A pilot candidate's discovery of a potential mild red color deficiency through an EnChroma online screening tool raises important questions about FAA color vision certification standards. The individual scored 87.5% on the red component of the EnChroma test while achieving perfect scores on green and blue — a result consistent with a mild form of red-green color deficiency, the most prevalent type of congenital color vision anomaly, affecting roughly 8% of males and 0.5% of females. However, the EnChroma platform is a consumer-grade screening product designed for general awareness, not a federally recognized diagnostic or certification instrument. Its scoring methodology has no direct correlation to FAA medical standards, and no AME or the FAA itself would use these results as a basis for any airman medical determination.
Under 14 CFR Part 67, FAA medical standards require that applicants demonstrate the "ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties." The primary color vision test administered during a standard FAA medical exam is a pseudoisochromatic plate (PIP) test — most commonly the Ishihara series — which specifically targets red-green discrimination deficiencies. A candidate who fails the standard plate test is not automatically disqualified; rather, they become eligible to pursue alternative means of demonstrating functional color vision adequacy. The Operational Color Vision Test (OCVT), which the applicant references, is one such FAA-approved alternative. Administered by an Aviation Medical Examiner or at an FAA facility, the OCVT evaluates a candidate's ability to correctly identify red, white, and green signal light colors under operationally representative conditions. The Farnsworth Lantern Test (FALANT) and the signal light gun test are other approved alternatives under Letter of Evidence (LOE) pathways.
For this particular candidate, the mild nature of the deficiency — limited to a partial red scoring decrement — is an encouraging indicator. Pilots with mild anomalous trichromacy (such as mild protanomaly or deuteranomaly) routinely pass the OCVT and FALANT, because these tests assess functional discrimination rather than the idealized color matching measured by plate tests. The plate tests are widely considered overcorrective for aviation purposes, screening out individuals who can reliably differentiate aviation signal colors in practice. A candidate with this profile should proceed directly to a first-class, second-class, or third-class FAA medical exam as applicable, allow the AME to administer the standard PIP test, and — if needed — request referral for the OCVT or FALANT immediately rather than treating an initial plate test failure as disqualifying.
The broader context here reflects an ongoing tension in aviation medical standards between standardized screening efficiency and operational relevance. The FAA has gradually expanded its alternative testing pathways precisely because the Ishihara and similar plate tests produce false positives for operationally capable pilots with mild deficiencies. Candidates who obtain a Special Issuance or LOE based on passing the OCVT or FALANT can typically hold all classes of medical certificate with no restriction, or in some cases with a limitation restricting operations to daytime VFR conditions depending on the severity of the deficiency and the specific test outcome. Professional pilots and flight students with any color vision concern are well-served by initiating the AME process early, rather than relying on consumer screening tools, so that alternative certification pathways can be pursued without timeline pressure from training programs or employer requirements.