Walsh & Hoyt: Color Vision and Brightness Comparison

Color vision testing, using pseudoisochromatic plates, the Farnsworth 100 Hue and D-15 tests, or the Lanthony 15 Desaturated D-15 panel can be helpful in detecting subtle signs of optic neuropathy or macular disease. While it has been proposed that acquired color vision loss respects color vision axes, more often than not, this does not hold. On the other hand, congenital loss respects these axes with red/ green deficits occurring in approximately 8% of the male population and in 0.4% of females. Congenital blue/yellow deficits are much less common, occurring in 0.005% of the population. Nevertheless, both types of congenital color vision deficits need to be distinguished from acquired color vision loss.