NOW WE MOVE ON TO A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF DISCOVERY.
IT DIDN’T BREAK ANY RECORDS, BUT FOR ONE IOWA BOY IS LIFE CHANGING: 4TH GRADER CAYSON IRLBECK DISCOVERED COLOR. THAT’S BECAUSE, UNTIL RECENTLY, HE SUFFERED FROM SEVERE COLOR BLINDNESS. COLOR BLINDNESS IS JUST AS IT SOUNDS: A DEFECT IN THE ABILITY TO SEE COLOR. THE CONDITION CAN BE PARTIAL – SOME PEOPLE CANNOT SEE THE COLORS RED AND GREEN. BUT, FOR CAYSON, IT WAS COMPLETE – THAT MEANS HE SAW ALL COLORS AS GRAY…UNTIL THE DAY HE PUT ON A COLORFUL NEW PAIR OF GLASSES. MARCUS MCINTOSH HAS THE STORY OF A LIFE CHANGED.
THE DECADE CAYSON IRLBECK HAS BEEN ALIVE FOR THE LARGE PART THIS HAS BEEN THE 4TH GRADER'S WORLD VIEW...NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLUES AND PURPLES...AND REDS AND GREENS... WE HAVE HOME VIDEO OF THE MOMENT EARLIER THIS MONTH HIS VIEW CHANGED...
Cayson Irlbeck/ Color Blind since Birth "It was instant...I knew right away something had changed...How bright everything was."
THE COLORS ARE NOW VIVID...CAYSON SEES EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.
Cayson Irlbeck/ Color Blind since Birth "Green..blue...orange..red..white...yellow." "That was so amazing...It was so colorful...It was weird I had never seen those colors before but I kind of knew what they were I don't know it was just awesome." Aaron Irlbeck/ Cayson's Father "Just to be able to see all of a sudden a whole new world opened up for him...Obviously it was very emotional."
ALL DUE TO SOME INTERNET RESEARCH SPARKED BY CAYSON...LEADING THE IRLBECKS TO THE CALIFORNIA-BASED ENCHROMA COMPANY AND THESE GLASSES..
Cayson Irlbeck/ Color Blind since Birth "I wear them at home..take them on drives so I can see the stop lights."
RESEARCH INDICATED THE GLASSES HAD A 50/50 CHANCE OF WORKING... FOR THE IRLBECK'S IT WAS $300 DOLLARS VERY WELL SPENT..
Aaron Irlbeck/ Cayson's Father "It's been an incredible week for him watching cartoons...He didn't realize the marsh mellows in his lucky charms had color on them."
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF FIRST SINCE CAYSON GOT THE ENCHROMA GLASSES, HE SAW HIS FIRST SUNRISE...AND WILL EVENTUALLY SEE HIS FIRST RAINBOW..
Cayson Irlbeck/ Color Blind since Birth
"That day changed my life."
SHOWING HIM A WORLD HE HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
Instructional Links
Online Reference Book Article: EBSCOhost, Consumer Health Complete, Color Blindness | May need password.
Website Article & Video: KidsHealth, What’s It Like to Be Color Blind
Website: Color Blindness | Includes explanation, tests, treatments
Lesson Plan: American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science Links, Lesson 3, All Those Seeing Color, Say Eye! | Middle school science lesson.