Variability of Rayleigh and Moreland test results using anomaloscope in young adults without color vision disorders

AIM: To validate the reference ranges proposed by the manufacturer of the Oculus HMC Anomaloscope MR for Rayleigh and Moreland tests in healthy young adults. METHOD: The manual Rayleigh (red-green) and the Moreland (blue-green) anomaloscope tests were performed on 90 healthy subjects (54 female, 36 male, 178 eyes) residing in Poland, aged between 18–45 years, and without color vision disorders (assessed with HRR test). The analyzed parameters for both the Rayleigh and the Moreland tests were as follows: the lower (R(1)/M(1)) and the upper (R(2)/M(2)) limits; the center (R(C)/M(C)) and the width (R(W)/M(W)) of the matching ranges. RESULTS: The results of the Rayleigh test were similar to the values proposed in the anomaloscope user’s manual, however, with a small shift of R(C) and R(2) towards the red color. The double-peak distribution of R(2) with a small second peak (approximately at R(2) = 52) was mainly due to the measurements in male subjects (n(male) = 8, n(female) = 2), which suggests that this group might be diagnosed with subtle protanomaly. The results of the Moreland test showed a high M(W) which did not correspond to the reference range described in the anomaloscope user’s manual. The observed significant correlations between R(1) and M(1) suggest that the M(1) parameter seems to be the best indicator of blue vision quality. CONCLUSIONS: Oculus HMC Anomaloscope MR is a sensitive tool for detection of prot-deuteranomalies but the reference ranges for young adults require a certain adjustment towards the red color. The parameters obtained for the Moreland test varied significantly between the subjects and therefore the test should not be used as is to diagnose color vision deficits in the green-blue area (tritanomaly).