Purpose
To analyze the correlation between visual acuity and color discrimination in various ocular diseases, with the use of a novel digital color vision test.
Methods
A total of 120 individuals (174 eyes) were included in the study. 68 females (56.7%) with average age 67.4 (SD = 13.7) and 52 males (43.3%) with average age 68.9 (SD = 18.5). The logMAR visual acuity ranged from 21 to 83 letters. The color testing was performed with the best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in each eye separately, with the use of a digital color test. Correlation between the VA scores and color vision scores was performed in relation to each specific ocular disease.
Results
The visual acuity scores correlated with color discrimination scores in all three examined colors: red (rs = 0.634, p < 0.001), green (rs = 0.652, p < 0.001) and blue color (rs = 0.553, p < 0.001) targets. Additionally, statistically significant correlations were found between the visual acuity and color testing scores: in glaucoma (red: rs = 0.734, p < 0.001, green: rs = 0.735, p < 0.001, blue: rs = 0.549, p = 0.015), in macular diseases (red: rs = 0.725, p < 0.001, green: rs = 0.780, p < 0.001, blue: rs = 0.658, p < 0.001), in diabetic retinopathy (red: rs = 0.494, p = 0.002, green: rs = 0.489, p = 0.002, blue: rs = 0.503, p = 0.001), and in other various ocular diseases (red: rs = 0.677, p < 0.001, green: rs = 0.642, p < 0.001, blue: rs = 0.508, p = 0.005).
Conclusions
This digital color test is easily performed and maybe used even by visually impaired individuals and serve as a useful color monitoring tool for an earlier detection of changes indicative of deterioration in various ocular diseases. This test may also be used for the self‐evaluation of color vision.