This International Colour Blindness Awareness Month, Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives - arguably one of the most colourful resorts in the Maldives - has partnered with EnChroma, to offer colour blind guests a chance to experience its dramatic landscape in full colour, for the very first time with its glasses for colour blindness.

In addition to glasses for the colour blind, with its leading patented lens technology, EnChroma has also developed snorkel masks which will help people with colour blindness better experience the Maldives' colours and all its underwater wonders.

This is a world first and is exclusive to Seaside Finolhu.

Additionally, the resort will offer adult and children EnChroma sunglasses, which utilise the same ground-breaking technology, enabling those impacted to see a broader range of colours more clearly, vibrantly, and distinctly for the first time in their lives.

350 million people worldwide are colour blind, 30 million of which live in Europe. The condition is more prevalent in men, with one in 12 affected. While people with normal colour vision see more than one million shades and hues of colour, colour blind people only see an estimated 10 per cent.

To the red-green colour blind, colours appear dull and washed out, often causing difficulty in distinguishing from one other. Common colour confusions include green and yellow, grey and pink, purple and blue, and red and brown. This can detract from the ability of colour-blind people to fully embrace colourful experiences when travelling. Research also shows that this can impact work environments and social situations as well.

Not only will colour blind guests be able to witness the Baa Atoll various blues, but they'll also get to experience one of the most colourful hotels in the Maldives – thanks to its kaleidoscope inspired interiors.

Steven Phillips, General Manager at Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives, said: “We're thrilled to be partnering with EnChroma on this exciting new initiative. Travelling the world is one of life's greatest pleasures but imagine doing so and only experiencing ten per cent of colour. That's like only seeing two colours of the rainbow. Or not witnessing the true blue of the ocean or the hundreds of hues of a sunset.

“As someone who is colour blind myself, I know all too well the realities and impact this can have, so I'm delighted to see this collaboration come to life. We can't wait to welcome colour blind guests -both adults and children alike - to experience this unique technology and see our piece of paradise in all its glory!”

“The Maldives, and Seaside Finolhu, are arguably two of the most breathtakingly beautiful and colourful places on earth,” said Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “I'm a divemaster and have been SCUBA diving for most of my life, so I can appreciate how much more spectacular and special it will be for colour blind divers to experience the amazing array of vibrant colours the ocean has to offer. We are also thrilled that colour blind guests will be able to experience more colour when they are not diving by borrowing our glasses at the resort.”

ENDS

Images available to download here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yu75qnjek9akoatvw7pvu/h?rlkey=zaqnnfpamogkh0zj00sm7ivjv&dl=0

Book now

Stay at Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives from £311 / €364 per night, based on guests staying on a bed & breakfast basis in an overwater Lagoon Villa in October 2023. www.finolhu.com

Press Trip Opportunities

If you are a colour-blind journalist and interested in trying the EnChroma glasses and snorkel mask, please contact Brooke Harrison-Davies at brooke@goshpr.co.uk

Colour Blind Awareness Month

Colour Blind Awareness Month is the entire month of September while 6 September is the birthday of scientist John Dalton, who is believed to be the first person to recognise the existence of colour blindness.

About Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives

Owned and managed by Seaside Collection, Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives, is a luxury island resort renowned for its two-kilometre white powdery beaches that stretch out across four islands. Firmly established as one of the finest resorts in the Maldives, Finolhu - meaning sandbank in Dhivehi - consists of 125 beachfront and overwater villas (more than half with a private pool), four restaurants and an array of activities, every day on Seaside Finolhu's island playground is as varied as the coral reef landscape of the Baa Atoll. Whilst popular with honeymooners, the extensive resort which is set in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is also family-friendly, with a kids' club and world-famous entertainment.

For more information about Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll, visit finolhu.com or follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. 

About EnChroma

Based in Berkeley, Calif., EnChroma produces leading-edge eyewear for colour blindness and low vision, and other solutions for colour vision, sold online and through Authorized Retailers worldwide. Invented in 2010, EnChroma's patented eyewear combines the latest in colour perception, neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with colour vision deficiency around the world. EnChroma received an SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It earned the 2016 Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration in recognition of the firm's innovative impact on the human experience through technology, and the 2020 Innovation Award in Life Sciences from the Bay Area's East Bay Economic Development Alliance. For more information call 510-497-0048 or visit enchroma.com.

EnChroma Colour Accessibility Program™

EnChroma is the lead advocate for “colour accessibility” through its EnChroma Colour Accessibility Program™. The program helps over 200 schools, universities, state and national parks, libraries, museums, and other organizations purchase and loan EnChroma glasses to colour blind students and guests. Through partnerships with leading vendors, scenic viewers adapted for the colour blind with EnChroma lenses are also available. EnChroma's program is also open to employers.