Color vision deficiency in MBBS students of Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Abstract
Introduction: Colors play an important role in the medical profession, but currently there is no screening for Color Vision Defects (CVD) at any stage during the education and practice of medical professionals. This deficiency, if present in students, may affect their slide / specimen identification and patients’ examination hence leading to disappointment in assessment.
Objective: To document the frequency of color vision deficiency among newly admitted MBBS students of Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Materials & Methods: Screening for CVD was performed during the pre-admission health screening (Nov-Dec 2018) on 88 out of the 100 new 1st year MBBS students who volunteered for the study; there were 54 males (61.4%) and 34 females (38.6%) of ages 18-21 years. The CVD was determined by using the 24-plate Ishihara’s Test of Color Vision using standard techniques. Descriptive data analysis was done through SPSS 22.0.
Results: Color vision deficiency was found in 03 (3.41%) male students (5.6%), while none of the girls had CVD. All the 3 students were red and green color deficient.
Conclusion: Red green type of CVD was present among males only, probably due to X-linked inheritance, and could hamper their academic performance and career options.
Keywords: Color Vision; Color Vision Defects; Vision Tests; Retinal Photoreceptor Cells.
