A color-blind Cortez high-school freshman received the gift of detecting color this spring, when the Cortez Police Department gave him a specialty pair of glasses that enhances his vision.
DOING HOMEWORK IS A LITTLE EASIER FOR ONE MONTEZUMA-AREA EIGHTH- GRADER THANKS TO THE CORTEZ POLICE DEPARTMENT AND NEW VISION TECHNOLOGY FOR COLOR-BLINDNESS. THANKS FOR WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK, BROUGHT TO YOU NICE ELECTRIC OF CORTEZ.I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. MOST OF US TAKE SEEING THE FULL COLOR SPECTRUM FOR GRANTED. BUT, AN ESTIMATED 350 MILLION PEOPLE, OR 4 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION, ARE RED-GREEN COLORBLIND. THE NUMBER OF SHADES OF COLOR A TYPICAL COLOR-BLIND PERSON CAN SEE MAY BE REDUCED BY AS MUCH AS 90 PERCENT. THE RECESSIVE X-LINKED GENE AFFECTS ABOUT ONE IN 12 MEN, AND ONE IN 200 WOMEN. TYLER JACKSON, WHO WILL BE A FRESHMAN AT CORTEZ HIGH SCHOOL NEXT FALL, IS THE SON OF APRIL AND BRET JACKSON, AND HE'S STRUGGLED SINCE PRE-SCHOOL, WHEN HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH COLOR-BLINDNESS: I THINK IT WAS MOSTLY TRYING TO TELL ABOUT THE COLORS ON, LIKE MAPS FOR SCHOOL, OR EVEN COLORING THE MAPS FOR SCHOOL. AND I ALWAYS SAID, I HAVE SOMEONE THERE BY ME TO HELP ME, LIKE GET THE COLORS RIGHT. AND THAT WAS A DIFFICULTY AND IT JUST BECAME REALLY ANNOYING. THE CORTEZ POLICE DEPARTMENT’S IN-SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER, VERN RUCKER, MET JACKSON THREE YEARS AGO WHILE TEACHING THE FIFTH- GRADE D.A.R.E. DRUG-PREVENTION PROGRAM. BUT RUCKER DIDN’T LEARN OF JACKSON’S COLOR-BLIND CHALLENGES UNTIL RECENTLY, WHEN JACKSON’S YOUNGER SISTER PARTICIPATED IN THE FIFTH-GRADE D.A.R.E. PROGRAM. IN MARCH, THE CORTEZ POLICE SURPRISED JACKSON WITH A PAIR OF ENCHROMA GLASSES. THE UNIQUE LENS TECHNOLOGY HELPS PEOPLE, LIKE JACKSON, WITH COMMON FORMS OF RED-GREEN COLOR BLINDNESS SEE MORE OF THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF BRIGHT COLOR. THEY ADDED A TEXTURE WHERE IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RED AND ORANGE AND YELLOW BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES I HAVE. YEAH, AND THAT'S RIGHT. AND THEN THIS IS KIND OF A BLUISH COLOR BECAUSE I HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH BLUE AND PURPLE. THEY BRING A LOT OF STUFF UP AND DURING, WHEN I'M OUTSIDE IT DULLS IT DOWN BUT SOME COLORS, IT'S REALLY BRIGHT TO HELP ME NOTICE THE COLOR. B ROLL OF JACKSON SHOWING THE GLASSES TO THE SCREENJACKSON NOTICED IMPROVEMENTS IMMEDIATELY UPON PUTTING THE GLASSES ON, AND IN THE QUALITY OF HIS LIFE AND SCHOOLWORK DURING THE PAST 2 MONTHS:I GOT TO SEE THE START OF SPRING COLORS CAUSE I'M BY THE POLICE STATION. THERE'S LIKE ALL THESE FLOWERS AND TREES AND I'LL GO SEE THE COLOR GREEN. I THINK THAT WAS MY FIRST COLOR TO SEE. IT HELPS ME ACTUALLY SEE THE MAPS AND I ACTUALLY STILL HAVE TO DO SOCIAL STUDIES, WHICH INVOLVES MAPS AND ME COLORING IT STILL. IT REALLY DOES HELP WITH THE WATER STUFF. I DON'T HAVE TO ASK PEOPLE FOR HELP ANYMORE. I'LL BE MADE AS FINDING THE COLORS ON MY OWN AND I THINK THEY'LL GET BETTER GRADES.TO TAKE THE FREE ONLINE ASSESSMENT TO SEE IF YOU’RE A CANDIDATE FOR COLOR-BLIND EYEWEAR,GO TO ENCHROMA.COM. THANKS FOR WATCHING THIS EDITION OF THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. I'M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE.
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