The change in the measured position due to the chromatic effect in the optical system is usually so small that it can be neglected. However, in the case of the Hipparcos mission, this effect is of the same magnitude as the targeted precision; it is therefore mandatory to correct for it. The different assumptions adopted to build up such corrections in the Hipparcos framework are presented. Some of their limitations and how they can be overcome to improve the results even today are described. The chromaticity mainly affects red stars and has its strongest impact on the astrometry of very red and highly variable stars such as Miras. Nevertheless, the implications on distance scale determination are rather small.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html