LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A Simple Solution to a "Blinding" Problem

Correspondence to: M. Bisson, Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust, Leopold Muller Building, Mount Vernon Hospital, Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 2RN, UK.

Red–green color blindness is a common condition that affects approximately 2% of the population. Most afflicted people suffer from no problems in their everyday activities. However, in a laboratory setting situations can arise in which the color blind may become disadvantaged. One field in which this may be a distinct problem is in the analysis of histological sections, in particular the assessment of immunohistochemically stained slides.

In our laboratory, FITC-conjugated antibodies and propidium iodide counterstaining are used for the detection of myofibroblasts by immunohistochemistry. Interpretation of these images relies on the ability to differentiate between the red and green stains. Both the director and a recently appointed member of staff are red–green color blind and have demonstrated that distinguishing between these colors can be difficult. An obvious approach to solving this problem may be to change the stains and filters used. However, a more cost-effective solution can be found.

Digital capture of microscopic images is becoming more common and, in our institute, images are captured for analysis using a microscope-mounted digital camera (Leica DC200). This yields high-quality images that can then be viewed within any common photo editing or graphics package (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Jasc Paint Shop Pro) for further analysis. Other graphics packages can be used in a similar way. We have found that by manipulating the "hue" of the image, differences between our commonly used stains can be enhanced. The images can be restored to their original form with no data loss by readjusting the hue to its original state. For convenience, a macro has been developed that automatically adjusts the hue of the image before analysis, improving both the speed and accuracy of analysis for the color-blind scientist.

This solution requires no additional equipment from that already found in most research institutes and obviates the need to adjust filters or to purchase antibodies with different conjugates/signaling systems. It allows the accurate assessment of a number of images by all laboratory staff.

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