Abstract

Color matches of normal trichromatic observers reveal substantial individual differences. The Rayleigh match, in which an admixture of 545 and 670 nm lights is matched to 589 nm, is a classical procedure that has been modified recently to explore the cause(s) of normals’ interobserver variation (Neitz and Jacobs, 1986). Three distinct physiological bases may contribute to differences among observers’ Rayleigh matches: (1) pre-receptoral spectrally selective filtering, (2) optical density of cone photopigment, and (3) the wavelength of peak sensitivity of cone photopigment. Rayleigh measurements from a large sample of observers that fall into two or more distinct sub-populations have been interpreted as evidence that some individuals are slightly different than others with respect to the wavelength at which their photopigment is most sensitive. This type of individual difference among normal trichromats has been attributed to an X-linked polymorphism (Neitz and Jacobs, 1990).

© 1992 Optical Society of America