Evaluating cataractous color sensitivity in HSV color system

Colors used in VDT are sometimes inappropriate for the person with symptoms of cataract. This is partly because RGB (HSV) color system is adopted in computer graphics, while industrial standards are commonly enacted by CIE color system. We conducted the experiment to evaluate the effect of cataract on the sensitivity of color vision by photochromatic threshold method and brightness matching method using cataract experiencing goggles. As a result, sensitivity turned relatively low in the HSV hue region from 210 to 270 degrees in the cataractous vision environment. This result is also proved by the calculation transforming HSV brightness V into CIE lightness L*. Therefore, it becomes clear that, to people with symptoms of cataract, liquid crystal display (LCD) low visibility might occur when blue or blue-region color is used as foreground against a black background.