TO COMPARE TNO VERSUS RANDOT TEST FOR MEASURING STEREOACUITY WHILE SCREENING AIRLINE PILOTS.

Background: Stereoacuity or depth perception is an important visual parameter which is often not tested during ophthalmic examinations but assumes enormous importance when dealing with critical occupations like flying. The importance of stereoacuity testing in pilots is recently been acknowledged however no official norms exist for universal testing of stereoacuity levels in pilots. We proposed to evaluate TNO with Randot stereacuity test in all airline pilots during their routine medical examination. Methods: A total of 515 airline pilots( 431 males and 84 females) with no previous ocular medical or surgical history were prospectively assessed using TNO and Random dot stereoacuity tests. Result: TNO and RDT correlated positively and significantly at .01 level. There was no statistically significant difference found between males and females. Conclusion: Both TNO and Randot stereoacuity compared favourably in testing stereoacuity testing and can be used universally however TNO test did show an added advantage of rechecking the colour perception of airline pilots as those with colour blindness cannot discriminate TNO test.