Seeing the world in black and white may seem like a strange desire, but some people are interested in glasses that can convert their normal color vision into monochrome. Why might someone want to do this? There are a few potential reasons.
Some photographers and other artists want to see the world in black and white to envision how a scene might look when converted to monochrome for an artwork. Getting a sense of light, shadow and texture without the distraction of color can allow for more creative compositions.
People with certain medical conditions, like migraine headaches, find that removing color stimuli can provide relief from visual over-stimulation that exacerbates their symptoms. Glasses that block color wavelengths may help reduce headaches, light sensitivity and nausea.
There is also something nostalgic and retro about black and white vision that appeals to some. Classic films and historical photos make the monochromatic palette feel vintage and artistic. The simplicity of shades of grey can be soothing in a visually chaotic modern world full of color and distraction.
So how can you convert normal vision into black and white? Are there special glasses available for this purpose? Let’s take a look at some of the options.
Glasses with Color Filters
One low-tech way to mimic black and white vision is to wear glasses fitted with strong color filters. A deep red or blue filter lens can block most color wavelengths from reaching the eye. This removes the perception of most colors, leaving behind a landscape of grey tones, from nearly white to nearly black.
| Filter Color | Effect on Color Perception |
|---|---|
| Red | Blocks greens and blues, allows reds and yellows to look grey |
| Blue | Blocks reds and yellows, allows blues and greens to look grey |
Color filters like these are commonly used in photography and cinematography to alter color balances and hues. But they can also serve to create a limited monochrome view of the world when worn as sunglasses.
The downside is that by filtering out major color ranges, the remaining vision through these glasses may look dim and muted. Important details that are distinguished by color differences will be lost. So while surroundings take on a black and white cast, the resulting view is far from the sharp greyscale perception of true monochrome vision.
Electronic LCD Glasses
More advanced glasses use electronic LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) lenses that can be switched on to block specific color wavelengths and produce a simulated black and white view. This gives the ability to alternate between full color vision and monochrome filtering.
The LCDS in these specialty glasses work in a similar way to the LCD screen in a digital watch or calculator. Tiny liquid crystals can be electronically aligned to either block or transmit light. When aligned in one mode, the crystals block red and green light, leaving only blue to pass through. Since blue translates mainly to grey, this removes most color information.
Some examples of electronic LCD glasses that can switch into black and white mode include:
- Prospek QVGA glasses – block red and green light when activated
- IRIS glasses – remove all but blue light to simulate monochrome
- EnChroma glasses – filter color bands to improve colorblind vision or remove color
The benefit of LCD glasses is their versatility. You can alternate between normal color vision and greyscale conversion. This allows you to easily compare compositions and scenes between the two modes.
The limitations are cost and practicality. These specialty glasses are expensive, usually hundreds of dollars. And the electronic components require batteries or charging to operate the LCD lenses, unlike simple passive color filters.
How the Human Eye and Brain Create Color Vision
To truly understand how to convert color vision to black and white, it helps to first look at how we perceive color normally. Human color vision relies on specialized receptor cells in the retina called cones.
There are three types of cones that respond preferentially to different wavelengths of light:
- S cones – sensitive to short blue wavelengths
- M cones – sensitive to medium green wavelengths
- L cones – sensitive to long red wavelengths
The visual cortex in the brain combines and interprets signals from these three cone types to create our perceptions of millions of colors.
So in theory, if these cones could be blocked from responding to their specific color ranges, the brain would no longer receive color information and vision would become monochromatic. In practice this is difficult to achieve for normal biological vision. But it illustrates the principle behind color filtering glasses.
New Contact Lenses in Development
Because glasses can be inconvenient and uncomfortable for some people to wear constantly, especially for medical needs, some companies are developing special contact lenses for color filtering and monochrome vision conversion.
These contacts contain micro-thin optical filters or electronics that block specific color wavelengths from reaching the cones in the retina. This can simulate many of the effects of color filtered glasses but in a more discreet and comfortable format.
Some contacts being researched and tested include:
- Xichrom contact lenses – absorb red wavelengths to leave an isolated blue color response
- Harris Infraeye – electronically switchable filters to control color perception
- ChromaGen lenses – optical filters remove color bands for medical and cosmetic applications
Such contacts allow for reversible color filtering – alternating between normal vision and altered black and white perception for medical needs or artistic effects. This field is still emerging, but advanced color filtering contacts could become widely available in the near future.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
Before seeking out glasses or contacts to induce monochrome vision, there are some important risks and side effects to consider:
- Loss of detail – diffences in shade rather than color can make details harder to distinguish
- Reduced visual acuity – altered contrast and lighting conditions
- Impaired depth perception – color and contrast provides visual depth cues
- Night blindness or increased light sensitivity
- Eyestrain from filtering away major color wavelengths
For certain medical conditions like migraine, these trade-offs may be worth the benefits of reducing color overstimulation that triggers headaches and nausea.
But for general use, selectively filtering out colors can impair important visual functions that have evolved to rely on a full spectrum of light. Electronics and coatings can also degrade over time, altering color filtration effects.
It’s recommended to consult an optometrist before using color filtering lenses regularly to ensure eye health is not compromised. Monochrome vision conversion should enhance life, not introduce new problems.
Digital Alternatives to Altered Vision
Rather than changing natural eyesight through filters, there are also digital alternatives to previewing the world in black and white. For example:
- Camera apps with B&W live filters – see a greyscale preview on a smartphone screen
- Camera settings or modes for monochrome capture and review
- Post-processing software like Photoshop to convert color images to B&W
- Monochrome display filters that remove color from digital screens
These can allow you to visualize and capture life in monochromatic tones without altering visual perception through glasses or contacts. Digitally converting images or video to black and white allows you to creatively play with light, shadow, shapes and textures while still maintaining normal eye health.
Conclusion
While electronic filtering lenses are available to simulate black and white vision, they may have limited practicality or introduce visual impairment risks. Simple color filters can provide a crude monochrome effect, but compromise color detail. Emerging digital solutions allow safer black and white previews.
In some cases like migraine relief, color filtering glasses or contacts may be warranted if prescribed and monitored by an optometrist. But for general artistic use, digitally converting images to monochrome likely offers the best creative flexibility and eye health.
Our human visual system has evolved to process a full spectrum of light and color. Be careful about artificially filtering parts of that spectrum for extended periods. Seek professional guidance to find safe solutions that enhance life in color and black and white alike.
