Back in March, a video of Opie Hughes seeing color for the first time in his life was posted on YouTube by his sister, Katherine Empey.
View this video on YouTube
It started getting attention this week after it was posted on Reddit.
For his birthday on March 10, Hughes' girlfriend, sister, three children, and other members of his family pitched in to get him EnChroma glasses that enabled him to see color the way his family sees it.
The family, who resides in Erie, Pennsylvania, put brightly colored flowers in the yard for him to look at and told him to look at his children's eyes. He was speechless and began crying.
His girlfriend, Amanda Serafini, wrote about the incredible moment in a Facebook comment on the video.
Brings tears to my eyes every time I watch the video, and had tears rolling down my face witnessing first hand Opie seeing all those colors for the first time and the beautiful blue eyes his children has. It was very emotional and a moment we will never forget.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Hughes and his family for comment.
EnChroma glasses are specially designed glasses that reverse “red-green colorblindness,” which is the most common type, by changing the way light is perceived by the eye.
They cost $350 to $450 and look like regular sunglasses.
"My whole life has been spent without the ability to see so many things," Hughes wrote on his Facebook shortly after receiving the glasses.
Hughes also wrote that he scored 1 out of 16 on his most recent color deficiency test. He said his condition prevented him from pursuing his career goals and held him back when he served in the army, among other daily struggles.
I've had a terrible time even dressing myself thousands of times, ... I have to stop at all flashing lights because I don't know if they are red or yellow, I thought cops lights were red and orange and white, ... so many things that everyone sees as simple tasks have been so much harder for me, if not impossible.
... The idea of being able to see colors for what they really are has had me in tears multiple times in the past few weeks hoping that maybe I could... and then today, on MY BIRTHDAY I was given that gift! ... I can quite honestly say this is going to be the best thing I've ever experienced for sure. ... Wow.... just wow...
"It's always easy to ... think you are just a blip in the radar," Hughes wrote, "but you will never truly understand how special this makes me feel."
