Brain-computer interface-based assessment of color vision

Objective. Present methods for assessing color vision require the person's active participation. Here we describe a brain-computer interface-based method for assessing color vision that does not require the person's participation. Approach. This method uses steady-state visual evoked potentials to identify metamers-two light sources that have different spectral distributions but appear to the person to be the same color. Main results. We demonstrate that: minimization of the visual evoked potential elicited by two flickering light sources identifies the metamer; this approach can distinguish people with color-vision deficits from those with normal color vision; and this metamer-identification process can be automated. Significance. This new method has numerous potential clinical, scientific, and industrial applications.