[Histonet] Re: Color Blindness Testing

[Tom McNemar]

I've been watching this thread with great interest....  I have been in Histology for 30+ years now and am myself colorblind (at least according to the Unites States Navy).  I do see color even though I could not pass the old card test (failed it 3 times).  My problem is with shades of color.  I cannot distinguish real light shades or real dark shades.

I started my laboratory life about 32 years ago on an aircraft carrier and was trained to read diffs, ph strips, etc. by a senior lab tech who was... you guessed it, color blind!

The point of all of this is that you can do histology even if you cannot pass the test for colorblindness.  For myself, if I know what a color is supposed to be and what that color looks like to me, I generally do not have any problems at all. As mentioned below, I too have trouble with acid fast stains.  I cannot judge the stain quality of the acid fast stain and don't even bother to look at them.

I was very nearly fired after only a short time in my present position when the Medical Director found out that I was colorblind.  He couldn't see how I could possibly do histology.  I convinced him to give me a chance and 28 years later I am still here.

Tom McNemar, HT(ASCP)
Histology Co-ordinator
Licking Memorial Health Systems
(740) 348-4163
(740) 348-4166
tmcnemar <@t> lmhealth.org
www.LMHealth.org

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Bob Richmond
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 11:59 AM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Re: Color Blindness Testing

Laurie asks: >>Does  anyone  know of any (free) online testing for
color blindness? Does  anyone have an alternate method that they have
used to satisfy CAP requirements?<<

Here are some online Ishihara plates quickly found through Wikipedia:

http://offsetpressman.blogspot.com/2009/10/color-blindness-test-for-printers.html

There are many others. Two reservations: Color monitors don't
reproduce colors with sufficient accuracy. And an online test may not
satisfy bureaucrats. You'd have to ask.

I have normal color vision, but I've been interested in color
blindness among pathologists for about 50 years. I know of only one
major problem, finding red acid-fast bacilli in a blue-background
stain. This problem should be solved by banning light-microscopic
acid-fast stains, something the CAP should have done years ago.

I don't like the implication of color-blindness testing in the absence
of a significant problem. Can somebody lose their job, or not get
hired in the first place, because of color-blindness?

It may be Good Management, but it's not good medicine or good social policy.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN

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