Although aids for Achromatopsia are still being developed, we can already provide Achromats with adequate support to improve their standard of living. Optical aids are available for both children and adults. Support for Achromatopsia includes the needs of students, employees and all the people who would like to reduce symptoms of the disease in their everyday lives.

We recommend some efficient optical aids which are based on our over 20 years of experience with Achromatopsia and feedback from about 50 Achromats from a few European countries.

Optical aids for children

School children demand specific educational aids for Achromatopsia as well as the objects which help them in their everyday lives. We recommend dark glasses, scopes, magnifiers, and monoculars for children with Achromatopsia.

Dark glasses

Achromats are distinguished by photophobia and for this reason, they need to use dark glasses, preferably with polarizing filters dedicated for Achromatopsia. The filters absorb the wavelength range to which the rods are hypersensitive and allow Achromats not to feel the effects of the glare. It is recommended to choose a sport type of frames which adhere tight to the face and therefore stop the light getting into the eyes. The most common are red, orange, amber, grey and magenta filters.

Filter examples:
Multilens ML511, ML527, ML550, ML585
https://www.multilens.com/en/catalog/node/filter-ml-filter-colours

Zeiss F540, F560, F580, F60, F80, F90
https://www.zeiss.com/vision-care/int/eye-care-professionals/products/spectacle-lenses/special-lenses/special-filter-lenses/f-60-90-and-f-540-580.html

Frames

Scopes and magnifiers for school and homework

There are highly recommended educational aids for Achromatopsia, such as two-screen magnifier Enlarger Exigo used for desktop tasks and distance viewing. The magnifier allows school children to read the whiteboard and their notes on the desk at the same time. The users can adjust the parameters to their specific needs by choosing a font size and other options. Achromats also find helpful more traditional magnifiers, for example, LED Eschenbach Illuminated Stand Magnifier which can be placed directly on the reading text.
Learn more at http://miracle.org.pl/enlarger-exigo/

Monoculars for long distance

Support for Achromatopsia is required in the everyday lives of Achromats. To detect details, such as house number, road signs or street names, Achromats can use monoculars for long distance, for example, Eschenbach VarioPLUS Prism, which is a multifunctional appliance. The monocular can be used as a hand-held telescope, hand-held microscope, and stand microscope.

Optical aids for teenagers (12+) and adults

Older children and adults can use tinted contact lenses and dark glasses for outside. We also recommend some useful applications for all types of mobile devices, which make everyday lives of Achromats easier.

Tinted contact lenses

The most up-to-date and comfortable aids for Achromatopsia include tinted contact lenses that are recommended for people over 12 years old. Filling the questionnaire on our website, you can get Free Trial of our tinted lenses designed exclusively for Achromatopsia. A pair of lenses can be used for a quarter or a year, and they are available in 5 colours – the most appropriate one can be chosen using our Test Tint Kit with tinted paper glasses.

Dark glasses

For outside, Achromats who wear tinted contact lenses can additionally use dark glasses (sport type) which stop getting the light into the eyes by providing tight adhesion to the face. Achromats can choose both regular sun protective glasses and dark filters for Achromatopsia. In either situation, polarization should be included.

Various types of applications for mobile devices

Support for Achromatopsia is visible also in the digital realm. There are more and more applications for PCs, laptops and other mobile devices which improve daily use of these appliances. Achromats can install a lot of useful apps, for example, GPS app with talking maps and vibration alarms (e.g. Ariadne GPS), colour recognition app (e.g. Color ID), and image-to-speech converter (e.g. SayText). The apps are recommended both for adults and school children and should be adapted to their specific needs.