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Vino Optics lenses are available in three variations: “Vein Glasses,” “Bruise Glasses” and “Colorblind Glasses.”
Mark Changizi, entrepreneur and evolutionary theoretical neuroscientist, originally created O2Amps eyewear—now sold under the name Vino Optics—to cure what he refers to as “health blindness,” or the inability to detect a person’s blood oxygenation levels, which give insight into a person’s physical and emotional state.

Changizi, who is also author of the book, The Vision Revolution, believes that there are four “superpowers” of vision: “telepathy” (color); “X-Ray vision” (binocularity); “future-seeing” (motion); and “spirit reading” (object recognition).

In other words, primates (and humans) evolved to use color vision to see skin, and thus under the skin, in order to sense the temperament and health of other primates (think of a blush yielding embarrassment, or a pale skin giving way to illness).

“Originally the markets we intended [the eyewear] to be used for was all about vein finding and having visibility of blood under the skin,” said Changizi, who adapted his original concept once its alternative use was discovered. “Red-green color vision is all about blood under the skin, so you can read emotional states and health—it turned out there were ways of further amplifying that. It hadn’t occurred to us that [color blindness] could be a market.”

O2Amp technology evolved into Vino Optics, which offers solutions to two problems: medical vein-finding (of which there are two types) and color vision deficiency. Both versions of the eyewear are available in a variety of frame styles, as well as protective eyewear options and uncut clip-on lenses.

Oxy-Iso—the version of the glasses that has been found to diminish the red-green deficiency that lies behind color blindness. “It’s all about the Oxy-Iso for optometrists,” said Changizi, who added that it has been particularly helpful for ophthalmologists who are color deficient, who are able see redness and irritation in patients’ eyes when wearing the lenses

Oxy-Amp—sold mainly to paramedics, nurses and phlebotomists, enhances oxygenation without blocking anything else, making this lens helpful for clinicians who want to see as much as possible beneath a patient’s skin. The main market for these, Changizi said, is paramedics who have normal color vision, as they are not helpful for color deficient individuals.