Colour vision deficiency in Nepalese Medical and Nursing Students of different ethnicity

Abstract

Introduction: Colour vision deficiency is a common but unnoticed condition. Medical students must be aware of their congenital colour vision deficiency and its effects on their work, so that color vision deficient student may not choose the discipline such as pathology and radiology, where colour vision is very important.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Clinical Physiology, Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu from February 2013 to January 2016. Total of 556 medical and nursing students selected by convenient sampling, underwent color vision evaluation by using Ishihara chart.

Results: Out of 302 male students, 20 (6.6%) were color vision deficient. Similarly, out of 254 female students, two (0.8%) were colour vision deficient. Among the male students, two (10%) were total colour blind, eight (40%) were suffering from deuteranomaly and 10 (50%) were suffering from deuteranopia. Colour vision deficiencies were observed more in Chhetri (9.5%), followed by Brahmin (7.1%) and Madhesi ethnicity (6.9%).

Conclusion: The prevalence of colour vision deficiency in Nepalese medical students is significant. Therefore, they should be screened for colour vision deficiency, so that the students with colour vision defect can choose appropriate discipline as their future carrier where colour vision defect may not affect their work.