Captain's license and colorblindness

[trflgrl]

Posting on behalf of a friend who isn't a member....
Friend is pursuing captain's licensing with intention to change careers. Based on his results on the Ishihara test, the National Maritime Center wants to place a daytime only restriction on his license, which he feels will severely affect his employability. He's seeking an eyecare professional willing to perform one of the available alternative tests, but hasn't found one yet after a few weeks of searching. I excerpted the following from an online document on testing requirements/options; if this is incorrect/out of date, please help me find the right stuff.

Have any of you who hold licenses experienced this issue, and how did you solve it? He's willing to travel to an eyecare provider who is trained and equipped to administer one or more of the alternates, and is getting close to the date after which he'll have to start over. (Granted, it may have made sense for him to address this before committing the amount of time and money he has to education, etc., but I digress!)

5) These applicants must demonstrate that they have a normal color sense when tested by the Pseudoisochromatic Plates (Dvorine, 2nd Edition; AOC; revised edition or AOC–HRR; Ishihara 14-plate, 24-plate, or 38- plate editions); Farnsworth Lantern; Titmus Vision Tester/OPTEC 2000; Optec 900; Richmond Test, 2nd and 4th edition; or an alternative test approved by the NMC. The use of color sensing lenses to assist these applicants with passing the color vision test is prohibited by 46 CFR 10.305(a). Any questions about acceptable color sense testing methodologies should be directed to the NMC. See 46 CFR 10.305(a).

Thank you for any input or referrals you can provide!

 

[swaterhouse]

In the early 90's there was a doctor in TX who administered the Farnsworth. It's the closest to actual nav lights seen on the water.

Look for Navy or flight doctors, they have nearly the same medical requirements and accept many of the same tests. I believe private pilot's are now allowed to use corrective lenses.

 

[Skybolt]

I guess the question really is can your friend really see red and/or green at night and determine tug mast lights correctly. If he can't he's going down the wrong road and it could end poorly for him. Just pointing out the obvious, sorry.

 

[Bill Watson]

Color blind myself, it kept me from enrolling in air pilot training. Traveling with my wife, I often ask her to determine traffic lights ahead of us, and virtually all lights at sea appear white to me. Recent conversations with my eye doc advise that corrective color lenses are snake oil at best. I wonder if a licensee might be able to similarly ask the navigating crew to be the night-time vision consultant for the Captain?

 

[trflgrl]

In the early 90's there was a doctor in TX who administered the Farnsworth. It's the closest to actual nav lights seen on the water.
Look for Navy or flight doctors, they have nearly the same medical requirements and accept many of the same tests. I believe private pilot's are now allowed to use corrective lenses.

Thank you--knowing some other possible lines of inquiry will help!

I guess the question really is can your friend really see red and/or green at night and determine tug mast lights correctly. If he can't he's going down the wrong road and it could end poorly for him. Just pointing out the obvious, sorry.

I agree this is the most important question. At the same time, I'm genuinely curious what kind of spectrum exists for people with the condition, and how the tests differ from one another. Where it concerns him, I'd be curious about how many he can pass: if he takes two and is 50/50, I'd err on the conservative side and stick with the restricted license. If he passes 6 or 7 of 8, though, I wonder if that would that be meaningful not only for licensing status, but in the real world for guest, crew, and vessel safety?

Color blind myself, it kept me from enrolling in air pilot training. Traveling with my wife, I often ask her to determine traffic lights ahead of us, and virtually all lights at sea appear white to me. Recent conversations with my eye doc advise that corrective color lenses are snake oil at best. I wonder if a licensee might be able to similarly ask the navigating crew to be the night-time vision consultant for the Captain?

I appreciate your situation--a college peer completed ROTC and then wasn't commissioned, reportedly due to colorblindness, and he was crestfallen. As for current license-seeker friend, I'm trying to imagine how they could translate to paper, other than with giving him the daytime-only restriction. I don't know how the commercial/charter world truly works from legal and liability perspectives, but he may be in a no-win situation, because if an emergency happens and the person who needs assistance deciphering lights is the only one available to pilot....?