Unfortunately it comes down to biology and physics. People with colorblindness lack some kinds of photoreceptors that are sensitive to certain wavelengths of light. No passive set of glasses is going to be able to overcome the biological lack of photoreceptors. At best they might alter the appearance of some colors that distinguishes them where a person with colorblindness wouldn't otherwise be able to discriminate. But you'd need a different design of glasses for every kind of colorblindness.
posted by adoarns at 8:28 AM on December 27 [1 favorite]

Just started the video, and all those news reports saying people are "seeing color for the first time," is driving me nuts. That's not how color-blindness works!
posted by Well I never at 8:29 AM on December 27 [2 favorites]

That's not how color-blindness works!

I had an uncle who had no color vision at all, no glasses were ever going to fix that. On the other hand, I didn't know I was color blind until I failed the test the school nurse administered in first grade. In a way it's like any other vision issue, everyone is different. Regardless, you can live a rich, full life no matter how colors appear to you, my uncle certainly did.
posted by tommasz at 10:11 AM on December 27 [1 favorite]

Food scientist Anne Readon published a debunking of these glasses earlier this year, featuring her eldest son who is red-green colorblind.
posted by muddgirl at 10:37 AM on December 27 [3 favorites]

I've seen those reaction videos like everyone else, so I was skeptical of his skepticism, but it does indeed look like a scam industry. Nice rabbit hole.
posted by zardoz at 1:20 PM on December 27

You mean this movie wasn't real?!?!?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:48 PM on December 27

It would probably be too disorienting to be useful, but it occurs to me that if you had lenses with a different notch filter for each eye you'd be able to use that to discriminate between colors that would otherwise appear identical. Would work for folks without color deficiency too - you could become able to tell the difference between monochromatic yellow light and red+green, for example.
posted by NMcCoy at 1:59 PM on December 27 [1 favorite]

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