New Tests Give Hope to Colour-Blind Pilot Applicants

According to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, the use of new tests that have been developed in London would see 35% of pilot applicants who now fail the colour-blindness exams passing them in future.

The UK CAA has published an in-depth report in which the research is said to be deemed necessary due to the lack of reliable, standardised tests and the absence of information on the specific colour vision needs of professional flight crew.

The CAA claims that while pilot applicants with minimal colour deficiencies often fail the traditional tests currently in use, it has been found that some of these individuals might well be able to perform safety-critical tasks as satisfactorily as those with standard colour vision.

The CAA’s report also notes that occupational colour vision standards—which were introduced to aviation 90 years ago—reflected not only the needs of the time but also the methods that were available for assessing colour vision at the time.

These new tests would not only benefit pilot applicants but could also lead to job opportunities in other fields such as fire fighting, police, rail and maritime transportation, and the military.

In the standard Isihara test, a person is shown a green, orange and red pattern of dots—for example, a circle of red dots with green dots in the pattern of a “7” in the centre. A colour-blind person cannot distinguish between the two colours and therefore cannot distinguish the green “7” in the centre. In the new test, a subject is shown coloured blocks in a grey square. These move quickly to new positions as the individual tracks them. The process is repeated with different colours and hues. A colour-blind person will eventually be unable to detect the blocks’ movements. This test shows how weak the colour was when it disappeared, placing the person on an accurate colour-blindness scale. No information is yet to hand as to whether New Zealand authorities are considering the results of the UK tests.