IRLEN SYNDROME &
VISUAL STRESS
Moira Thomson – Irlen screener
Liz McKelvie – Irlen consultant
IRLEN SYNDROME
VISUAL STRESS
Affects 12 – 14% of general population
• 46% of Individuals with learning differences
• 31% of Individuals with ADD/HD Challenging
Behaviour
• 50% of Individuals with Dyslexia
• 33% of Individuals on the Autistic Spectrum
• Traumatic head injuries and stroke victims
• other Medical Conditions – epilepsy, asthma,
migraine
OLIVE MEARES/HELEN IRLEN
• MEARES (1980) – New Zealand
Noted that some dyslexic subjects reported
visual distortions when reading.
• IRLEN – California
Found that distortions could be alleviated by
the use of coloured overlays. Went on to
develop Irlen precision filters.
Irlen Syndrome/Meares Irlen
Syndrome/Scotopic Sensitivity
/Visual Stress
• A problem with the way the brain
interprets the information being sent by
the eyes – due to light.
• Problems with pattern e.g. repeated
black lines on white page
• Hyper-sensitivity to light –especially
flickering and glare
IRLEN SYNDROME
Irlen Syndrome /Meares-Irlen is recognised as a
protected characteristic (disability) under the
2010 Equality Act
Most Irlen sufferers are unaware that the print or
background may not be clear or stable.
They often assume that everyone else sees a page
of print in the same way.
IRLEN OVERLAYS/LENSES
• Over 5,000 U.S. School Districts
use the Irlen Screening Method
• Approx 100,000 adults and children
wear Irlen Filter Lenses
• 90% of those with Irlen Syndrome
can benefit from the Irlen Method.
EAST RENFREWSHIRE
PILOT
70 Pupils aged 7 to 17 – assessed as
dyslexic - 4 Schools – 1 Sec, 3 Primary
• 13 pupils – no Irlen identified
• 24 difficulties – slight to moderate
• 28 difficulties – moderate to severe
• 5 difficulties – top end of severe
Reading speed was tested before &
after Irlen screening.
EAST RENFREWSHIRE
PILOT
Reading speed
• 3 Pupils gained between 80% – 160%
• 1 Pupil gained between 50% - 80%
• 10 Pupils gained between 20% - 50%
• 20 Pupils gained between 10% - 20%
• 12 Pupils gained between 5% and 10%
• 14 Pupils gained between 0% and 5%
• 10 pupils reading speeds decreased
IRLEN & WILKINS
COLORIMETER
OPTOMETRISTS AND ORGANISATIONS
OTHER THEN AN IRLEN CLINIC
• Have no connection with Helen Irlen or
the Irlen Institute
• Developed from independent research
into colour and vision
• Have a different range of tinted filters
and cannot supply Irlen Lenses
IRLEN SYMPTOMS
FIVE SUB GROUPS
• Light sensitivity
• Inefficient reading/slow reading rate
• Attention and concentration
• Reading discomfort
• Environmental misperceptions
LIGHT SENSITIVITY SUB-GROUP
For these people the world
Is always too bright
PEOPLE OF THIS GROUP EXPERIENCE
• Glare when looking through fog or
haze
• Sensitive to the brightness of light
• Sensitive to glare
• Sensitive to fluorescent lighting
• Get dizzy/restless in fluorescent
light
•Develop headaches in fluorescent
light
• Sensitive to bright sunlight
• Get headaches/dizzy/nausea going
from dark to light
They prefer to read in dim light
PRINT MOVEMENT AND PRINT
RECOGNITION DIFFICULTY SUB-GROUP
“CLASSIC DYSLEXIA” GROUP
A PAGE IN THEIR WORLD LOOKS LIKE THIS
PEOPLE OF THIS GROUP EXPERIENCE
• Letters move. dance, vibrate, pulsate,
jiggle, and shift as they read.
•Letters reverse themselves or move
around as they read.
•Letters tilt, stretch, merge and overlap
as they read.
•Words collapse into each other.
•Words turn around, move or run around
on the page.
•Surrounding words refuse to stay in
place.
•Words on the surrounding page, not
being read, distorted and move around.
•Words run together and overlap each
other as they read.
BACKGROUND REACTION SUBGROUP
A PAGE IN THEIR WORLD LOOKS LIKE THIS
PEOPLE OF THIS GROUP: EXPERIENCE
• Indistinct letters as white
background eats into them
• After they have read for a while
the background swallows up the
black letters.
• White washout effect (background
eats the word and letters, and
tends to become dominant)
•The background of the page
flickers, twinkles, flashes or glows.
• Letters and punctuation disappear
as they read.
•The whiteness of the page gets so
bright that they can't see the
words.
Symptoms – Signs in Reading
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Misreads words
Skips words or lines
Reads slowly or hesitantly
Takes breaks
Loses place
Shades text, reads in dim light
Weak comprehension at times
Avoids reading
Symptoms – Complaints while
Reading
• Strain and fatigue
• Tired or sleepy
• Headaches or nausea
• Fidgety or restless
• ‘Bored’ / unable to concentrate
Symptoms – Writing
Characteristics
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Copying inaccurate/incomplete
Unequal spacing
Writing up or downhill
Inconsistent spelling
Fatigue – ‘sore’ hand/wrist
Symptoms – Other
Characteristics
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•
•
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Strain/fatigue from computer use
Difficulty reading music
Apparently careless maths errors
Misaligned numbers in columns
Attainment does not reflect ability
Poor return for huge effort made
Symptoms – Depth Perception
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•
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Clumsiness
Difficulty catching balls
Difficulty judging distances
Some spatial difficulties in Maths
Additional caution necessary while
crossing a road or driving
COLOURED OVERLAYS
USE OF IRLEN FILTERS
For some, the impact of the overlay
is immediate and striking.
For others, using the overlay is
better than not using it, but
improvement is slow.
Some people use an overlay for a
while, then reject it as they are
‘cured’.
Before
After
IRLEN SCREENERS
• Trained to identify Irlen Syndrome in
clients – various ages
• Assessment identifies the areas of
difficulty and the severity of the
difficulty
• Work with overlays to alleviate
distortions on the printed page
• Make referrals to Irlen Diagnosticians
IRLEN DIAGNOSTICIAN
Works with clients to eliminate all
distortions on the page and
discomfort from the environment.
Irlen diagnostician
LIZ MCKELVIE
IRLEN
enquiries@irlenscotland.co.uk
www.irlenscotland.co.uk
0141 270 8044
www.irlenscotland.co.uk
www.irlen.com