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There are many factors involved. First, are the overlays obviously beneficial? If so, only a short trial period, say six weeks, is necessary, particularly if headaches have been reduced but not eliminated, and if untidy writing continues to be a problem. Under these circum-stances glasses may further reduce the headaches and may well improve the handwriting. Visual Stress can exist on its own or alongside other dyslexia-related difficulties and other SpLDs. This set of difficulties is sometimes called "visual dyslexia," but it is not actually dyslexia. The Reading Teacher. William Henk, Ed.D, Associate Professor of Education and Reading Pennsylvania State University. Colored Overlays Work
When tested a second time, individuals may sometimes choose a different colour, but it is usually a similar colour. The choice of colour may appear random, but it is not! The best way to know whether using a blue overlay for reading (or some other color) could help make reading easier and more comfortable for you is to start with a self-test. Sometimes called a scotopic sensitivity syndrome test, our self-test will let you know if the issues you are experiencing are related to the specific type of visual processing problem that colored overlays can help. Remember, colored overlays for reading are not a solution for all reading problems, only those that are caused by the brain’s inability to process light efficiently. Colored Overlays for Dyslexia The term Meares–Irlen syndrome is sometimes used to refer to the collection of symptoms and signs of visual fatigue when reading that are reduced when colour is used. Other terms are Irlen syndrome or Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS). (The syndrome is not yet widely recognised by the medical and scientific communities, and there is no universal agreement on its name.) The symptoms of visual perceptual distortion in children with reading difficulty were first described by Olive Meares, but have been listed by Helen Irlen, as follows. 9. What are the symptoms of Meares-Irlen Syndrome? The following book provides a review of research in this area and a theoretical explanation for the effects of colour
How Colored Overlays Help Visual Stress and Irlen Syndrome
Lightstone, A., Lightstone, T. and Wilkins, A.J. (1999). Both coloured overlays and coloured lenses can improve reading fluency, but their optimal chromaticities differ. Children who persist in using their overlay usually find coloured glasses more convenient to use. Glasses can help with writing, whereas overlays cannot. The degree of precision in the choice of colour is critical for obtaining the best results, and the precision available with lenses is far greater than with overlays. Perhaps for this reason glasses often give better results. 23. Are glasses the same colour as overlays?
There are different types of colour filters that can aid reading for people with dyslexia. Find out all about dyslexic glasses and overlays here. How do Tinted Glasses and Lenses Work? The children who benefit may be good readers, but more often they have difficulty reading. They usually suffer visual discomfort when reading and, when questioned, will often report perceptual distortions of the text. These distortions usually include apparent movement or blurring of the letters and words. Often there is a family history of migraine. Visual dyslexia is a reality for about 30% of the population. It can cause headaches, migraines, reading discomfort and distortion of text that can vary from mild to so severe that reading is seriously impaired or even prevented. Yes. Although some people seem to "grow out" of the condition, many do not. The distortions may be less pronounced when reading becomes fluent and text ceases to be a meaningless collection of confusing shapes. Sadly, visual perceptual distortion is often not recognised in children and many sufferers enter adulthood without ever having been treated. 32. What do I do to find out if colour might help? It is essential to realise that the appropriate colour for use in glasses is not the same as that in overlays. For example, a child may choose a yellow overlay and benefit from blue lenses. The colour of the lenses can only be assessed by optometrists or orthoptists who use the Intuitive Colorimeter ®, or by the use of a very large number of coloured trial lenses. Other methods of selecting coloured lenses may be less likely to select the optimal colour. 24. Why are glasses a different colour from overlays?Children sometimes seem to change their preferred colour. The precise reason for this is not known. Please note the colours shown in the pictures may not be an exact representation of the colour in real life. The term Meares-lrlen syndrome is sometimes used to refer to the collection of symptoms and signs of visual fatigue when reading that are reduced when colour is used. Other terms are Irlen syndrome or Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS)1. (The syndrome is not yet widely recognised by the medical and scientific communities, and there is no universal agreement on its name.) The symptoms of visual perceptual distortion in children with reading difficulty were first described by Olive Meares2, but have been listed by Helen Irlen, as follows. When you wear glasses everything you see is coloured, but you are often unaware of the coloration because you adapt to it and make allowances for it. (Example, the colour of light from a normal household light bulb is very yellow in comparison to daylight, but you are never aware of this.) When you use an overlay only part of what you see is coloured and the eyes are adapted to white light. The way that the brain processes what you see in the two circumstances is very different.
Should children with binocular difficulties who are undergoing orthoptic eye exercises or other medical treatment continue to use overlays? The following book provides a review of research in this area and a theoretical explanation for the effects of colour : Wilkins, A.J. Visual Stress, University Press, 1995. Oxford ISBN 0 19 8521 74 X Some orthoptic departments may also undertake coloured overlay testing. A few have an Intuitive Colorimeter. Many traits run in families and visual perceptual distortions are no exception. The genetic contribution is the subject of investigation. 16. Does visual perceptual distortion cause writing to deteriorate? It seems that children benefit most from colour if it is offered as soon as any reading difficulty is suspected, before the cycle of failure has begun. Many 7 year-olds appear to use coloured overlays for a year or two and then discard them as unnecessary. This may be because the acquired familiarity with text makes the distortion less distracting.Beneficial colours should be compared side by side. If the choice remains unreliable, then one of the chosen colours should be given a trial for a period of a week, followed by one of the other colours. Alternatively, the Wilkins Rate of Reading Test can be used. Dyslexia assessor Georgina Smith says that coloured overlays can help people with visual stress as well as dyslexia. When Smith assessed some students, who were experimenting with coloured overlay rulers, the students said that they wanted to try their favourite colours at first. Smith thought that it was best for the student to try every coloured overlay ruler available to them for 10 – 15 minutes before deciding which colour worked best for them. Our top 3 dyslexia glasses & coloured overlays recommendations
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