Variation of the visual acuity--luminance function with background colour.

Abstract

The relationship between visual acuity (VA) and background colour is a question that still creates a certain amount of confusion even today, although most authors agree that colour background does not basically affect VA, or at best, values that are only slightly better are obtained with monochromatic yellow light. The object of this paper is to try to clarify if, when the axial chromatic aberration (ACA) has been compensated for, certain differences due exclusively to colour persist or not. In order for this, the VA-luminance functions with red, green, blue and white backgrounds have been measured for two emmetropic observers, before and after compensating for the ACA. The results show that after the compensation, the curve corresponding to red is above the one corresponding to blue, with the one corresponding to green in between. The achromatic function (white background) practically overlaps with the green one. This behaviour is consistent with that shown recently for contrast sensitivity functions (CSFs). However, the asymptotic values are identical for the three colours, and so, it is understandable that no significant differences are normally found when only a standard measurement of VA is taken using the typical illumination from an optotype projector.