AIM:To evaluate the relationship between color discrimination ability(CDA)and depth perception among university students with normal color vision.

METHODS:A total of 52 students, 33 males(63.46%)and 19 females(36.54%)from Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, aged 21.18±2.52y included in this study. Subject has normal visual acuity(20/20)and without congenital color vision deficiency(CCVD). They were evaluated by Ishihara Pseudoisochromatic Plate Test(IPPT). Dominant eye(DE)was determined using the Gundogan Method. The CDA was examined by Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test(FM100HT)test for detecting total error score(TES)and local error score(LES)for two eyes(TE)open, the right eye(RE)open and the left eye(LE)open. The error scores were divided into the three groups: for the TE, for the dominant eye(DE)and for the non-dominant eye(NDE). The presence of the binocularity and stereoscopic sensitivity(SS)were investigated by TNO test which were also divided into four groups according to the level of SS within a range of 480-15 arc/s.

RESULTS:The error scores of FM100HT without gender difference for TES, blue/yellow(b/y)LES and red/green(r/g)LES were found 61.22±30.32(58.50), 35.80±19.32(36.50)and 25.42±14.65(24.00)respectively. In male subjects(n=31)were found 67.45±29.95(61.00), 40.25±18.83(39.00)and 27.19±14.30(24.00)respectively. In female subjects(n=19)were found 51.05±28.84(47.00), 25.52±18.32(28.00)and 22.2±31.13(23.00)respectively. Females had higher CDA than males according FM100HT error scores. CDA classification according to FM100HT were found to be higher(6%, TES=0-20), medium(86%, TES=20-100), lower(8%, TES>100), the medium level was statistically more frequently observed(P<0.05). The r/g color LES for DE and NDE were 24.12±14.70 and 32.20±14.21, b/y color LES for DE and NDE were 34.68±1.95 and 36.24±17.56 respectively. In female(n=19)r/g color LES for DE and NDE were 21.89±15.06 and 31.00±22.42; in male(n=31)25.48±14.55 and 32.93±17.31. In female(n=19)b/y color LES for DE and NDE were 29.63±18.62 and 33.42±17.38; in male(n=31)37.77±18.78 and 37.96±17.73 respectively. All students' TES of TE, DE and NDE subgroups and stereopsis level of were compared, the differences were not statistically significant(P=1). According to our research CDA and binocular depth perception does not effect on each other.

CONCLUSION: In normal subjects TES of FM100HT showed that no difference in the subject with different stereopsis level and the depth perception evaluated by TNO test which is based on color dissociation and the ability to color discrimination was not correlated. Our previous study DE's CDA was found superior to the NDE's. But in the presenting study showed that DE was not superior to NDE in terms of depth perception.