Coloured Lenses and Dyslexia

Kite Opticians is a specialist in reading difficulty assessments including colour overlay and colorimetry testing. Adrian Kite is a member of the Society for Coloured Lens Prescribers and is a member of the International Institute of Colorimetry, he has extensive experience in assessing children at Ipswich Hospital.

Visual Stress- (sometimes known as Meares-Irlen syndrome)
Simply explained, Visual Stress is a sensitivity to visual patterns that can cause visual perceptual problems that interfere with reading. The symptoms can occur despite normal vision.

What is Dyslexia?

"Dyslexia" is a term used to refer to reading problems and is often associated with spelling difficulty.

Visual Stress is not the same as dyslexia but is more common in those who are dyslexic. Once Visual Stress has been treated, the remaining problems are more easily dealt with. Visual Stress can occur in non-dyslexics. Symptoms may become more apparent when intensive reading is necessary. Those most likely to benefit from coloured lenses will often show some of the following symptoms:

• Print appears to be blurred, moving, flickering or fading
• Appearance of patterns in the print ("rivers" or "worms")
• Headaches during or after reading
• Watery, sore or red eyes
• Rubs eyes or blinks frequently when reading
• A tendency to fidget when reading
• Using a finger to follow a line of text
• A marked sensitivity to light (photophobia)

Overlay testing

For those suffering from dyslexia or visual stress, it is common to use a special series of plastic overlays, to determine the effect of the colour on reading performance. This enables us to see if significant improvements in speed of reading can be made by the use of colour. The special testing, using an instrument called a Colorimeter, can be used where reading speed and accuracy have been improved with overlays.

Photosensitive Migraines

Migraine attacks have many triggers, including stress. About 40% of migraine attacks may be visually induced by flickering light, patterns or reading. These attacks may be reduced by the use of precision tinted lenses.

Colorimetry

The colorimeter is the only instrument authenticated by the Medical Research Council in Cambridge for the testing/diagnosing of visual stress.

To assess the optimum tint, colours need to be presented sequentially and in a short space of time to the patient. The colorimeter is the only instrument that does this.

Double blind trials have been conducted and various published research data is available regarding the use of the colorimeter and visual stress.

Further information is available from these links:
• How to get assessed
• About overlays
• Society for Coloured Lens Prescribers