Colour Vision Flashcards
What are colour vision tests used for
Managing paediatric cases, giving vocational advice, detecting ocular disease, monitoring ocular disease, careers, police armed forces, safety, electrician, education, pathology, traffic lights, wires etc
Telling parents capabilities of vision
Change in colour vision- could be a potential sign of pathology
Facts about colour and light
How many colours can an individual see
What 2 things is colour produced by
What wavelengths can the human eye detect
Normal individuals can see around 150 colours
Colour is produced by sources which emit a limited spectral range and by filters which transmit a portion of white light
Light is electromagnetic radiation
Human eye can detect wavelengths between 380-780nm
1nm= 1 times 10^-9 of a metre.
Wavelengths and light timeline
Red orange yellow green blue indigo violet
Long wavelength
Low frequency
700nm. 500nm. 400nm
Essentially what can all visible hues be matched by
And explain what newton did
All visible hues can be matched by an additive mixture of 3 primary colours taken from red green and blue parts of the visible spectrum.
Newton- demonstrated that a prism could decompose white light into a spectrum of colours and a 2nd prism and a lens could recompose the multicoloured spectrum back into white light
Basic colour theory dates and names of the 3 theories
1773- young-helmhotz theory
1870- herrings opponent colour theory
1881- donders zone theory
Young helmhotz theory
Trichromatic theory
Human eye has 3 types of colour receptors: red, green and blue which work together to create the perception of all of the colours in the visible spectrum.
Helmhotz later discovered that the 3 retinal receptors had overlapping spectral sensitivities.
Opponent colour theory
Proposed 4 primary colours red yellow blue and green arranged these opponent colours
R vs G and Y vs B
When you look at one colour for too long the opponent colour appears
This is due to bleaching of colour opponent colours taking away any stimulus
Also discovered luminance mechanisms- white vs black
Zone theory
Combines 2 previous theories and this is the basis of modern cv theories
Cv is processed in a series of zones along the visual pathway
Depending on what zone you are in depicts what theory stands
3 zones
Receptor level- the cones themselves, vision is trichromatic
Ganglion cell level- colour info coded into opponent channels
Luminance channels- derives input from the long and medium wavelength cones and a small 10 percent input from short wavelength cone
The diagram of light incident on the retina
Light comes through the pupil through everything plexiform layer etc ganglion cells and it bounces off the rpe to go to the photoreceptors. Rpe is important for nutrients, metabollic waste disposal and overall barrier for light to bounce off it
In the human eye the retina is back to front so but it follows a similar theory. Light incident on retina hits cones (reality it bounces off rpe and then hits cones)
Plexiform layer- neurons to process signals
Horizontal and miller cells- combine signals from photoreceptors and these also connect ganglion cells laterally within the plexiform layer.
Bipolar and horizontal cells-> ganglion cell
Ganglion cels- sends signals to brain via ON= respond to colour, contrast, motion + regulate size of pupils
Rods
Function
Where and where not are they present
Function at low light levels. Rods everywhere so no directional sensitivity.
Not present at the fovea and diminish in density towards the far periphery. Most dense at the periphery. More rods than cones. 5 degrees from fovea.
Spatial summation= multiple rods to one axon= faster aps generated but cant differentiate. High sensitivity low visual acuity. No colour vision with rods. Better in scotopic conditions.
cones
Function and
Where are they the most dense
What are these not ideal for which conditions
Function at higher levels of illumination
Most dense at the fovea, diminish in density towards the periphery
One cone to one axon so high va low sensitivity less aps generated. Can distinguish between photons and can process colour.
Populates the central 2 degrees.
Not ideal for scotopic conditions, sensitivity diminishes if light enters eye obliquely= stiles Crawford effect. Only in centre really.
The stiles Crawford effect
Rods are stimulated from any direction to generate an action potential.
Cones are stimulated only from central rays to generate the same action potential.
Brightness curve relating to distance from pupil centre. Central pupil= brightest and away from pupil edges are less bright. -3mm and 3mm from pupil is lowest and 0 is the highest so its a curve from -3 to 3mm. Pupil bright and edges lower
When is colour vision present and when is it not present- numbers
Colour vision is present when cones are stimulated so either in mesopic or photopic conditions. More than 3cd/m^3
Cv is absent during scotopic conditions so anything less than 0.001cd/m^3
Normal colour vision is what 3 classes of..
3 classes of photopigment which have overlapping spectral sensitivity allowing us to see a range of shades
Proportion of cones in the central retina and the near fovea
Central retina- R:G:B
40:20:1 so blue is scarce
Near fovea- R:G
1.2:1
3.9:1 so no blue at near fovea.
Clinically if we detect early damage to blue cones.. and what is this called
What degree field size is optimal and when is it scarce
Early sign of glaucoma
Small field tritanopia= losing sensitivity of blue wavelength photoreceptors. This can be observed due to a scarcity of short wavelength cones at the fovea.
2 degree field size is optimal and scarcity if field sizes subtend less than 0.5 degrees
If we do suspect tritanopia, how can we test this or detect it
Using short wavelength automated perimetry
This involves blue and yellow light sources in a normal visual fields analyser to detect early damage to blue cones
This effects a persons ability to see blue and yellow due to scarcity of short wavelength cones found at the fovea.
Brunescence of the crystalline lens
Browning or yellowing of it as we age
This acts as a blue light filter and it absorbs blue light
Crystalline lens also loses flexibility which can lead to presbyopia
Px who had cataracts may now be able to see lots of blue so they may need yellow tinted glasses to absorb some of that blue
retinal pigments at the back of the eye
Retinal pigments amounts may vary at the back of the eye for individuals
Different concentrations can impact AMD and the perception of colour will be different based on absorption characteristics present in the eye.
Different pxs have diff amounts of macular pigment and you can supply them w drugs to increase this to protect their eyes against amd. Supplements could also change absorption characteristics in the eyes impacting their perception of colour.
Trichromacy vs monochromacy
Trichromacy- all 3 cone pigments present and functioning
Monochromacy- truly colour blind as there is only 1 functioning pigment either one cone or just rods due to a genetic mutation. No overlapping on graph so no other shades seen.
Monochromat graph
Colour blind- only one functioning pigment. Caused by a genetic mutation that affects all 3 cone cells no overlapping.
Peaks at 100 percent which is wavelength a, wavelength b is absorbed 50 percent of the time but when light is absorbed it cant differentiate between a and b so it either produces an ap or it doesnt. A is 2 times as likely of being absorbed than b however can’t differentiate.
why does a monochromat have no colour discrimination
Absorption spectrum for a hypothetical photopigment
A photon of light wavelength A has the highest probability of being absorbed whereas wavelength b has half the probability of being absorbed. Eventhough a is 2 times as likely to be absorbed than b the pigment has no way of knowing which is which. There may be a difference in brightness but this is due to intensity no way of discriminating them
A monochromat is unable to distinguish between objects on the basis of wavelength alone. So there are 2 photons of light but when light is absorbed by this pigment it doesnt know if it is a or b it just either produces an action potential or it doesnt
Dichromat graph and why are these distinguishable
Spectra overlap a bit
But px cant see shades outside of that overlap
The quanta absorbed by the 2 photopigments is different so photons are distinguishable by their wavelength