VINO Optics FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If both the Oxy-Iso and the Oxy-Amp enhance oxygenation and vein visibility, what’s the difference between the two?

The Oxy-Iso (Blood Draw tech) “isolates” and amplifies perception of oxygenation (but it hinders perception of variations in the concentration of blood, which is what you see when you squeeze your fist and let go). It works for those with normal color vision as well as most color blind people to see veins and O2 and color differences in the world more correctly. 

The Oxy-Amp (Paramedic Vein tech), on the other hand, enhances visibility of oxygenation (and veins) by “blocking” very narrow wavelength bands of light that are noise, or counter-signal, for oxygenation. Because the bands are so narrow, one gets an enhanced O2 signal and enhanced vein visibility. It does not otherwise affect perception, making one strictly better at seeing health signs (whereas, recall, the Oxy-Iso makes it difficult to see bruises and other variations in blood concentration). This does not work for color blind individuals.

If I am a CLINICIAN with NORMAL color vision, which product type should I choose?

The Oxy-Iso makes veins more pronounced than the Oxy-Amp, but because it also hinders perception of blood concentration variations, may be better suited for short procedures where visualizing veins is important. The Oxy-Amp harnesses and enhances a clinician’s normal ability to sense health, far and above just sensing veins, and may be better suited for longer procedures or for all-around wear (or as protective eyewear), where an enhanced clinical perceptual sense will be appreciated.
As an example: Nurses favor the Oxy-Iso and Paramedics tend to favor the Oxy-Amp.

Why does the Oxy-Iso help vein visibility and correct color blindness?

In 2006 we discovered that our primate red-green color vision evolved so as to be well optimized for seeing oxygenation variations of blood under the skin, so as to be able to see emotions (blushes, blanches, etc.) and health. See our research paper. The Oxy-Iso enhances these blood oxygenation variations under the skin, and so amplifies the very thing color-deficients are deficient at seeing. We’re the only color correction technology that corrects the right signal. (And the Oxy-Iso does this in a manner consistent with color deficient eyes, whereas the Oxy-Amp does not.)

How do O2Amp technologies work?

VINO Optics' O2Amp technologies filter the light coming from blood under the skin so as to exaggerate signals of interest. Our three distinct technologies -- the Hemo-Iso, Oxy-Iso and Oxy-Amp filters -- have three distinct perceptual functions, and are achieved via different mechanisms.
Our Hemo-Iso filter only lets through wavelengths that vary considerably in intensity when blood concentration under the skin varies. So it hinders perception of blood oxygenation (and veins are consequently invisible).
Our Oxy-Iso filter only lets through wavelengths that vary considerably in intensity when blood oxygenation under the skin varies. So it hinders perception of blood concentration.
Our Oxy-Amp filter (Paramedic Vein Glasses) enhances oxygenation via a different mechanism than the Oxy-Iso. Instead of isolating perception to the oxygenation signal (and blocking the concentration signal), the Oxy-Amp blocks very thin wavelength bands that are noise, or counter-signal, for the oxygenation signal. The Oxy-Amp thereby enhances perception of variations in oxygenation, and does so without blocking the other (blood concentration) signal our eyes normally see.

Why is strong illumination, and no glare, so important?

VINO Optics’ O2Amp technology works by virtue of the way it filters the light coming from the blood under the skin. Therefore, the technology will not work if there is little or no light coming from the blood under the skin. Light is needed to bathe the blood under the skin. The more light coming from the blood under the skin, the better the perceptual enhancement with O2Amp.
It is best to first experiment with the technology outdoors with good sunlight.
Also it is important to avoid glare, which is where light reflects off the outer surface of the skin and into your eye, leaving you blinded to the light coming from inside the skin affected by blood.

How can VINO Optics’ O2Amp technology see blood through the skin?

Regardless of skin color, all skin is partially transparent. When you see skin, you’re not just seeing the light reflecting off the skin surface itself, but also light reflecting off the blood underneath the skin. This is what gives healthy skin its “glow” – that glow is from the oxygenation of the blood in the perfused underlying flesh. The greater the amount of light, the deeper in millimeters you can see under the skin.

How does the O2Amp technology help one see veins?

Veins are visible by virtue of being lower in oxygenation than the surrounding tissue. ...and by virtue of the fact that our eyes have evolved to be exquisitely sensitive to oxygenation variations (this is one of the discoveries of one of the O2Amp co-inventors, see our paper). Our two "Oxy-" eyewear enhance the oxygenation signal and thus enhance vein visibility.

How long does it take to perceptually adapt?

Give yourself a minute or so to adapt after placing them on. Your eyes and visual system naturally adjust, and any initial shift in the overall tint of your perception will go away, although the world – and skin, health signs, etc. -- will have new colors depending on the technology.

How long can I wear a VINO Optics eyewear?

The Hemo-Iso and Oxy-Iso eyewear modify perception considerably, and we have found that practitioners prefer to wear these for shorter stints, to carry out some particular task. DO NOT WEAR WHILE DRIVING.

The Oxy-Amp eyewear, however, enhances perception of oxygenation without degrading normal perception, and we have found that practitioners enjoy the clinical perceptual benefits for extended periods of time, for example, paramedics wearing them as their UV-protective sunwear, or surgeons during long surgeries.

Although there are no long-lasting perceptual consequences to wearing VINO Optics eyewear, note that after removing the Oxy-Iso or Hemo-Iso there will be a brief period of time as your eyes adapt to normal vision.

Why is the eyewear tinted?

The tints are a side effect of achieving the needed filtration properties. Having another filter of the same tint will not mean that it’s the same filter; in fact, for any given tint, there are infinitely many different filters, each affecting perception differently, but having that same exact tint. The Oxy-Amp Paramedic Vein lens, for example, is light pink, and that’s actually an incidental side effect of the manufacturing process, having no functionality at all.

Can the VINO Optics filters be placed in front of lighting for the same perceptual effects?

Yes. Our technology works whether it is placed in front of the eye, or in front of a lamp. The advantage of having O2Amp technology in eyewear is that all the light in the room impinging on the skin and blood gets filtered before reaching the eye. The advantage of having O2Amp technology in front of the room lighting is that – to the extent that this filtered light is the only light impinging on the skin – everyone looking at the field gets the O2Amp benefits, without having to wear the eyewear. In the future, “O2Lamps” will be available.  

Do we naturally have the ability to perceive health?

O2Amp technologies are color enhancement tools, designed to perceptually amplify facets of the blood under the skin. These facets of the blood are visible to the naked eye (unless one is colorblind), and are what underlie our ability to sense health states, including bruising, cyanosis, pallor, rashes, erythema, veins, vasculature, and other variations in blood O2 level, and concentration. The eye’s ability to sense clinical states has been appreciated since the Greeks, and, even today, of the 500 most common medical conditions, 10% list color changes to the skin -- most of them due to changes in concentration, oxygenation, or both.
O2Amp technology considerably enhances these native capabilities of your eye. See our health blindness page

What science underlies VINO Optics’ O2Amp technology?

The technology comes out of research and inventions at 2ai Labs, which in turn was in light a discovery by one of the inventors while at Caltech concerning the origins and function of color vision. More information can be found in our research paper and in Chapter 1 of The Vision Revolution, by Mark Changizi, one of the co-founders of VINO Optics.

Why are there articles in prominent magazines about the O2Amp – specifically the Oxy-Amp – being useful for enhanced perception of emotions? 

The color changes the skin undergoes as the blood varies in concentration and oxygenation are not only informative about someone’s veins and clinical state but also about one’s emotion, such as blushing, blanching and flushing. Because the Oxy-Amp enhances perception of oxygenation without hindering perception of concentration changes, it raises one’s sensitivity to the subtle skin color changes that occur with emotion. We have professional poker players wearing our Oxy-Amps for this reason.

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*If you are looking for our Colorblind Glasses, click here

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