Color Vision Testing Guide For Student Pilots

All aviation students must pass medical screening to earn their pilot's license. If you dream of nothing but friendly skies, you'll have to be prepared to take a vision test to ensure the safety of you, the crew, and the passengers aboard flights.


Student pilot vision testing is nothing to be fearful of. Studying a student pilot medical guide is one way to prepare for the exam, and this Q&A will cover the basics of aviation student vision testing and color vision student pilot exams to help you be as ready as possible when your time arrives.


How Often Do I Have To Test?


You will have to be medically evaluated and tested for color blindness before you receive your license and every 12 months after you begin working. Every annual medical exam will include a color deficiency test.



What Is a Color Deficiency (Color Blindness)?


The normal human eye has 6 to 7 million cone cells and 100 to 130 million rod cells. The blue, green, and red cones in the center of the retina - the part of the eye that receives images from the lens - convert images into electrical signals in the brain.


A person with normal trichromatic vision can identify over 7 million colors, however, 1 in 12 men and 1 in 20 women in North America have some type of color deficiency. This means that they cannot perceive certain parts of the color spectrum, and in many cases, they will see indistinct grey tones instead of the actual color.


Accepted Color Blindness Tests for Student Pilots

Color blind test for students

The followings are the most common color blindness and deficiency tests for student pilots to take their first time around. The Pseudoisochromatic Plates Color Vision Tests are the easiest for people who suffer from color deficiency to pass. These are: 


  • 1965 edition of the AOC
  • Second-edition AOC-HRR
  • Second-edition Dvorine pseudoisochromatic plates (15 plates)
  • Ishihara pseudoisochromatic plates (concise 14-plate, 24-plate, and 38-plate editions)
  • 1983 edition of the Richmond pseudoisochromatic plates test
  • The fourth edition of the Richmond-HR


A simplified breakdown of two common exam techniques. To see the official AME guide please see the FAA Website.


Ishihara


Consisting of up to 32 plates of colored dots shown in a series, this test is what is commonly seen in Optometrist's offices in America. For color-deficient people certain plates will look only like a jumble of random dots, however, for normal color vision people will see a number.


  • Advantage: Available almost anywhere, very common to see.
  • Disadvantage: Very sensitive to even minor color deficiencies.


The image below is a sample of the type of color images that you will be asked to identify by your medical examiner. In each of the above circles is a number. If you can identify the numbers of each of the circles, then chances are you have no color vision deficiencies.


PseudoIsochromatic Plate Ishihara Compatible (PIP)


Another relatively common color plate test consists of up to 38 plates, but usually, you will find the concise 14-plate edition. The passing score on the 14-plate edition is less than six errors on plates 1-11. 



  • Advantage: Easy to find
  • Disadvantage: Also very sensitive to minor color deficiencies.


What Types Of Color Blindness Are There?


The most common type of color blindness is a red-green deficiency. People with this visual disability will perceive blue-green and red-purple as gray. Those with Deuteronomy will see green and red-purple as gray. Both of these deficiencies are classified under anomalous trichromatism. With this disorder, blue, green, and red cones are present in the eye but the pigmentation within them is altered, resulting in visual impairment. You can read more about the various types of color blindness from this article by the National Eye Institute. 


Can I become a Pilot If I'm Color-Blind?


It is possible to earn your pilot's license even if you have some type of color deficiency. The first thing you should do is consult a student pilot medical guide and speak with your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). If you do not pass your first test, another specific test can be ordered, but after that test is taken, no other can be administered and the final result will stand.


Second Specialized Medical Tests


These color vision student pilot tests can be administered if you do not pass the first exam and request to take another. It is important to remember that you can only take a second exam once.

If you take the second color deficiency test, you will have to go through two processes. The first is the Operational Color Perception Test (OCVT), which is done in daylight.