COLOUR

VISION
Occupational aspects of colour
vision

1. Occupations that require normal colour

vision.
 Colour matchers in textile, garment, paint and
other industries which require exact colour
matching.
 Occupations involving restoring and retouching
of paintings and woks of art. Etc.

2. Occupations that have a colour standard

but may admit those with mild colour
vision defects.
 Armed forces.
 Aviation (pilots and air traffic controllers).
 Electrical and telecommunications trades.
Normal Color Vision and its
Development
Two types of photoreceptors
 Rods
 Cones

Most people are Trichromats

Color vision well developed by 3

months of age
 There are three types of cones:
red cones, blue cones and green cones.
 Each type of cone has a different range of light
sensitivity and their stimulation in various
combinations accounts for the perception of
colours.
 In an individual with no colour defects, the cone
population consists of 74% red cones, 10%
green cones and 16% blue cones.
 Tests for Colour Vision

i. Colour confusion [ Ishihara test, AO-HRR test]

ii. Hue discrimination [ Farnsworth-Munsell 100-

HueTest,
Farnsworth-Munsell D-15
Panel Test ]

iii. Colour matching [Anomaloscopes, Holmgreen

Wool Test]

iv. Colour naming [ Lantern Test ]

v. Colour saturation [Sahlgrens Saturation Test]

1) Ishihara Test

 This test is based on colour confusion.

 It is a screen test for protan and deutan
defects.
 It comes in three different forms : 16 plates
24
plates
38
plates
 A figure or symbol in one colour is placed
on a background of dots of another colour.
How to perform the test ?
• The test plates should
be held under adequate
daylight or room
illumination.
• The plates are held at
75 cms from the subject
and tilted so that the
plane of the paper is at
right angle to the line of
vision.
• The time given to read
each plate should not
be more than 3 secs.
 Types of Plates Used

1. Demonstration
Plate
 It is read by both normal
trichromats as well as
colour deficient persons.
2. Transformation Plate

 A normal trichromat
reads it as 8.
 Red-Green deficient
person reads it as
3.
 Monochromats see
no number at all.
 3. Vanishing Plates

 A normal trichromat
reads it as 7 .
 A Red-Green deficient
person does not see
any number.
4. Hidden Digit Plates

 A normal
trichromat sees no
number at all.
 Majority of Red-
Green deficient
people see the no
73.
 5. Diagnostic Plates

 A normal trichromat reads

it as 35.
 Strong protanomalous or
protanopic person sees
only 5.
 Strong deuteranomalous or
deuteranopic person sees
only 3.
 Mild protanomalous or mild
deuteranomalous
observers see both the
digits i.e. 3 and 5 , but
protanomalous observers
see 5 brighter and clearer
than 3 while
 6. Tracing Plates

 These plates are used

to detect Red-Green
defects in children and
illiterate patients.
 These plates use
tracing rather than
naming the number or
letter.
 2) AO-HRR TEST

 American Optical Hardy-Rand-Rittler test is

based on colour confusion.
 It overcomes the limitations of Ishihara’s
Test as it can also be used for the
screening of Blue-Yellow defect apart from
Red-Green defect.
 However, these test plates are out of print
and not commercially available.
3) Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue
Test
 This test was developed in 1943 by Dean
Farnsworth .
 It is a colour arrangement test and is
based on hue discrimination.
 The test consists of a series of 85
coloured caps arranged in four trays
covering different range of spectrum.
 The diameter of each cap is about 13mm.
 Each tray contains 2 caps at either end
that are fixed in position known as
reference points.
 Administration of the Test

 The test is carried out

under adequate
daylight or room
illumination.
 The examiner removes
the movable caps from
one tray at a time and
arranges them in
random sequence
before the opened tray
 The patient is asked to
rearrange the caps in
chromatic order
between the two
reference caps.
Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue
Test
 The sequence of numbers on the back
surface of the caps is recorded and plotted
on a polar coordinate graph.
 Results are interpreted by looking at the
plotting pattern of error scores.
 Since the colour difference between
adjacent discs is very small , people with
normal colour vision usually make some
mistakes when carrying out the test.
 Due to this, the test has added value in
being able to identify people with superior
colour discrimination.
 4) Farnsworth-Munsell D-15
Panel Test
 It is a colour arrangement test based on
hue discrimination.
 The test is designed to distinguish
between :
~ Severe colour deficient people and
~ Normal trichromats and slight colour
deficient
people.
 The results are recorded as Pass or Fail.
 The D-15 Panel includes one fixed or
reference colour cap and 15 moveable
coloured caps within a single tray.
 5) The Nagel Anomaloscope
 Anomaloscopes are instruments
that assess the observer’s ability
to make metameric matches.
 The first anomaloscope was
designed by Nagel in 1907 and is
based on colour match known as
Rayleigh equation, that is,
R+G=Y
 The Nagel anomaloscope is used
in the diagnosis of Red-Green
deficiencies : protanomaly,
deuteranomaly, protanopia and
deuteranopia.
 6) Holmgreen Wool Test
 It is based on colour
matching.
 The patient is given a
sample of a definite
colour of wool and asked
to select from a heap of
wool, all those colours of
wool which seem to
correspond with the given
woolen string.
 It is not a very accurate
test but is a good
screening test, especially
 Sahlgrens Saturation Test
 It is based on colour saturation.
 The test is intended for the assessment of
acquired colour deficiencies.
 There are 12 colour samples and each
colour is held in a cap which subtends 3.5°
at a test distance of 30 cms.
 The large size is intended to compensate
for poor visual acuity in patients with
acquired colour deficiency.
 There are 5 greenish-blue hues and 5
purplish-blue hues in two series of ranked
saturation steps and 2 grey samples
 Subjects sort the colours into groups,
which are either greenish, purplish or grey.
 Some subjects assume that each group
should have an equal number of caps and
select three groups of four samples.
 Normals are therefore allowed to make
two errors.
 The results are given as a numerical score.
 The test is reliable and takes less than 2
minutes.
 Pediatric color test

• Preferential looking for screening

• Mollon reffin minimalist test
• Verriest color vision test
• Fletcher-Hamblin
• The Pease and Allen test

• Ohkums

• City university color test

Color Blindness Quick Test Chart
•An easy to use Color Blindness chart .
•Used for red/green color blindness screening.
•It can be used in conjunction with the HRR Color
Blindness Plates for further definitive screening.
•This one-plate quick test chart is a Pseudoisochromatic
plate with two geometric symbols which can be used with
almost all ages and literacy levels.
Laminated Hardy Rand Rittler(HRR)
•The HRR Color Test is ideal for pediatric testing for both red-green
and blue- yellow deficiencies.
•HRR uses simple symbols (O, X, ) easily matched by children.
MATSUBARA COLOR VISION TEST
PLATES - PEDIATRIC
•This Color Vision Test for Pediatric use provides 10 plates
recognizable by children.
• Each figure is embedded in Ishihara type dot patterns.
•The book tests for Red/Green deficiency.
NEITZ SCHOOL TEST FOR COLOR VISION
•The Neitz test of color vision provides a practical method to screen
large groups of children or adults for color vision deficiency.
•Uses shapes similar to the HRR Pseudoisochromatic Plates
permitting administration to illiterate and pre-literate.
 Color vision made easy test

 Contains four plates with simple objects

such as circles, stars and squares; and
pictures such as boats, balloons and
dogs.
 Consist of 15 plates, 2 demo plates, 9
plates with symbols, 4 plates with pic.
 Inexpensive pediatric
pseudoisochromatic color vision chart.
 It is Ishihara’s compatible.
 An ideal testing for learning disabled.
 City University Color Test
•Includes 10 pages.
•Was developed by City University in London.
•Similar to the Farnsworth D15 test.
•The test presents the sample and four additional figures, which the
patient chooses.
•Each tests for normal, deutan, protan, or tritan depending upon the
specific plate.
 City University Color
Test
 Hold the booklet at 35 cm from the
patient.

 Allow about 3 seconds for each page.

 Plates are divided into six chroma 4 and

four chroma 2 plates.

 Subject task is to choose the one that

most closely resembles the color of the
central spot.
Thank U