Post by Willow on Feb 7, 2013 19:26:08 GMT 9.5
Spectacular new lenses 'cure colour-blindness'
From: The Times February 07, 2013 12:52PM
SCIENTISTS believe they have stumbled upon an invention that could transform the lives of those who are colour-blind: a set of glasses that can "cure" many people of their affliction, allowing them to see the full spectrum for the first time.
The high-tech spectacles are the product of years of research into how human sight has developed over centuries.
They help those with "red-green deficiency" - an inability to see some reds and greens - a genetic abnormality thought to affect about 10 per cent of all adult men and a small number of women.
The invention by 2AI Labs, an American research institute, was an accidental discovery. It is the product of work by Mark Changizi, an evolutionary neurobiologist. In 2006, he suggested that humans had evolved the ability to observe subtle changes in skin colour, such as when people blush, giving them a way to detect social cues and work out the emotions of friends or enemies.
Using this research, 2AI Labs developed several different pairs of glasses that could enhance the ability to see "oxygenated blood" in the skin.
"If you squeeze your hand in front of you and let go, you'll see these yellow spots where the blood has been squeezed out and reddish-purple spots where the blood is pooling," Mr Changizi said. "Those are changes in the concentration of the blood."
It was originally thought that these glasses, featuring special "Oxy-Iso" lenses, could be used for medical purposes including identifying veins before taking blood or seeing bruising that might not be immediately visible. Others speculated that the device could be used by police to detect if a suspect was nervous.
However, the scientists found that people with red-green colour-blindness could also use them to observe a full range of colours for the first time.
One researcher, Daniel Bor from the University of Sussex, said that the glasses allowed him to pass the familiar check for colour-blindness, called the Ishihara Colour Test, where patients are shown plates that feature a circle of dots.
Glasses with Oxy-Iso lenses are already on sale, with a pair costing dollars $270.
However, while the lenses enhance the ability to see reds and greens, they also downgrade the ability to see yellows and blues.
2AI Labs is working on solving such issues but in the meantime Mr Changizi said it was up to colour-blind customers to decide whether they were useful.
He said: "It will be interesting to know how people react - what it is like to be colour-blind, to be used to the world being one way your entire life, and then suddenly putting these on."
From: The Times February 07, 2013 12:52PM
SCIENTISTS believe they have stumbled upon an invention that could transform the lives of those who are colour-blind: a set of glasses that can "cure" many people of their affliction, allowing them to see the full spectrum for the first time.
The high-tech spectacles are the product of years of research into how human sight has developed over centuries.
They help those with "red-green deficiency" - an inability to see some reds and greens - a genetic abnormality thought to affect about 10 per cent of all adult men and a small number of women.
The invention by 2AI Labs, an American research institute, was an accidental discovery. It is the product of work by Mark Changizi, an evolutionary neurobiologist. In 2006, he suggested that humans had evolved the ability to observe subtle changes in skin colour, such as when people blush, giving them a way to detect social cues and work out the emotions of friends or enemies.
Using this research, 2AI Labs developed several different pairs of glasses that could enhance the ability to see "oxygenated blood" in the skin.
"If you squeeze your hand in front of you and let go, you'll see these yellow spots where the blood has been squeezed out and reddish-purple spots where the blood is pooling," Mr Changizi said. "Those are changes in the concentration of the blood."
It was originally thought that these glasses, featuring special "Oxy-Iso" lenses, could be used for medical purposes including identifying veins before taking blood or seeing bruising that might not be immediately visible. Others speculated that the device could be used by police to detect if a suspect was nervous.
However, the scientists found that people with red-green colour-blindness could also use them to observe a full range of colours for the first time.
One researcher, Daniel Bor from the University of Sussex, said that the glasses allowed him to pass the familiar check for colour-blindness, called the Ishihara Colour Test, where patients are shown plates that feature a circle of dots.
Glasses with Oxy-Iso lenses are already on sale, with a pair costing dollars $270.
However, while the lenses enhance the ability to see reds and greens, they also downgrade the ability to see yellows and blues.
2AI Labs is working on solving such issues but in the meantime Mr Changizi said it was up to colour-blind customers to decide whether they were useful.
He said: "It will be interesting to know how people react - what it is like to be colour-blind, to be used to the world being one way your entire life, and then suddenly putting these on."