Correspondence - ICO Library

-24-
Binocular Vision & Correspondence First Quarter of 2011
Strabismus Quarterly©
Volume 26 (No.1)
A Medical Scientific e-Periodical page 24
Richmond offers Open Complimentary Tutorial
on Color Vision Deficiency
To the Editor:
Richmond Products is offering, at no charge, a concise tutorial on color vision
deficiency (CVD) describing the causes and effects of CVD, methods of detecting
and diagnosing the various forms, the effects of certain toxic substances and work
(occupational) considerations. The final chapter deals with the current status of
treatment and therapeutic methods, including gene therapy research in primates that
may possibly be applied to humans.
Contributors include several very well known experts on color vision:
Frederick T. Fraunfelder, MD., Oregon Health and Science University’s
Casey Eye Institute.
Jay Neitz, PhD and Maureen Neitz, PhD. University of Washington DC.
Bernard Blais, MD, Albany Medical College, New York
James D. Bailey, OD, PhD, Southern College of Optometry,
Memphis, Tennessee.
With the advent of color computer screens and more sophisticated security
systems, the occupational demand for excellent color vision is growing rapidly.
Further, many newly developed pharmaceuticals can become toxic to the body,
where research shows effects of color vision deficiency, especially in yellow and
blue. A major publication on clinical ocular toxicology by Dr. Fraunfelder currently
lists over 134 drugs, industrial chemicals and herbal compounds that may
induce ocular side effects that manifest as color vision deficiency.
The CVD tutorial can be downloaded as a PDF document from our web site:
www.richmondproducts.com.
Lloyd Powell, Albuquerque, New Mexico
(The Editor applauds Lloyd Powell and Richmond Products, a serious source of color vision
tests for all ages, and a broad spectrum of other examination tools especially for orthoptists
(see page 20) strabologists, and pediatric ophthalmologists (see page 23). We also applaud the
use of the term, “Color Vision Deficiency” instead of “Color blindness” a totally unwarranted
terminology and label, from which one in ten males suffer (including your editor and several
fellow strabologists ?Is that cause and effect?). We have long preferred the term, “color
amblyopia”, or even “color organic amblyopia” as the proper diagnostic terms, also to avoid
confusion with “inorganic” functional amblyopia -per). .