On April 18, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington School of Medicine published their findings of the evolutionary color named “olo”. Humans are able to see a color unlike any before with this revolutionary experimentation.
Most have described “olo” as a vibrant teal or peacock color. However, scientists are unable to replicate it on a screen for the naked human eye to view. To be able to see it, humans have to go through a laser process first.
This color discovery was made with a technique called “Oz”, which utilizes laser beams to stimulate specific photoreceptors in the human eye, allowing participants to view a previously unseen, intensely saturated blue-green hue.
Oz works by using small doses of laser light to manipulate up to 1,000 photoreceptors in the eye at one time. With Oz, people can perceive a stunning green, unlike anything seen in nature. Using Oz can also result in viewing other colors, patterns like moving dots and lines and more.
Five people have reportedly seen olo and willingly gone through the laser process. With controlling photoreceptors in the retina, researchers have to put a laser directly into the volunteer’s eyes.
Many individuals wonder how the human eye perceives the specific olo color. The human eye has three types of cone cells in layers to see colors (red, green and blue wavelengths). The cones overlap and usually when certain colors are triggered, others are as well. Researchers made advancements to stimulate only the green cones, resulting in viewing a green color that doesn’t occur naturally.
While this revolutionary scientific discovery has resulted in the human eye perceiving colors never seen before, the research has yet to end. With these results, there is promising potential for more research related to vision concerns.
Many are unaware of the impacts of vision impairments on one’s life and how monumental the findings of olo could be. “Visual impairment affects the whole person from not only the seeing aspect of life, but it also affects balance, walking, navigating and overall mental health of an individual. It can be very frustrating for those suffering with visual impairments,” commented RN and former ophthalmology nurse Jody Klauer.
The largest potential influence on olo’s research is color blindness. Scientists could alter the receptors in the retinas of colorblind people’s eyes to allow them to view new colors that they couldn’t see before. “It could yield a better understanding of how vision and color perception functions. Maybe that might introduce the possibility down the road of potential new treatments therapies, et cetera. This is all very new and very speculative at this point,” said anatomy teacher Craig Parker.
Additionally, there is interest in exploring research to study retinal diseases like cone cell loss, which causes decreased color perception and increased light sensitivity, as well as other diseases that have the potential to result in blindness.
The realm of future potential expands beyond the scientific field as well. “Finding a new color is an exciting advancement not only in the medical field but the artistic world as well. The eye is such a complex organ that provides so much function to everyone’s lives daily that the research and knowledge they are gaining is instrumental to moving forward in the future!,” added Klauer.
The discovery of “olo” has opened many doors in the scientific world of research. Outcomes so far have shocked people all across the world, but more research and discovery is within reach with the potential to influence the lives of people in all fields, especially those with vision impairments.
