Enchroma glasses correct Sask. man’s colour blindness

For more than 60 years, Pambrun’s Robin Fraser walked through life never seeing all colours of the rainbow.

Growing up, Robin said he didn’t give his colour blindness much thought, but does remember times when his intelligence would be questioned because of it.

“I couldn’t seem to remember what colours the teacher was telling me each colour was, and she thought I was stupid,” he recalled, adding that it was then when he realized he couldn’t see red and green.

Being what he calls “50 per cent colour blind” was something Robin learned to live with — until about a year and a half ago.

One day while perusing the web, his daughter, Tana, and her partner discovered Enchroma lenses, which alleviate red-green colour blindness.

From there, Robin took the online colour blind tests and went on to order the lenses to match the prescription of his normal glasses.

Robin said he’ll never forget the first time he put them on — he went straight for the television.

“I was watching the hockey game and the players had red and green sweaters on, and I could tell them apart,” he said, adding that his particular lenses show colours best on television and computer screens.

Once football season rolled around, Tana said it was neat watching her dad take in a Roughriders game in full colour.

“He’s never even seen Rider green, and my dad’s a huge Rider fan,” she said.

When it comes to being outside, Robin explained the colours aren’t as crisp, but it’s still like living in a different world.

“(Now) when I drive around, I see red buildings that I didn’t notice before,” he said, adding that he even bought a new red truck after getting the fresh frames.

Robin said he’d never go back to normal lenses again.

“It’s hard for anybody who isn’t colour blind to appreciate the fact that you can actually see the colours that they’ve always been able to see,” he explained.

Now that he has the everyday rose-coloured Enchroma lenses, Robin said he’s looking to get the matching sunglasses so he can live life in colour both inside and out.