Color Blind Test (Color Vision Test)

A color blind test is how a healthcare provider can check your color vision. An eye doctor may use this test during your regular eye exam, or if they think you might have color vision deficiency (color blindness).

Trained vision screeners at your child’s pediatrician’s office or school may give your child a color blind test. The screener will let you know if they find anything unusual in your child’s vision. They’ll tell you if you should make a follow-up appointment with an eye doctor.

Calling this exam a color blind test is a common shorthand. But it’s not the best name for it. Color vision test is more accurate. That’s because your eye doctor is checking how you see and experience color. They’re not testing whether or not you can see any color. That kind of total color vision deficiency is very rare.

There are many types of color vision deficiency. Because of this, there are lots of different types of color vision tests. Your provider will tell you which ones you’ll need and which kinds of color deficiency they’re screening for.

You can find lots of color vision tests online. These can be a good starting place if you have concerns about your color vision. But they can’t diagnose anything. They’re just examples to illustrate what real tests look like. Seeing an eye doctor for an official test is the only way to diagnose color vision deficiency.

Every color vision test is quick, painless and simple. Your provider will have you look at a set of images and tell them what you see. These can be cards, other physical pictures or images on a computer or screen.

Color plate tests (pseudoisochromatic plate tests)

During a color plate test, you’ll need to identify a symbol, shape or number on a background made of small circles or dots. You’ll only be able to notice the symbol if you can see that it’s a different color from the background. These are the most common color blind tests. There are a few types of color plate tests your eye care specialist may use.

Ishihara test

This is the most common color vision test for adults. A provider will show you a set of between eight and 34 plates, each with a different number or symbol. You’ll tell your provider what you see. Ishihara tests only diagnose red-green color deficiency.

Richmond Hardy-Rand-Rittler test

You’ll look at 24 plates that each have one or two symbols on them (usually crosses, circles or triangles). You’ll tell your provider which symbols you see and where they are on the plate. This test (also called the Richmond HRR) can diagnose both red-green and/or blue-yellow color deficiency. It can also diagnose the severity, from mild to severe.

Cambridge Color Vision Test

This is a computer-based test that checks for red-green and blue-yellow color deficiency. You’ll look at different plates that each contain the letter “C.” You’ll tell your provider where the opening of the “C” faces (up, down, left or right).

Color Vision Testing Made Easy (CVTME)

This is a test made specifically for children who may not be able to read or identify letters yet. Your child will look at 12 plates and identify images they see. The first nine contain simple shapes like circles, squares and stars. The last three have more complicated pictures like houses, boats or animals. CVTME can diagnose red-green color blindness in children age 3 to 6.

Neitz Test of Color Vision

This is another test for children. Your child will look at a series of nine squares. Each square contains a diamond, square, triangle, circle or no symbol. Your child will say what they see in each square. Most children need to take the test twice in a row. It checks for red-green and blue-yellow color blindness.

Ordering tests

These tests get their name from how they work. You’ll look at a series of cards and put objects you see in a certain order depending on their color or shape. Each card is a different color.

Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue

This test can diagnose red-green and blue-yellow color deficiency. It also shows how well you can tell the difference between colors. You’ll look at 85 cards divided into four groups and put them in order according to their color and shade (sorted from lightest to darkest, for example).

Farnsworth-Munsell D-15

This is a shorter version of the 100-hue test that only uses 15 cards. It can still diagnose both red-green and blue-yellow color deficiency. But it may not catch very mild cases.

Lanthony desaturated D-15

This test is similar to the Farnsworth-Munsell D-15. It uses cards with more muted color shades. Plus, the colors have more subtle differences between them. Your eye doctor may use it as a follow-up test after you take a Farnsworth Munsell D-15.

Comparison tests

Comparison tests use a device called an anomaloscope. They’re the most accurate way to diagnose red-green color deficiency. But they’re rare for in-office testing. Most of the time, you’ll only do one if you’re participating in a research study.

An anomaloscope looks sort of like a microscope. You’ll look through an eyepiece at a circle that’s divided in half. Each half will be a different color. The top half will stay the same. You’ll use knobs on the anomaloscope to adjust the bottom color until it matches the top. You’ll do this same matching process a few times on different circles. If you have red-green color deficiency, you’ll see some colors as matching when they’re really not.

What are the results of a color blind test?

Each type of color vision test gives different results. Your eye doctor will help you understand the results and explain what they mean.

Your provider should get the results in real time as soon as you’re done with the test. They’ll tell you which kind of color vision deficiency you have and its severity. You may need more than one test to diagnose a specific form.