Effects of tinted lenses on chromatic sensitivity: changes in colour vision assessed with the CAD test, a preliminary study

TL;DR

This study investigates how different tinted lenses, specifically blue-blocking and orange filters, affect chromatic sensitivity and colour discrimination using the CAD test, revealing that orange filters significantly impair colour vision while blue-blocking filters do not.

Contribution

It provides preliminary evidence on the impact of tinted lenses on colour vision, highlighting the differential effects of blue-blocking versus orange filters on chromatic sensitivity.

Findings

Blue-blocking filter does not significantly affect colour vision.

Orange filter causes large changes in colour discrimination.

Further research needed to determine safe levels of short-wavelength light removal.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the extreme effects of tinted lenses on colour vision by examining changes in chromatic sensitivity when viewing visual displays through a slightly tinted (blue-blocking) filter and through a heavily tinted, orange coloured filter. The CAD test was used to measure both red/green (RG) and yellow/blue (YB) chromatic sensitivity in ten subjects when viewing visual displays through each of the two filters. The measured RG and YB colour thresholds were then compared with similar measurements made without coloured filters in front of the eye. The blue-blocking filter absorbs only a small amount of short-wavelength light whilst the orange filter attenuates preferentially more short wavelength and some middle-wavelength light. The results show that the blue-blocking filter does not affect significantly either RG or YB colour vision. The orange filter, on the other hand, causes large changes in colour discrimination. The results were analysed statistically by comparing results obtained with the coloured filters with those measured without any filters in front of the eye. More experimental work is now needed to establish how much short wavelength light can be removed without affecting significantly the subject's colour discrimination performance.