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Deborah Allard Herald News Staff Reporter @debsallard

SWANSEA Kids lose their glasses. It happens.

But, when Connor Latessa lost his glasses a few weeks ago, the color went out of his life.

Connor, 13, is color blind. Most of what he sees appears in shades of brown.

But, Connors special glasses allowed him to see a full rainbow of colors until he lost those glasses at school or on the way home from school.

They made everything more colorful and vibrant, Connor said.

Rachel Latessa, Connors mom, said she surprised him with the $600 glasses hed been wanting for months. It was during a Christmas party with the family all there to see Connor try out his new glasses, while they held up colorful balloons.

Connor cried when he got his first look at all the reds and greens hed been missing, and especially when he saw the Christmas lights outside.

When I got them I was very emotional, Connor said. I really didnt know what I was seeing.

He said greens and browns are mixed up to him. And, he has a hard time distinguishing between blues and purples. Orange appears as green, and light blue as pink.

We found out when I was really little, Connor said.

Latessa said she noticed things she found odd when he was young, like calling his light blue blanket pink, and crying when he was given green lollipops, though they were really orange.

Different colors, he would call something else, and hes really smart, Latessa said.

When Connor was 5, she had him examined and found out for sure he was color blind. I wasnt surprised, Latessa said.

Its an affliction carried by the women in Latessas family and passed only to male children. Im a carrier, she said.

Her father saw only in black and white, and got in trouble when he was in school for coloring everything black the most vibrant color to him in the crayon box.

Connor understands everything about the condition, and even made it his science project at Joseph Case Junior High School, where he is a student.

Its because of the X and Y chromosome, Connor said, going on to explain the scientific intricacies. He said it affects one in 10 men and one in 200 women. Hes right, according to several websites.

Latessa said Connor being color blind is just something theyve learned to live with, though the glasses are a big help, especially outside where they work best.

It doesnt affect us too much, Latessa said. At times, Ill see something very colorful, and it makes me sad. I wish he could see it.

When a friend of the Latessa family learned that Connor had lost his beloved glasses, she started an online fundraising campaign and collected $500 in just a few hours.

Latessa said shes still hoping someone finds the glasses before buying a new pair.

The glasses look just like sunglasses and are EnChroma brand, which blends a marriage of color vision science and optical technology, according to its website.

If anyone locates the special glasses, contact Latessa at rmlatessa@aol.com or drop them at the office of Joseph Case Junior High School.

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Swansea boy with color blindness hoping for return of special glasses - Fall River Herald News

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