Extraordinary Dynamic Near Vision in Champion Shotgun Shooters: PDI Check Evaluation of Stereo and Color without Floor Effect

BACKGROUND: Conventional near and stereo tests have a “floor effect;” inability to discriminate normal from super-normal. Shotgun champions require unique performance in binocularity and rapid color discrimination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine champion clay-target shooters, 14 normal Army and 12 color-normal subjects were tested with conventional near vision tests and on PDI-Check, a series of dynamic, near vision tests on the autostereoscopic Nintendo console. RESULTS: Conventional tested shotgunners had all perfect Ishihara and 75% best 40 sec Stereo fly while Army had 92%perfect Ishihara and 69% best stereo fly. On PDI-Check, experienced shotgunners with median stereo of 17 (IQR 12–41) arc sec were better than Army volunteers 59 (IQR 30 to 487) arc seconds (Mann–Whitney U=62, p=0.04). Median PDI-Check for shotgun compared to Army was 88% compared to 84% for blue cone, 90% compared to 84% for green and 77% compared to 72% (red, Mann–Whitney p=0.05). Adding dark cherry filter shooting glasses improved the red and green color detection (p<0.01). This study lacked power to detect eye dominance using PDI Check color or stereo. CONCLUSION: Many champion shotgun shooters had outstanding dynamic near stereo and better-than-average color vision which could be optimized with dark filter spectacles for red and green hues. PDI Check not only helps identify abnormal binocularity and color vision, but it can clarify supranormal vision as well.