Visual Stress
Visual stress or otherwise known as Myers-Irlen Syndrome is when the visual cortex (the part of your brain which processes visual information) is over stimulated due to sensitivity to visual patterns.
Dyslexic individuals are more prone to experience visual stress.
Signs and Symptoms of visual stress include:
- Text being blurred
- Jumbling of letters and text appearing to move
- Discomfort when reading
- Increased glare from pages, specifically white backgrounds
- Migraines / Headaches
- Fatigue and frustration when reading
- Using finger to guide reading
- Omitting words and lines during reading
- Repeating already read lines and words
- Constantly changing working distance of text to focus
- Patterns seen in reading material
The condition is estimated to affect 40% of people who struggle with reading.
At The Duffield Clinic we can investigate and help manage problems related to vision, which can cause difficulty in reading. Coloured overlays or colour specific tinted lenses can be used to improve reading speed and accuracy and reduce the symptoms of visual stress.
The step-by-step process at Louth Vision Centre:
The eye’s ability to focus together, poor coordination of the eyes and reduced muscle strength, can all influence reading ability. Therefore it is vital to do a full eye examination first to rule out any underlying causes of visual stress such as the need for spectacles and eye exercises.
If after the eye exam it is suggested further investigation for visual stress is required a colorimetry test will be conducted.
Using the digital ReadEZ colorimetry system, we can provide several solutions to reducing the symptoms of visual stress including:
- Coloured overlays
- Coloured reading guides
- Coloured tinted lenses
During the test, your optimum colour and tint will be identified, which we will then use to make the basis for any visual stress solutions we provide. The colour and tint needed are specific to the individual therefore this test allows providing the optimal colour to best to reduce visual stress symptoms.
We will continue to monitor progress over an agreed time scale with individual or parent and tweak as necessary any coloured solutions being used. Overlays and tinted glasses can occasionally require a new colour to give maximum benefit so a 6 monthly review is usually suggested.