Details:

Creators:
Milburn, Nelda J. ; Roberts, Carrie A. ; Perry, Deborah L.
Milburn, Nelda J. ; Roberts, Carrie A. ; Perry, Deborah L. Less -
Corporate Creators:
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute ; Xyant Technology, Inc.
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute ; Xyant Technology, Inc. Less -
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
Aviation Color Vision Diagnostic Tests Evaluation Testing Equipment Vision Tests
Publication/ Report Number:
DOT/FAA/AM-13/16
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
United States
Corporate Publisher:
United States. Office of Aerospace Medicine
Abstract:
Screening tests are valued for their ability to detect the presence (test sensitivity) and the absence (test specificity) of a disease or a specific condition such as color vision deficiencies(CVDs). From an aviation safety standpoint, it is important to identify thosewith CVDsbecause of their potential for accidents if they misinterpret vital color-coded information; whereas, failing an airman with normal color vision has other consequences to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) such as the expense ofsecondaryscreening. If a screening test has low specificity, it can have a high false positive rate—meaning that individuals are falsely noted as having the condition being screened. So, from the airman’s standpoint, especially if the airman has normal color vision(NCV), specificity is very important. The FAA has a color vision standard for airmen and air traffic controllers because of the occupations’ high reliance on color-coded information. Stereo Optical Company, Inc. requested a review of their model 5000 multifunction screener for aeromedical use, and the FAA found that instrument failed 50% of those with NCV. The manufacturer made some modifications and requested a re-evaluation. The validity of the original and modified versions of the OPTEC®5000 (called V1 and V2, respectively in this paper) was examinedin two experiments.Experiment1 involved 29NCVand 31 CVD subjectsthat were administered the OPTEC®2000 and the V1.Experiment 2 examinedthe validity of the original and modified instruments by comparing test outcome on both versions to a diagnostictest using 50 NCV and 51 CVDsubjects.In Experiment 1, the V1 failed 41.3% of theNCV participants. In Experiment 2, V1failed28%, and V2failed 32% of theNCV subjects. V1passed 16% of the subjects diagnosed with CVDsand V2erroneously passed 12%. It is possible that the light-emitting diode strip, used in the OPTEC®5000, altered the color perception of the pseudo-isochromatic test plates and that substituting that light source for one with better color rendering could restore the test’s sensitivity and specificity rates.The specificity of the OPTEC®5000, in its original and modified states, are unacceptably low; and neither should be used for aeromedical color vision screening because of their lowagreement with a diagnostic test (K(101)=.564 and .563, respectively).
Format:
PDF
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:c746e47768b6eaac81f0e6b988cc408443fa6b4465058cc59572814b9e47acf8
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/26459/dot_26459_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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