Prevalence of color-vision deficiency among male high-school students

Abstract

Objective: This study determined the prevalence of color-vision deficiency among male high-school students in a public school.

Methods: Male high-school students were screened for color-vision deficiency using 6 plates of the Ishihara pseudoisochromatic plates. All students with one or more errors were reexamined at a later date with the full 15 Ishihara plates and the Farnsworth D15 (FD15) test. A detailed history was taken and an ocular examination was conducted. Students who identified less than 10 plates correctly on the FD15 were classified as color-deficient and underwent the Farnsworth Munsell 100 hue (FM 100) test. The results were statistically analyzed.

Results: A total of 1,258 male high-school students, aged 12 to 16 years, were included in the study, 122 of whom failed the screening test. Of these, 106 completed the 15 Ishihara plates. Sixty-five failed and were classified as color-visiondeficient, of which 64 (98%) were deutans. Deutan was also the most common deficiency determined using the FD15 (78.95%) and FM100 (44.19 %) hue tests.

Conclusion: The prevalence of color-vision deficiency among male students in a public high school was 5.17% (65/1,258). The most common deficiency was the deutan type.