General
Domains: Communication, Clinical Practice
No CPD Points
Welcome to Docet’s podcast Sound Optometry, hosted by Michelle Hanratty, an IP optometrist with 20 years’ experience on the high street and in hospital. Each month, with case studies and in-depth conversations, we will be exploring topics that matter the most to you as optometrists and are relevant for everyday practice.
Episode 43 - Vision Standards: Colour perception and more
Awareness of vision standards is necessary for optometrists working in community practice.
The vision standards optometrists are familiar with are mostly in the context of driving a standard vehicle. But what if someone wants to drive a minibus or become an electrician? And if a firefighter becomes presbyopic, can they still see well enough at near to continue working? When examining children, why is colour vision screening important? And how do you break the news to a patient who wants to become a pilot that their colour vision is deficient? Is it a deal breaker?
To help answer these questions, Michelle Hanratty is joined by Professor John Barbur as they discuss the vision standards for safety-critical occupations. Professor Barbur tells us about the more sophisticated colour vision test he has developed which is widely used to accurately grade the severity of colour vision deficiency. This test ensures that the pass-fail criteria for safety critical occupations or tasks can be applied appropriately.
Producer Jason Hosken steps up for testing, and Michelle finds out whether the results will have an impact on any potential career or hobby aspirations. Finally, we hear from Ian Trimmer, who provides an insight into communicating bad news and why vision can be a particularly sensitive topic.
An additional reading element consolidates the learning on this topic.
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First published: October 2024
Last reviewed: June 2025