Colourblindness – while technically not a blindness at all – is something that affects people in ways the rest of us could never imagine. For those with the vision impairment, they have difficulty distinguishing certain colours from others. While a deficiency in distinguishing red and green is most common, colourblindness can be across other colours too.
Films like Little Miss Sunshine give an insight into some of the limitations colourblindness brings when Dwayne learns he can't become a pilot. But perhaps most devastating of all, is that people living with colourblindness will never know what some colours are, and they can't possibly imagine what it's like to see them.
So what happens if you are given the opportunity to see colour, for the very first time? Well, this touching video gives us an idea. It features two brothers who are both colourblind that try on a pair of glasses with technology that allows them to see colour for the very first time. And it's very emotional.
The two brothers are in the backyard, with the rest of their family gathered around, holding colourful balloons and a multicoloured towel.
First, it's Jimmy who puts on the glasses. His family tells him to close his eyes first, and then open them to look at the balloons and blanket after he's put the glasses on. Jimmy opens his eyes and after a short moment puts his hands over his mouth in an emotional response. He looks too overwhelmed to speak, and instead turns to Jase to hug him.
After a while, Jimmy hands his brother the glasses, who puts them on and turns to look at the balloons and towel himself. Jase too breaks down, and turns to his brother immediately to embrace him, tears falling down his face in reaction to being able to see colour for the first time.
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Looking over Jimmy's shoulder, Jase lifts the glasses up and puts them back on to compare what he's actually seeing, and he sobs that it's very bright and "So different". The two brothers continue to shed tears, clearly overwhelmed with joy by the new experience.
Jase passes the glasses back to Jimmy, who puts them on again. Their other brother Ryan, who is holding the towel, comes closer so Jimmy can take a closer look. Then, their mother asks Ryan to turn around, pointing at the numbers on the back of his t-shirt, and telling him "That's orange". Their father then points to a logo on the t-shirt, and asks what colour it is.
Jimmy hesitates, and then replies "blue", correctly pointing out the colour that's only been introduced to his sight moments before. He starts weeping again, this time turning to his father for a hug. The boys' mother filmed the emotional moment in their backyard, posting it online and calling it a "special [and] emotional moment".
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The glasses that the boys tried on are a type of specialty eyewear "that alleviates red-green colourblindness" by a brand called EnChroma. The glasses also enhance how those with colourblindess perceive different colours, meaning they'll have a close idea to what it's like to see a full spectrum of colours.
In 2015, a colourblind dad told Upworthy that was "like finally seeing a painting finished that you had looked at for 30 years unfinished" after he put on a pair himself. I imagine it would have been a similar feeling for Jimmy and Jase, who seems too overwhelmed to speak a the moment of seeing colour so vividly.
