What do color blind children really see? Guidelines for clinical prescreening based on recent findings

Recent research on classical red-green blind observers has shown that complete dichromacy may be present only under conditions where the viewing angle is small. For viewing angles greater than about 4 degrees, both rods and an anomalous cone have been shown to underlie a weak form of trichromacy. The conditions for rod or anomalous cone mediation of this trichromacy have also been shown to depend on the overall viewing luminance. These data taken together prompt a rethinking of the classical view of red-green dichromacy and lead to new considerations of the color discrimination performance of dichromatic candidates. In this paper we review the recent research on the presence of trichromatic abilities in classical dichromats and we relate these findings to the needs of the clinician, especially in the screening of young children.