Description

Written by the leading authority on the subject, this book is the practical guide to colour vision testing. It is aimed primarily at clinicians involved in colour vision testing but will also be of great use to undergraduate students. This is the second edition of the book and it follows a very similar format to the first. The obvious similarity between the books is a complement to the structure of the first edition rather than any criticism of the second. The book is comprehensive, well written and contains numerous useful tables and illustrations. Essentially, this edition is a thoughtful revision of the first book and includes a number of additions on the molecular genetics of defective colour vision, occupational colour vision standards and most importantly additional data on the clinical performance of some tests.

There are 11 chapters in all. The first 5 provide the reader with introductory background information on how colour is quantified, colour vision theories, normal colour vision, colour vision deficiency and its prevalence. Each of these chapters is short and concise providing sufficient information to give the clinician or student a sound understanding of these subject areas.

Almost half the book is devoted to chapters 6 and 7, which describe the design and administration of colour vision tests. Chapter 7 is particularly comprehensive, describing more than 45 different colour vision tests including anomaloscopes, pseudoisochromatic, hue arrangement and lantern tests. What is striking on reading this chapter is how little objective information there is about the clinical performance of many of these tests, a problem of particular relevance to clinicians trying to interpret test results. Thankfully, Jennifer Birch has included some of her own data on the sensitivity and specificity of the Ishihara plates but more data of this sort, on the performance of other tests, would be most welcome. At the end of chapter 7 there is a 14-page appendix containing a number of sample colour vision reports. Although this information will be of interest to clinicians is seems a little out of place and might have been better placed in a chapter of its own.

The last 4 chapters of the book describe colour vision tests suitable for use on children, the evaluation of acquired colour vision deficiency, the use of filter aids and occupational colour vision testing. The information included in these sections is practical in nature and will be of direct relevance to clinicians involved in colour vision testing.

This book reflects the authors enthusiasm for the subject, her ability to communicate information clearly and most importantly her clinical experience of colour vision testing. It is essential reading for optometry students, a useful source of information for all those involved in the practicalities of colour vision testing and has a place on my bookshelf.