Short answer: not yet. There is currently no approved cure for inherited color blindness. Gene therapy has restored color vision in animals and is in early-stage human trials for achromatopsia. Color blind glasses can enhance color distinction but do not fix the underlying genetics. Here's where the science actually stands.
Current Status at a Glance
Gene Therapy
Animal models proven. Human trials in early stages for achromatopsia. Red-green CVD: no human trials yet.
Color Blind Glasses
Enhance color distinction for some users. Not a cure — effects only last while wearing them. Don't work for everyone.
Medication / Surgery
No drugs or surgical procedures exist that treat inherited color blindness. Acquired CVD may improve if the underlying cause is treated.
Gene Therapy: The Most Promising Path
Gene therapy is the closest thing to a potential cure. The idea is straightforward: color blindness is caused by missing or defective opsin genes in the retinal cone cells. If you can deliver a working copy of that gene to the right cells, you could theoretically restore normal color vision. And in animal models, it actually works.
The Neitz Monkey Study (2009)
In 2009, researchers Jay and Maureen Neitz at the University of Washington used an AAV (adeno-associated virus) vector to deliver the human L-opsin gene to the retinas of adult male squirrel monkeys that were naturally red-green color blind. The monkeys gained the ability to distinguish red from green — a color they had never seen before — and retained this ability for over two years of follow-up.
This was groundbreaking because it proved two things: (1) adding a single gene could create a new class of color perception in an adult brain, and (2) the adult visual cortex has enough plasticity to process the new signal without being "trained" during a critical developmental window.
Human Trials: Where We Are
Human gene therapy trials are underway — but they're targeting achromatopsia (complete color blindness), not the more common red-green forms. Achromatopsia is a simpler target because it's caused by well-characterized mutations in a single gene (CNGB3 or CNGA3), and the cone cells are still present but non-functional.
AGTC (Applied Genetic Technologies Corp)
Phase 1/2 trials targeting CNGB3-associated achromatopsia. Subretinal injection of AAV vector. Generally safe at lower doses in both adults and children. Higher doses in children showed dose-limiting inflammation (uveitis), managed with steroids.
MeiraGTx
Phase 1/2 trials for both CNGA3 and CNGB3 achromatopsia. Some patients showed biological activity and reported improvements in light sensitivity. Intraocular inflammation was the main adverse event, resolved with treatment. Focus on treating younger patients due to greater visual plasticity.
Why not red-green color blindness?
Red-green CVD (protanopia, deuteranopia) is more complex to treat in humans. The opsin genes sit in a tandem array on the X chromosome, and the mutations involve gene deletions, rearrangements, or hybrid genes — not simple point mutations. There are also ethical hurdles: red-green CVD isn't a disease that causes suffering, so the risk-benefit calculation for retinal surgery is harder to justify. No human trials for red-green CVD are currently registered.
Color Blind Glasses: What They Actually Do
Glasses from companies like EnChroma, Pilestone, and VINO use notch filter technology — they selectively block specific wavelengths of light where red and green cone sensitivity overlaps. This can increase the perceived contrast between reds and greens, making some colors appear more vivid or distinguishable.
What they can do
- • Enhance color distinction for mild-to-moderate anomalous trichromats
- • Make some colors appear more vivid
- • Help with everyday tasks like picking ripe fruit or reading color-coded charts
- • Provide a meaningful subjective improvement for some users
What they cannot do
- • Cure or treat color blindness
- • Work for severe dichromats (protanopia, deuteranopia)
- • Provide normal color vision
- • Help you pass occupational color vision tests (prohibited by FAA and most employers)
- • Work after you take them off
Independent research has produced mixed results on whether these glasses improve objective performance on clinical color vision tests. The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that they do not repair or change the underlying biology. For more details, see our color blind glasses review.
Acquired vs. Inherited: Can Acquired Color Blindness Be Reversed?
Acquired color blindness — caused by medications, eye diseases, or neurological conditions rather than genetics — sometimes can improve if the underlying cause is addressed:
The key difference: acquired CVD sometimes improves because the cone cells may still be functional but impaired. Inherited CVD means the cones were never fully functional to begin with — which is why gene therapy (replacing the defective gene) is the only realistic path to a cure. Learn more about the genetics in our color blindness inheritance guide.
Realistic Timeline: When Could a Cure Happen?
Achromatopsia (complete color blindness)
Gene therapy trials are in Phase 1/2. If results are positive and consistent, a treatment could potentially reach approval within 5-10 years. But regulatory approval for retinal gene therapies takes time — Luxturna (for a different retinal condition) took over a decade from first trials to FDA approval in 2017.
Red-green color blindness
No human trials have started. The science works in monkeys (Neitz study), but the jump to human trials requires solving delivery challenges, ethical review, and regulatory approval for a condition that doesn't cause medical harm. Realistic estimate: 10-20+ years, if it happens at all.
Blue-yellow color blindness (tritanopia)
Extremely rare (~0.01% of population). No gene therapy research is specifically targeting tritanopia. Given the small patient population, a commercial therapy is unlikely in the near term.
Common Questions
Will CRISPR cure color blindness?
CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that could theoretically correct the mutations causing color blindness. However, retinal gene therapy currently uses AAV vectors to add a working gene copy, not CRISPR editing. CRISPR-based approaches for retinal conditions are in very early research stages and face significant delivery and safety challenges in the eye.
Do color blind glasses work for everyone?
No. They work best for people with mild-to-moderate anomalous trichromacy (deuteranomaly or protanomaly). They generally don't work for dichromats (people missing an entire cone type) or for tritanopia. Results vary significantly between individuals.
Can children outgrow color blindness?
No. Inherited color blindness is caused by genetic mutations present from birth and remains stable throughout life. A child who tests as color blind at age 5 will have the same condition at age 50. The only exception is acquired CVD from a temporary cause.
Are there any supplements or vitamins that help?
No supplements, vitamins, or dietary changes can cure or improve inherited color blindness. Some products marketed online make these claims — they are not supported by any peer-reviewed evidence. Don't waste your money.
What can I do right now if I'm color blind?
Use tools to work with your condition rather than against it. Color blindness simulators help you communicate your experience to others. Accessibility features in your phone (iOS and Android both have color filters). Specialized apps can identify colors in real-time using your camera.
Understand Your Color Vision
While we wait for a cure, understanding your specific type and severity of color blindness helps you use the right tools and communicate with others about what you see.