• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.3 s.61
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• pp.321-331
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• 2000

Multiple 15-hue tests were designed and implemented on a PC in the study so as to quickly and quantitatively evaluate color vision acuity. Difficulty of the test was control)ed by the value of CDBACC (color difference between adjacent color chips) calculated using a CIELAB formula. The multiple 15-hue tests consist of eight of the hue tests (test 3-10) and three of the basic color (red, green, blue) tests (test 11-13). The 15 colors used for the hue tests were specified by the 15 color coordinates that were located at a constant distance (d = 2. 3. 5. 7, 10, 20, 30. 40) from white reference in the CIE chromaticity coordinate system and were separated by a constant color difference (CDBACC = 0.75, 1.1, 1.8. 2.5. 3.5. 7.5. 11, 14) from the adjacent chips. The color coordinates for the 15 chips for the basic color tests were the same as those of the 15 points spaced equally by a constant color difference (6.87 for the green color test. 7.27 for the red color test, 7.86 for the blue color test) from the white reference along the axis of red, green and blue. Thirty normal subjects who were not color blind were taken to undergo the multiple 15-hue tests. It was observed that most of the subjects correctly arranged color chips for the tests with CDBACC greater than 5, whereas no one correctly answered for those with CDBACC less than 2. Rapid changes in the number of the subjects correctly arranged took place when CDBACC of the tests was between 2 and 4.5. In the basic color tests, unlike the hue tests having similar values of CDBACC, it was seen that the subjects arranged color chips even less correctly. It was found that JNCD (just noticeable color difference) - a measure of color vision acuity was about 3 in average for the subjects. The JNCD was chosen as the value of the CDBACC of the test for which about $50\%$ of the subjects failed to successfully arrange color chips. ERCCA (error rate of color chips arrangement) for the test with CDBACC the same as the JNCD was shown to be about $20\%$. It is expected that the multi 15-hue tests implemented on a PC in the study will be an economical tool to quickly and quantitatively evaluate color vision acuity and, accordingly, the tests can be used for early diagnosis to massive potential patients suffering from diseases (ex. diabetes, glaucoma) which may induce changes in color vision acuity.