EnChroma Unveils New Kid’s Trial Kit and Color Blind Test for Kids

At Vision Expo West, booth #19077, EnChroma, Inc. – creators of the only eyewear for color blindness backed by science – today announced the EnChroma® Kid’s Kit and a new kid-friendly color blind test for more easily testing children ages 5+ for color blindness. Science-based, high-performance EnChroma eyewear enables the estimated 350 million people in the world with red-green color blindness to experience an expanded range of clear, vibrant and distinct color.

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Kid-Friendly Shape Option in EnChroma Color Blindness Test (Photo: Business Wire)

Color vision develops early in infancy, but until a child can name colors or numbers it is challenging for a parent, teacher or eye care professional (ECP) to learn if a child is color vision deficient (CVD). As a result, many children with color blindness go undiagnosed. To solve this problem, EnChroma unveiled a new feature for its online color blindness test that enables younger children to take the test in “shape mode,” in which identifying simple geometric shapes (square, circle, triangle) replace the standard numeric symbols.

Designed for optometrists and opticians, the new EnChroma Kid’s Kit is a convenient trialing and fitting kit containing the EnChroma lenses most appropriate for red-green color blindness in the four most popular EnChroma frames for children. The Kid’s Kit is only available through our network of 250 EnChroma Authorized Retailers.

“Learning is heavily color-based, so it is critical to find out early if a child is color blind,” said Mark Mattison-Shupnick, Master Optician and Vice President of Business Development for EnChroma. “The EnChroma Color Blindness Test for kids, and Kid’s Trial Kit, enable an eye care professional to quickly identify a child’s type of color vision deficiency. Then, the child can try EnChroma glasses to experience their benefits, which really helps parents quickly grasp the diagnosis, problem and solution.”

One in 12 men, and one in 200 women, are color blind. Invented in 2010, EnChroma lenses are engineered with special optical filters to remove wavelengths of light where the red and green cones in the eye have excessive overlap. This enhances the separation between color channels to help those with color vision deficiency see colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly, helping them to overcome everyday obstacles and frustrations and access more of life’s colorful experiences.

Better Color Blind Test for Kids

Many young children may not yet be able to identify numbers or name colors when their vision is tested. Therefore EnChroma – inventor of the most used online color blind test in the world – created a test that offers eye care professionals, educators and parents the ability to choose to have their child, patient or student try to identify colorful shapes as well as numbers. Unlike traditional color vision screening tests, the EnChroma color blindness test can detect color blindness, its type and severity in under two minutes.

“Ishihara has been a good screening test, but it is 100 years old and does not leverage the benefits of today’s computer-based adaptive testing protocols,” said Andy Schmeder, Co-founder and CEO of EnChroma. “EnChroma has learned a lot about the most efficient way to test for type and extent of color blindness. Our test deters memorization and cheating and can be self-administered on a phone or laptop, providing efficiency and flexibility for busy clinicians, educators and parents. EnChroma continues to apply our science-based approach to developing new tools and products that facilitate detecting color blindness and mitigating its challenges.”

Experience Color Blindness with Innovative Simulator

To help people understand how color blind people see the world, our new EnChroma Color Blind Simulator will be available for attendees of Vision Expo West to experience color blindness and the impact of EnChroma glasses firsthand at our booth. The unique, high-tech 8-foot simulator replicates the effects of moderate red-green color blindness.

Eye Care Professionals Panel on Color Blindness & EnChroma

On Friday, September 20, from 10am-11am, at booth #19077, EnChroma will host a panel so eye care professionals can hear directly from their peers about how prescribing and selling EnChroma positively impacts their patients, revenues and overall practice. From the panel, vision professionals will learn how offering EnChroma glasses:

• Differentiates practices by providing a new solution for color blindness
• Attracts new customers, often first time eyeglasses wearers, and families
• Meets a previously unmet need
• Creates positive patient experiences for staff

To learn about the opportunity to serve color blind patients with EnChroma, experience our Color Blindness Simulator, try EnChroma glasses, and learn about our new Kid’s Kit and kid-friendly color blind test, stop by booth #19077.

About EnChroma

Based in Berkeley, Calif., EnChroma makes cutting-edge lens technology and eyewear for color blindness. Established in 2010 by a Ph.D. glass scientist and a mathematician, EnChroma’s revolutionary glasses combine the latest in color perception neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with color vision deficiency around the world. EnChroma received a SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and earned the 2016 Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration in recognition of the firm’s innovative impact on the human experience through technology. EnChroma also received the 2017 Beacons of the Photonics Industry Award from Photonics Media. For more information please call 510-497-0048 or visit EnChroma.com.

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