Color Vision Testing Software
Calibrated digital screening plates, built into the same chart suite as your acuity testing — reviewed by Mark S. Brown, MD.
Last updated July 2, 2026 · Reviewed by Mark S. Brown, MD
Short answer: AcuityMaster includes digital color vision screening plates on a calibrated display as part of its standard chart suite. It is a screening tool integrated into the exam-lane workflow — flagging patients who may have a color vision deficiency — not a replacement for the formal color vision protocol your practice or a regulatory body may require.
What digital color vision screening is
Color vision screening in the exam lane traditionally means a printed plate book: pseudoisochromatic plates in which a figure is visible to patients with typical color vision and difficult or invisible to patients with a red-green deficiency. Digital screening plates apply the same principle on a display — the patient views a plate, reports what they see, and the pattern of responses flags patients who warrant a closer look.
The word screening is doing deliberate work in that sentence. Plate-style tests are designed to identify patients who may have a color vision deficiency; characterizing the deficiency in detail is a separate clinical step, and patients who screen positive are typically evaluated further. That is true of plate testing generally, printed or digital, and it is how AcuityMaster positions its color vision module.
An honest note on digital vs. printed plates
Digital screening plates are not a pixel-for-pixel reproduction of printed Ishihara booklets, and we do not claim equivalence. They are a different instrument built on the same pseudoisochromatic principle. What a digital implementation offers instead is control and convenience: the plates live in the same application as your acuity charts, they do not fade, get thumbed, or walk out of the room the way plate books do, and the presentation conditions come from the software rather than whatever ambient light happens to hit a printed page. If your practice, an employer, or a regulatory body mandates a specific test instrument for certification purposes, use that instrument; AcuityMaster's screening plates serve the everyday clinical question of whether this patient's color vision deserves further attention.
Why the calibrated display matters
In color vision screening the stimulus is the color itself, so an uncontrolled monitor — wrong brightness, aggressive color profile, night-shift filters — can shift what the patient is actually being shown. AcuityMaster presents its screening plates on a calibrated display, within a platform designed to the ANSI Z80.21 luminance standard (80–320 cd/m²) and the ISO 8596 optotype contrast specification (≤15% of background), with the display configured to the clinician's entered testing distance. Display setup guidance is covered under system requirements.
Who uses color vision screening
- Ophthalmology and optometry practices — as part of a comprehensive exam, and when patients or parents raise color vision questions
- Pediatric eye care — often the first setting where an inherited red-green deficiency is noticed; pairs naturally with AcuityMaster's pediatric optotypes
- Practices evaluating acquired changes — color vision can be affected in some optic nerve and retinal conditions, making a quick screen a useful data point alongside acuity and contrast sensitivity
- Patients with occupational questions — as a preliminary check before any formally mandated occupational testing
| Color vision in AcuityMaster at a glance | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Digital pseudoisochromatic-style screening plates, calibrated display |
| What it is not | A claimed equivalent to printed Ishihara booklets or a certification instrument |
| Included with | Every AcuityMaster license — same suite as Snellen, ETDRS, contrast sensitivity |
| Platforms | Browser-based Cloud (Mac, Windows, iPad) + Windows desktop (Legacy) |
| Pricing | From $249/seat/year (volume to $99); 15-day free trial, no credit card |
| Built by | Mark S. Brown, MD, practicing oculoplastic surgeon |
One suite, one lane
The practical argument for software-based screening is workflow. The technician finishes acuity, clicks to color vision, and screens without leaving the chart system or hunting for the plate book. AcuityMaster was built in 2012 by Mark S. Brown, MD — an oculoplastic surgeon in practice since 1998 — around exactly that kind of exam-lane reality: the fewer devices, booklets, and bulbs a lane depends on, the more reliably it runs.
Try it with your own patients
Color vision screening is included in the 15-day fully functional trial along with every other chart and optotype. Review the full feature list, see pricing, browse the glossary, or check the FAQ for licensing and hardware questions.
Try AcuityMaster in your own exam lane
15-day fully functional trial — every chart and optotype, no credit card.