From Hungarian Tomatoes to Transforming Colour Blindness

The Colour Vision Revolution: How Hungarian Tomatoes Transformed Eye CareWelcome to a revolutionary episode of the podcast that will change how optical professionals approach colour vision deficiency. Joined by Balazs Komolka and Mate Sabo from ColorOn, Garry Kousoulou explores a scientific breakthrough that turns a failed Ishihara test from a clinical dead end into a life-changing opportunity.Colour deficiency affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 400 women. Despite its prevalence, it remains heavily shrouded in stigma. For decades, the optical industry has lacked an accessible, real-time solution to enhance a patient's colour perception in the testing room. That narrative changes today.The genesis of ColorOn did not start in an optical laboratory, but in the agricultural export market of 1980s Eastern Europe. When East Germany rejected shipments of Hungarian tomato puree for "not being red enough," the Technical University in Budapest was commissioned to create an objective "tomato purimeter" to measure redness. Having successfully mastered red light filtering for agriculture, the research team asked a bold question."The people and this researcher at Budapest Technical University asked, 'Okay, what do we do next? Because we have this knowledge about red light and red filtering... What can we use this for?' And there was a wild idea. Maybe let's check the human eye." (Mate Sabo)Early human research was flawed because the medical literature incorrectly assumed colour blindness was caused by missing or weak photoreceptors. The Hungarian researchers discovered that in over 99 percent of cases (specifically red-green deficiency), the cones are not missing. Instead, their sensitivity has shifted. Red shifts towards green, and green shifts towards red. This overlap creates a muddy "confusion zone."ColorOn lenses do not cure colour blindness. Because it is impossible to alter the biological sensors without gene therapy, the lenses manipulate the external stimuli before it reaches the eye. They act as highly sophisticated filters that cut out the specific wavelengths causing the confusion zone.When a patient first tries the ColorOn lenses, a crucial biological process must occur. Initially, their entire field of vision will appear tinted. However, within one to two minutes, the brain undergoes chromatic adaptation to achieve "white balance." Once the brain recalibrates and white balance is reached, the Ishihara test is presented again, frequently resulting in highly emotional reactions."Then the brain starts the adaptation... the white balance comes back again and this is when we can go for a second time Ishihara check... you see the happiness of a child on their faces because it is truly the first experience they see colour differentiation." (Balazs Komolka)Extensive patient surveys revealed that 83 percent of colour-deficient individuals do not want to wear tinted lenses all day. They view colour enhancement as a functional, task-specific tool. ColorOn offers a tiered portfolio (Strong, Mild, Experience, and Sunglasses) with a heavy focus on clip-ons. This allows patients to overlay the technology onto their existing prescription exactly when needed.In practice, the diagnostic procedure takes just 10 to 12 minutes using a patented digital tablet tester. The software maps the patient's specific deficiency and instantly recommends the correct lens, removing all guesswork for the dispensing optician.With European Medical Device Regulation certification secured, ColorOn is preparing for a massive UK launch, spearheaded by appearances at the upcoming 100% Optical event at ExCeL London. We are currently looking for 50 pioneer optical practices in the UK to be the first to introduce this technology."We are going to find 50 practices once everything is good... to test this, and this is so exciting for those first 50. If you're watching this and you think, 'Well, this is something I want to s