Fernando Dávila, a 72-year-old artist, has been using special glasses since the mid-1980s to overcome his colorblindness and paint vibrant artworks that have been exhibited internationally. Dávila, who is originally from Colombia and now works from his studio in a Miami suburb, discovered he was colorblind at the age of eight after failing a drawing class for painting donkeys red.

Colorblindness, a congenital condition, makes it difficult to distinguish between certain colors and shades, particularly red and green. For Dávila, this also includes pink, violet, turquoise, and yellow-green. "I have the most wonderful job in the world, which is painting every morning," Dávila said. "To mix colors. To have joy to share with the world, that’s really my passion."

Before acquiring the glasses, Dávila painted exclusively in black and white until he was around 30 years old. The glasses, developed by an ophthalmologist in New York, feature one transparent lens and one shaded red lens. This combination helps Dávila differentiate between contrasting shades. While there is currently no cure for colorblindness, assistive technologies like these glasses offer a way to experience a broader spectrum of color.