Color vision restrictions for medical school admission: a discussion on regulations in ASEAN countries compared to countries across the world

Abstract

Color vision deficiency impairs one’s ability to perceive and discriminate colors. Color-deficient individuals may face discrimination in various occupations, particularly in medical school admissions. This discussion seeks to compare the existing color vision requirements for entry to medical school in Southeast Asian countries as compared to countries across the world. Following this, we explore the published evidence in this field, to provide recommendations for future guidelines that will maximize the occupational opportunities for color-deficient individuals.

Prevalence of color vision deficiency among Chinese college students and their quality of life

“…However some studies showed CVD did have an impact on some professions, such as police officer [23] , doctor [24][25] . Proper guidance and some auxiliary equipment [6,[26][27][28] may help them better adapt to daily life, study and work, for example, wearing colored lenses [29] , choosing a subspecialty which is not limited by VCD, modifying the classic traffic lights for CVD patients [30] . Education workers and health workers should be educated about CVD.…”