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Dual-color augmented reality waveguide display for color vision assistance using color tracking
Seong-Hyeon Cho1, Do-Hun Baek1, Woo June Choi1,2
1Department of Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea.
Iscience
|June 22, 2026
Summary
This study introduces an augmented reality (AR) display to help individuals with color vision deficiency (CVD). The wearable AR system uses artificial neural networks to selectively enhance color perception in real-time.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology and Vision Science
- Augmented Reality (AR) Technology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Color vision deficiency (CVD) affects millions, impairing red-green color discrimination.
- Current assistive technologies for CVD have limitations, including global visual field modification or fixed display constraints.
- There is a critical need for adaptive, wearable solutions to aid individuals with CVD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a novel augmented reality (AR) display system for real-time color vision assistance.
- To investigate the integration of artificial neural networks and holographic optical elements (HOEs) for targeted CVD support.
- To evaluate the feasibility of a wearable AR solution for improving color discrimination.
Main Methods:
- Development of an AR display system incorporating a holographic optical element (HOE) within waveguide optics.
- Integration of artificial neural network-based color tracking to identify regions of perceptual difficulty in real-time.
- Real-world scene capture and superposition of virtual content for spatially selective color enhancement.
Main Results:
- Optical measurements confirmed the HOE's function as a dual-color narrowband coupler.
- Proof-of-concept demonstrations successfully showed spatially selective overlay of virtual content onto target objects.
- The system demonstrated the ability to assist users by enhancing specific color discriminations.
Conclusions:
- The proposed HOE-based AR system offers a feasible wearable approach for targeted color vision assistance.
- This technology has the potential to significantly improve daily life for individuals with color vision deficiency.
- Further development could lead to advanced assistive devices for various visual impairments.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Color Vision
Color perception begins in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Two main theories explain how colors are seen: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. The trichromatic theory, proposed by Thomas Young in 1802 and extended by Hermann von Helmholtz in 1852, suggests that color vision is based on three types of cone receptors in the retina. These cones are sensitive to different but overlapping ranges of wavelengths corresponding to red, blue, and green.
01:24Vision
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.