Senescence and color vision.
The usual trichromatic equation for a color match is converted into an algebraic equation consisting of the sum of the contrasts determined by the intensity ratios between the matching stimuli and arbitrary fractions of the proband. The senescence of the preretinal media is shown to affect color matches monotonically, but discrimination steps are affected differently. It is suggested that the senescence observed in tasks involving chromatic discrimination can be explained in terms of the nervous mechanisms subserving other types of contrast discrimination. The possibility of either simplifying or refining some clinical tests also is discussed.
D000375:Aging; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans