Footage captures colour-blind father seeing his son in all his glory

Emotional moment colour-blind father sees his toddler son clearly for the first time ever after being surprised with a pair of pioneering glasses

• Micah Hicks was tearful after being surprised with EnChroma glasses
• The EnChroma glasses, sold in the US, cost in the region of £260 ($350) 
• Mr Hicks, of Days Creek in Oregon, reportedly has total colour blindness 

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Emotional footage has captured a colour-blind father seeing his son in all his glory for the first time ever.

Micah Hicks was on the brink of tears after being surprised with a pair of EnChroma glasses from his partner, Natasha Daily.

The EnChroma glasses, which cost in the region of £260 ($350), use a filter to allow wearers clearer distinction between colours.

Mr Hicks, 22, from Days Creek in Oregon, reportedly has total colour blindness – the inability to see any colour at all.

Micah Hicks was on the brink of tears after being surprised with a pair of EnChroma glasses from his partner, Natasha Daily. The EnChroma glasses, which cost in the region of £260 ($350), use a filter to allow wearers clearer distinction between colours

Commenting on the two-minute long video, Ms Daily said: ‘He’s able to see colours like us now. He sees our son like I do.’

Ms Daily, also 22, revealed she bought the EnChroma glasses, which claim to ‘unlock a new world of colour’, after three days of fundraising. 

She said: ‘These glasses were something we’d always talked about, right from when he first told me he was colour blind.

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‘I read other success stories and told myself, if other people were able to get them for their loved ones, it’s worth a shot.’

Colour blindness affects approximately one in 12 men (eight per cent) and one in 200 women in the world, according to figures. 

Most patients struggle to differentiate between certain colours from birth, but, in rare cases, it can develop later in life.

Mr Hicks, 22, from Days Creek in Oregon, reportedly has total colour blindness – the inability to see any colour at all. Most patients find it hard to distinguish between red and green, and blue and yellow as colours often appear much duller

The EnChroma glasses, which cost in the region of £260 ($350), use a filter to allow wearers clearer distinction between colours

It is more common in men, affecting around one in 12 men compared to one in 200 women, as it is often passed on by parents through the X chromosome.

Being colour blind does not have a direct impact on health – and most people gently adapt to the condition over time.

Notable celebrities such as Prince William, Keanu Reeves and Eddie Redmayne have confessed to having a colour vision deficiency.

Most patients find it hard to distinguish between red and green, and blue and yellow as colours often appear much duller.

But a handful are unable to distinguish any colour at all, such as Mr Hicks. These patients can only see things in shades of black and white.  

It comes after Spanish scientists warned earlier this week that EnChroma glasses do not improve colour vision for those who are colour blind. 

EnChroma states its glasses ‘alleviate red‑green color blindness, enhancing colors without the compromise of color accuracy’.

But University of Granada researchers pointed out that the firm claims its glasses ‘may not work’ for severe red‑green deficiency. 

They are not a cure for color blindness and EnChroma says ‘results vary depending on the type and extent of color vision deficiency per individual’.

The scientists said colour blind people using the EnChroma glasses will not perceive new colors, but rather the will see the same colors in a different way.

WHAT IS COLOUR BLINDNESS?

Approximately one in 20 people suffer from colour blindness, a condition that makes the world a duller place to look at.

According to the NHS, it affects 1 in 200 women in the world and 1 in 12 men.

There are four kinds of colour blindness known as protanopia, dueteranopia, tritanopia and achromatopsia.

Protanopia 

Protanopia involves defective or absent long-wavelength cones in the retina; these photoreceptor cones are responsible for the perception of red light. Protans find it difficult to distinguish between red and green colours, and also between blue and green. 

Deuteranopia 

Deuteranopia is a condition where the green photoreceptor cone is missing from the retina. As a result, it is much harder for deutans to distinguish green from red, as well as some grays, purples and a greenish blue. Along with protanopia this is one of the most common forms of colour blindness. 

Tritanopia 

Tritanopia is a complete lack of the short-wavelength cones in the retina that receive blue light. People with this very rare form of colour blindness confuse light blues with greys, dark purples with black, mid-greens with blues and oranges with reds.   

Achromatopsia 

People with total acromatopsia cannot perceive any colours at all and can only observe the world in black and white and shades of gray.

The retina of the eye has two types of light-sensitive cells; rods and cones. 

Both are found the layer at the back of your eye which processes images. 

Rods work in low light conditions, but cones work in daylight and are responsible for colour. People who have colour blindness have a problem with the cones in their retina. 

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