Eyes and Dyslexia

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Some people with dyslexic difficulties experience visual disturbance or discomfort when reading print. They may experience one or several of the following:

Blurred letters or words which go out of focus.
Letters which move or present with back to front appearance or shimmering or shaking.
Headaches from reading.
Words or letters which break into two and appear as double.
Find it easier to read large, widely spaced print, than small and crowded.
Difficulty with tracking across the page.
Upset by glare on the page or oversensitive to bright lights.

In some cases any of these symptoms can significantly affect reading ability. It can also make reading very tiring. Of course a child will not necessarily recognise what they see as a problem, as this is how they always see text.

If a child complains of a least one of these problems or has difficulty at school, they should be referred to an optometrist or orthoptist with expertise in this particular field.

Many dyslexic people are sensitive to the glare of white backgrounds on a page, white board or computer screen. This can make the reading of text much harder.

The use of cream or pastel coloured backgrounds can mitigate this difficulty as can coloured filters either as an overlay or as tinted reading glasses. - People with reading difficulties sometimes have a weakness in eye co-ordination or focussing and an eyecare practitioner might recommend treating this with eye exercises or glasses. If these problems are present, they should be detected and treated before coloured filters are prescribed.
Research in the UK and in Australia shows that people who need coloured filters, who are said to have visual stress, need to have exactly the right colour. Many optometrists and orthoptists use a special instrument, the Intuitive Colorimeter, to determine the exact colour that is necessary for coloured glasses.
The choice of colour of text on white backgrounds can also affect clarity e.g. using red on a whiteboard can render the text almost invisible for some dyslexic students. For information on dyslexia friendly text see Dyslexia Style Guide sheet.

Where to go for a specialist eye assessment and overlays

Local Dyslexia Associations

Contact your Local Dyslexia Association for recommendations of suitable local practitioners.

NHS

Contact your GP for a referral to an appropriate specialist.

In some hospitals the orthoptist may have expertise in this field.

Visual Perception Unit, University of Essex
Information on Colour in the Treatment of Visual Stress
References to practitioners and suppliers.
Tel: 01206 872 381
Web: http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays

Dyslexia Research Trust have Eye Clinics in Reading and Oxford.
Tel: 0118 958 5950
Web: http:www.dyslexic.org.uk
A leading research organisation into the visual aspects of dyslexia.

Society for Coloured Lens Providers A list of practitioners following an agreed code of conduct.
Web: http://www.s4clp.org

British Association of Behavioral Optometrists (BABO)

Ask for your nearest accredited behavioral optometrist or see list online.
Tel: 029 2022 8144
Email: admin@babo.co.uk
Web: http://www.babo.co.uk

The Institute of Optometry
Runs courses for teachers and eyecare practitioners about vision and reading difficulties and has a clinic for people with reading problems.
Tel: 020 7407 4183
Fax: 020 7403 8007
Email: admin@ioo.org.uk Web: http://www.ioo.org.uk

Institute of Optometry Sales Ltd Supply the Wilkins Intuitive Overlays, The Wilkins Rate of Reading Tests and other items for teachers and eyecare professionals.
Tel: 020 7378 0330
Email: http://admin@ioosales.co.uk
Web:

Cerium Visual Technologies
List of optometrists in UK who have a Wilkins Intuitive Colorimeter and can prescribe Precision Tinted. Also supplier of coloured overlays.
Tel: 01580 765 211
Fax: 01580 765 573
Email: admin@ceriumvistech.co.uk
Web: http://www.ceriumvistech.co.uk

Cantor & Nissel
ChromaGen Haploscopic lenses are a type of colour based system for spectacles or contact lenses.
Licensed practitioners round the UK.
Tel: 01280 702 002
Email: info@cantor-nissel.co.uk
Web: http://www.cantor-nissel.co.uk

The Irlen Centre Tinted lenses.
Licensed practitioners round the country.
Tel: 01622 842764
Email: info@irlenuk.com
Web: http://www.irlenuk.com

Crossbow Education
Crossbow Education produce a pack of 6 inexpensive "Eye Level Reading Rulers", which are blue, yellow or pink tinted strips. Particularly helpful for focusing and tracking as well as combatting white glare.
Tel: 01785 660 902
Fax: 01785 660 902
Email: info@crossboweducation.com
Web: http://www.crossboweducation.com

Eyes and Dyslexia

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