Pilestone Review: Best Colour Blind Glasses?

Today we're taking a look at the colour blind experts, Pilestone and whether their budget friendly glasses are worth buying, whether you should try a different brand, or if the hype around colour blind glasses is greater than the solution they claim to solve. 

While primarily a UK and USA company, they do ship to Australia and offer a more affordable option to their biggest competitor, EnChroma. 

Our Overall Rating:

What is Pilestone?

Pilestone Colour Blind Experts is an eyewear company that is dedicated to serving the colour-blind community by offering glasses at low prices.

It was established in 2011 by Ben Zhuang in the United States. Almost a decade later, Pilestone is active all around the globe, with presence in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Pilestone works to ensure that colour-blind people are able to achieve a high standard of living. With colour deficiencies impacting everyday activities such as driving and taking medication, colour-blind people may have several difficulties.

Thus, the mission at Pilestone has always been to ensure that full colours can be viewed by everyone in the world.

Related: 5+ Best Colour Blind Glasses

How do Pilestone glasses work?

Pilestone cooperates with high-tech companies to curate the most suitable lenses for every person in the colour-blind world. Putting on the lenses automatically removes colour deficient and allow a full range of colours to be seen.

This is referred to as light-filtering technology, which Pilestone consistently updates to cater to newer cases.

Some people may not even be aware that they are colour-blind. Thus, Pilestone offers a colour-blind examination, completely online. The examination consists of answering questions about numbers that are represented by dots. It does not compare to a professional test, but offers insight.

There is also a simulator that can used on the website. This simulator recreates an uploaded image to show colour-blind people view the world without colour. It works with deutan, protan and tritan colour deficiencies. Additionally, there is also an option to view how those with monochromacy see life.

Pilestone has lenses to suit 3 main types of colour blindness: deuteranomaly, protanomaly and tritanomaly. Deuteranomaly, also known as deuteranopia is the most prevalent type and may affect perception of shades such as reds, blues, yellows and greens.

Protanomaly is also referred to as protanopia, is red-green colour blindness that interferes with showings of red shades. Tritanomaly, commonly know as tritanopia is an incredibly rare kind of colour-blindness that impacts blue and yellow colours.

What lenses do Pilestone offer?

Pilestone currently offers 5 lenses.

Lens A is known as the universal kind, and is compatible with those who have deutan colour deficiencies. Additionally, Lens A can also be worn by those with protan colour blindness.

Thus, it is a great option for those with red-green colour blindness. It is highly recommended for those with average levels of colour deficiencies. It can be worn both in the house and outdoors.

Lens B is the frequently purchase option. It is a different version of Lens A, but with a darker hue. It is another universal lens, designed for those with protan and deutan deficiencies. People with serious red-green blindness often choose Lens B. It can be used both inside the home and in outdoor environments.

Lens C should only be utilised indoors, where there is little to no light. It is suggested for people who suffer from severe red-green blindness, whether that be deutan or protan.

Lens D features a red colourway, which is only compatible with those who have protan colour deficiencies. It is recommended for colour blind people that are severely impacted with their condition.

The final type offered is Lens E. This was engineered for people with tritan colour blindness, which impacts the perception of blue and yellow shades. Lens E can be worn in both low-light and high-light environments.

What frames does Pilestone offer?

Pilestone has several frames that cater to both adults and children who suffer from colour-blindness.

The best-selling option is the Wayfarer Classic which is compatible with A, B, C and E lenses. Aviator Classics are also a popular and trendy option, with A and B lenses available. The Casual is suitable for day-to-day wear, and is offered with A and D lenses.

Sport Edition is also frequently sold out, with A, B and D lenses to choose from. Children’s is recommended for kids, where there are both A and B lenses available.

The Chromatic frame is another popular option. It is made entirely out of titanium and available with B lenses.

Pilestone allows the option to add in single vision lenses for those who suffer from farsightedness. Alternatively, customers can also opt to place progressive lenses or multifocal lenses to clearly see objects close up. This option is highly recommended for activities like driving.

Are you colour blind? Take the Pilestone test

Pilestone Shipping & Guarantees

Pilestone offers worldwide shipping and a 60-day moneyback guarantee for those who are unsatisfied with the quality of the glasses. This company is supported by Klarna, where customers can pay using instalment plans. 

Shipping may take a long time to Australia however there is no import taxes on orders under $1000, given most of their glasses average around $100 to $200 you should be fine. 

Some Pilestone Testimonials

“I am 54 years old. For the first time in my entire life, I can see colours that I’ve never seen before. With the glasses on, I see browns, greens, and some yellow shades that are new to me. I would recommend these glasses.”

Pilestone Review Australia

There's only two popular colour blind glasses companies in the world (and lots of fakes), so it's important to buy from the official store. Pilestone offer budget friendly glasses to suit a range of colour blindness shades. They offer fast shipping worldwide and regularly have deals. Compared to their #1 competitor which is $500+ you can snag a bargain with Pilestone in Australia.

Overall Rating:
5/5 stars

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Pilestone glasses cost in Australia?

You can usually pickup these glasses for around $150 - $200. You'll also have to pay for shipping with products coming from USA or UK. Shipping varies and can be around $20-$50. 

Do Pilestone glasses actually work?

Unfortunately they won't work for everyone who is colour blind, as there's different lens to choose from such as A,B,C,D so ensure you buy the correct ones. Additionally, glasses help to shift the contrasts of colours to help people distinguish them rather than to see missing colours. 

They will however allow that person to see those missing colours. 

Enchroma vs Pilestone: Which should I choose?

Enchroma was the first brand to go global and often featured in those Youtube videos where someone who is colour blind could now see again. However those glasses regularly cost upwards of $500 - $1,000, out of reach for most Australians. 

Pilestone launched and offered a more budget friendly option with glasses around $100 - $200, a big difference from Enchroma. In terms of the technology, they work in much the same way. Both websites state their products don't cure colour-blindness, but rather adjust colours. 

With that said, aside from build quality (EnChroma being a higher build quality) there's no real difference. It's up to you whether you want to spend twice as much or save some money.

Caleb McLaughlin

Last Updated: December 13, 2020 by Rhys

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