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Barry L Cole

Publications and source records attributed to Barry L Cole.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The new Richmond HRR pseudoisochromatic test for colour vision is better than the Ishihara test.

AIM: The Hardy-Rand-Rittler (HRR) pseudoisochromatic test for colour vision is highly regarded but has long been out of print. Richmond Products produced a new edition in 2002 that has been re-engineered to rectify shortcomings of the original test. This study is a validation trial of the new test using a larger sample and different criteria of evaluation from those of the previously reported validation study. METHODS: The Richmond HRR test was given to 100 consecutively presenting patients with abnormal colour vision and 50 patients with normal colour vision. Colour vision was diagnosed using the Ishihara test, the Farnsworth D15 test, the Medmont C-100 test and the Type 1 Nagel anomaloscope. RESULTS: The Richmond HRR test has a sensitivity of 1.00 and a specificity of 0.975 when the criterion for failing is two or more errors with the screening plates. Sensitivity and specificity become 0.98 and 1.0, respectively, when the fail criterion is three or more errors. Those with red-green colour vision deficiency were correctly classified as protan or deutan on 86 per cent of occasions, with 11 per cent unclassified and three per cent incorrectly classified. All those graded as having a 'mild' defect by the Richmond HRR test passed the Farnsworth D15 test and had an anomaloscope range of 30 or less. Not all dichromats were classified as 'strong', which was one of the goals of the re-engineering and those graded as 'medium' and 'strong' included dichromats and those who have a mild colour vision deficiency based on the results of the Farnsworth D15 test and the anomaloscope range. CONCLUSIONS: The test is as good as the Ishihara test for detection of the red-green colour vision deficiencies but unlike the Ishihara, also has plates for the detection of the tritan defects. Its classification of protans and deutans is useful but the Medmont C-100 test is better. Those graded as 'mild' by the Richmond HRR test can be regarded as having a mild colour vision defect but a 'medium' or 'strong' grading needs to be interpreted in conjunction with other tests such as the Farnsworth D15 and the anomaloscope. The Richmond HRR test could be the test of choice for clinicians who wish to use a single test for colour vision.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Search for coloured objects in natural surroundings by people with abnormal colour vision.

BACKGROUND: People with abnormal colour vision often report difficulty seeing coloured berries and flowers in foliage, which suggests they will have a diminished capacity for visual search when target objects are marked out by colour. There is very little experimental evidence of the effect of abnormal colour vision on visual search and none relating to search for objects in natural foliage. METHOD: We showed 79 subjects with abnormal colour vision (seven protanopes, 10 deuteranopes, 16 protanomals and 46 deuteranomals) and 20 subjects with normal colour vision photographs of natural scenes and asked them to locate clumps of red berries, to trace the length of a red string on grass and to name the season depicted in a photograph taken in the Autumn and the same scene photographed in the Summer. Colour vision was assessed using the Ishihara, the Medmont C100, the Farnsworth D15, the Richmond HRR and the Nagel anomaloscope. RESULTS: All the subjects with abnormal colour vision located fewer clumps of red berries than those with normal colour vision. The subjects who failed the Farnsworth D15 performed significantly worse than those who passed but the distribution of scores in the two groups overlaps. The majority of subjects with abnormal colour vision could not trace the full length of the string: only 38 per cent of anomalous trichromats who passed the Farnsworth D15 test and three per cent of those who failed it were able to trace the full length of the string. Fifty-five per cent of those classed as having a mild deficiency by the HRR test could trace the whole string. Most dichromats were unable to identify the Autumn season and those who did may have been assisted by guessing. Most (94 per cent) of those who passed the Farnsworth D15 test and all those classified as having a 'mild' deficiency by the HRR test could identify the season. CONCLUSIONS: All people with abnormal colour vision, even those with a very mild deficiency, have some degree of impairment of their ability to see coloured objects in natural surroundings. A pass at the Farnsworth D15 test or a 'mild' classification with the Richmond HRR test identifies those likely to have the least problems with visual search and identification tasks. The results have practical implications for the selection of personnel in occupations that involve visual search in natural terrain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Peter S. Dwyer.

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Australia↗
PubMed2006

Color vision assessment: fail rates of two versions of the Farnsworth lantern test.

INTRODUCTION: The Farnsworth lantern test has long been used to assess the color vision of those seeking to enter the aviation industry and other occupations that require recognition of signal lights. A new version of the Farnsworth lantern, the Optec 900, is now produced because the original version is no longer manufactured. This paper reports the pass/ fail rates of a production model of the new version compared with an original one. METHODS: There were 100 male subjects with abnormal color vision who were given 3 runs with each lantern test. Their color vision deficiency was diagnosed using a battery of tests including the D15 test and the Nagel anomaloscope. RESULTS: A total of 19% passed the new lantern test compared with 24% for the original Farnsworth using the usual fail criteria. The pass rates become 17% and 21%, respectively, when adjusted for the expected proportions of the types of abnormal color vision. There was agreement between the two lantern tests for 89% of subjects: 8% passed the old Farnsworth and failed the new version, and 3% failed the original Farnsworth and passed the new. There was a practice effect: when one lantern was passed and the other failed, the lantern passed was, with one exception, given second. Both lantern tests passed subjects who made no errors on the first run who subsequently made many errors when given further runs. Only 4% of subjects made no errors on all runs. CONCLUSION: The Optec 900 can be considered equivalent to the Farnsworth lantern and might be preferred because it is slightly more stringent, reducing the risk of passing those who will make errors with signal lights. The practice of passing applicants who make no errors on the first run should be abandoned since 10% of those who pass in this way make many errors when additional runs are given.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

One of Australia's greatest cricketers was a protanope: a genetic detective story solved with the help of Schmidt's sign.

Abnormal colour vision is under-represented among first class cricketers and interviews with cricketers, all of whom had a mild colour vision defect, suggest there may be times when they lose sight of the red cricket ball against green surrounds. It is possible that severe abnormal colour vision precludes playing cricket at its highest competitive level. It is known that Bill Ponsford, who played Test cricket from 1924 to 1934 and was one of Australia's greatest batsmen, had abnormal colour vision. We have diagnosed him to be a protanope by tracing the abnormal colour vision exhibited by some of his descendents. We used Schmidt's sign using the Medmont C100 colour vision test to identify carriers of the protan gene to trace the protanopic gene to Ponsford with greater certainty. That such an accomplished batsman and highly regarded out-fielder should have a severe colour vision deficiency suggests that abnormal colour vision might not be, or at least need not be, a handicap to playing cricket at the most competitive levels.

Australia↗
PubMed2005

Nathan Efron.

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Australia↗
PubMed2005

Five cricketers with abnormal colour vision.

Five cricketers with abnormal colour vision, all of whom had mild deuteranomaly, reported occasions when they had lost sight of the ball when the background was the green grass of the playing field or the green of grassy banks or trees surrounding the playing field. While these five cricketers demonstrate that mild deuteranomaly does not preclude playing cricket successfully at a competitive level, their responses to questions at interview suggest that those with more severe forms of abnormal colour vision may be at a disadvantage. This conclusion is consistent with the under-representation of abnormal colour vision in a sample of first class county cricketers in England reported by Goddard and Coull (BMJ 1994; 309 1684-1685).

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Diagnosing protan heterozygosity using the Medmont C-100 colour vision test.

BACKGROUND: A surprisingly high 15 per cent of women in Caucasian societies are carriers of the genes for abnormal colour vision but there is no clinical method to identify them. It has long been known that heterozygotes for the protan colour vision deficiencies can demonstrate a reduced luminous sensitivity to red light. This is known as Schmidt's sign, which is thought to arise from mosaicism (Lyonisation). The Medmont C-100 colour vision test measures relative spectral sensitivity using flicker photometry to differentiate protans and deutans. It should be able to diagnose Schmidt's sign. METHOD: We tested six known protan heterozygotes (four whose sons have a protan colour vision deficiency and two whose fathers are protan) with the Medmont C-100 test. RESULTS: All six heterozygotes made average settings of -1.75 or more negative at the Medmont C-100 test, settings which are at or beyond the boundary of the distribution of settings made by observers with normal colour vision. There have been two previous cases reported in the literature of protan heterozygotes, who made protan settings on the Medmont C-100 or its predecessor test, the OSCAR. We also tested six daughters of the known heterozygotes, 50 per cent of whom are likely to be heterozygotes. Four of the six (66 per cent) made protan settings on the Medmont C-100. The other two made normal 0.0 settings. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the Medmont C-100 can be used clinically to diagnose carriers of protan colour vision deficiency.

Color Perception Tests↗
PubMed2004

The handicap of abnormal colour vision.

All people with abnormal colour vision, except for a few mildly affected deuteranomals, report that they experience problems with colour in everyday life and at work. Contemporary society presents them with increasing problems because colour is now so widely used in printed materials and in computer displays. Equal opportunity law gives them protection against unfair discrimination in employment, so a decision to exclude a person from employment on the grounds of abnormal colour vision must now be well supported by good evidence and sound argument. This paper reviews the investigations that have contributed to understanding the nature and consequences of the problems they have. All those with abnormal colour vision are at a disadvantage with comparative colour tasks that involve precise matching of colours or discrimination of fine colour differences either because of their loss of colour discrimination or anomalous perception of metamers. The majority have problems when colour is used to code information, in man-made colour codes and in naturally occurring colour codes that signal ripeness of fruit, freshness of meat or illness. They can be denied the benefit of colour to mark out objects and organise complex visual displays. They may be unreliable when a colour name is used as an identifier. They are slower and less successful in search when colour is an attribute of the target object or is used to organise the visual display. Because those with the more severe forms of abnormal colour vision perceive a very limited gamut of colours, they are at a disadvantage in the pursuit and appreciation of those forms of art that use colour.

Color Vision Defects↗
PubMed2004

Visual search and the conspicuity of coloured targets for colour vision normal and colour vision deficient observers.

BACKGROUND: Colour is known to facilitate visual search although its role as a determinant of target conspicuity is not so clear. People with abnormal colour vision have problems recognising and differentiating colours but the extent to which they may be at a disadvantage in visual search when redundant colour is a target attribute has not been investigated previously. METHOD: Six colour normal and 29 colour deficient subjects (7 P, 6 D, 7 PA, 9 DA) were instructed to find a diamond-shaped target embedded in a background of 138 differently shaped distracters and to report its position as quickly as possible. The target was redundantly colour-coded red, yellow, green, blue or white and the distracters had the same colours in various combinations. The target was uniquely colour-coded in some presentations, partially redundant in others and in some presentations the target and distracters had the same colour. In experiment 1 the displays were presented for 20 seconds and search time was measured; in experiment 2 the exposure time was 500 ms and the proportion of targets located correctly was taken as a measure of the target's conspicuity. RESULTS: Unique colour coding reduced search times significantly and greatly enhanced conspicuity but had no benefit when some distracters had the same colour as the target. Observers with colour vision deficiency had longer search times and the coloured targets were less conspicuous to them compared with colour normal observers. However, unique colour coding assisted their search, especially when the targets were red, blue or white. CONCLUSIONS: Observers with colour vision deficiency are less efficient than colour normal observers at visual search when the target is marked out by colour and coloured targets are less conspicuous for them.

Adult↗