Richmond Products Inc
Albuquerque, NM – 29 April 2010. Richmond Products Inc. announces that the United States Coast Guard has accepted the HRR 4th Edition color vision test as an alternative to those identified in the medical tests for Merchant Mariners as specified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 46, 10.215(b) for vision tests. This is an important decision that further optimizes mandatory color vision testing for deck, engineering and radio officers, pilots and able seamen serving in the US Coast Guard and the US Merchant Marine. It applies to US Coast Guard and merchant vessels plying US coastal waters and inland waterways, including the Great Lakes, as well as offshore installations such as drilling rigs.
The Coast Guard Office of Vessel Activities has posted an information bulletin on the US National Maritime Center’s website regarding the approval. In addition to the maritime community the bulletin also informs medical practitioners who conduct physical exams for merchant mariners.
Richmond’s HRR 4th Edition color vision test was evaluated by Medical Examiners at the Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington DC and found to be acceptable. The test was accepted based on several clinical trials of the HRR 4th Edition color vision test conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Southern California College of Optometry and the University of Melbourne (Australia).
Testing marine personnel for color discrimination is essential, especially for deck officers and night lookouts. Green, red and white are the most critical colors in marine navigation because they can indicate the direction a ship is heading when under way, green being the starboard (right) side navigation light, red the port (left) side and white is a masthead light or stern light. Marine deck officers are trained to recognize the relative positions of these lights at night to determine another vessel’s course and, if necessary, take avoiding action should either vessel be on a collision course. The significance is that persons with congenital color vision deficiency (CVD) (more common than acquired CVD) almost exclusively cannot discern between green and red.
Jay Neitz PhD is Bishop Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, at the University of Washington in Seattle. When asked to comment about the Coast Guard decision, he said: “My institute recognizes the significance of enhancing color vision testing for maritime personnel to whom we are available to provide consultation services and patient testing. We have found the HRR 4th Edition to be the most comprehensive and accurate plate test for color vision on the market today, especially since it provides definitive results for both congenital and acquired defects.”
The US Coast Guard acceptance of the HRR 4th Edition follows the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2009 addition of the test to its list of allowable color vision screening tests in the Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners. The FAA decision enhances its compulsory testing of aviation and aerospace pilots, air traffic controllers, flight engineers and navigators throughout the United States.
Richmond Products Inc. is an Albuquerque-based supplier of eye tests for color vision, binocular vision, acuity and disease detection. Richmond is the manufacturer of the 4th Edition of the HRR Pseudoisochromatic Plate test which is offered with practitioner directions in over 15 languages to meet the growing International demand. The HRR test is also offered in a laminated version to protect the plates in industrial and occupational settings. Lloyd Powell, President of Richmond Products Inc. underscored the importance of the Coast Guard decision concerning the HRR 4th Edition test: “We are delighted that the US Coast Guard has accepted the latest version of our HRR product as an alternative approved color vision screening test for merchant mariner physical evaluations. This decision increases the value of the HRR tests already in use in ophthalmic and optometric offices throughout the world.”
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For further information:
Lloyd Powell
Richmond Products, Inc.
4400 Silver Ave SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
Tel: 505 275 2406
Fax: 810 885 8319
Email: [email protected]
For press enquiries:
Alan E. Highley
HIGHLEY PR
Tel: 505 573 0666
Albuquerque, NM
Email:[email protected]
About Richmond Products
Richmond Products, Inc, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a market leader in the development and manufacture of eye examination and testing solutions for both adults and children. The company specializes in products for color deficiency, neuro-ophthalmology, binocular vision, acuity testing, and disease detection. For further information go to: www.richmondproducts.com.