense.
That’s good enough for me. If you’d like to go to their website, pick out a pair that works for you and PM me the details of what they are and where to ship them, they’re yours for as long as you want.
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