TestingColorVision.com

The Story Behind the Website

In 1992 I, T.J., who was six years old at the time, came home from school with a note from the school nurse saying that I was "colorblind".

My father, Dr. Terry Waggoner who is an optometrist, was surprised that he had not diagnosed me with a color vision deficiency. Thinking back to when I was in preschool and kindergarten, my teachers mentioned several times that I was having difficulty learning concepts such as grouping same or different colored objects. My father and mother thought it was a learning problem or maybe lack of attention. My father did not think it could be a visual problem because at the age of four, before I started preschool, I was given a complete eye examination by a pediatric eye doctor who was a friend of my fathers.

My father told his pediatric optometrist friend about the note from the school nurse. She confided that she didn't test the color vision of preschool children because of time constraints and the difficulty of testing such a young age group. After my father gathered an overall consensus that optometrists did not test young children for color vision deficiencies, he began doing research to become an expert in the field. He knew there needed to be change. That is when he developed "Color Vision Testing Made Easy", which was a pediatric pseudoisochromatic color vision test that contained simple shapes that young children could identify.

The Reason for the Website

I now want to make a difference and create an awareness about color vision deficiencies. Growing up I got lower scores on homework assignments and tests due to having a color vision deficiency. I was often getting into trouble because I "wasn't paying attention" to what the teacher said. For instance, on several occasions teachers would ask me to draw on the chalkboard in a certain color and due to pride and embarrassment from my classmates I wouldn't explain to my teacher I had a color deficiency. With that said, I would pick up the wrong color and draw on the chalkboard. I want to create an awareness about color vision deficiencies so that this does not happen to other children.

Mission

TestingColorVision.com wants to create an international awareness about the facts and issues that arise from having a color vision deficiency. TestingColorVision.com strives to educate the healthcare, education, and law enforcement industries on the importance of testing for color vision deficiencies and how to create a better and safer environment for everyone.