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ChromaGen: ChromaGen lenses are designed to help with visual processing issues related to dyslexia. They use coloured filters to modify the wavelength of light entering the eye, which may help improve reading ability for some individuals. Contrary to the coloured lenses research that was conducted in 1999, coloured overlays can be looked upon as controversial. This is because, in an experiment conducted where some participants were asked to read text without an overlay and then with an overlay, there was no significant difference between the reading speeds for either method. For example, Emily, aged 7 when the experiment took place, had a reading speed of 49 correct words per minute (CWPM) without an overlay and 48 CWPM with the overlay. The overlays being referred to as dyslexia overlays can also be considered controversial because they do not only help people with dyslexia, but they can also be beneficial for people with dyspraxia and AD(H)D. What Colour Overlay is Best for Dyslexia? In cerebellar patients he had shown that their unstable vision was due to damage to large nerve cells in the brain, known as visual magnocells, that are specialised for detecting movement. When these magnocells are not working properly the servo system that keeps your eyes fixed on a letter fails, and so the letters appear to move around. So with Sue he set up a clinic to investigate whether children's visual reading problems were due to the same cause. The examiner should listen to the client's description of the distortions, and use this description when trying to decide whether a particular colour the reduces distortions. An optometrist (previously known as an ophthalmic optician) will report 'perfect eye sight' when someone can see a letter chart without needing refractive correction (glasses), and when there are no (orthoptic) problems of co-ordination between the eyes. The perceptual distortions may occur quite independently of any refractive error, although they are often, but not always, associated with a mild binocular vision difficulty (i.e. a difficulty in moving the eyes together, keeping the direction of gaze appropriately co-ordinated). In most cases the binocular difficulties do not appear to be the basis for the distortions.
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 To make matters worse English is littered with exceptions to the letter-sound rules. Compare bough, dough, lough, cough, enough! After all that effort on reading each word, many children can't remember the words they read at the beginning of a sentence to understand the whole thing. The effectiveness of dyslexia glasses and lenses can vary from person to person, as dyslexia is a complex condition with individual differences. 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. Overlays are similar to the aforementioned tinted glasses. They come in a variety of colours to suit the personal preferences of each individual.Many people who experience these issues find that placing coloured overlays onto the printed reading material helps alleviate discomfort and can improve reading efficiency and comprehension. Some people who experience headaches and other forms of visual discomfort have also found improvements from using these overlays. Cerium coloured overlays (shown with testing set). credit:ceriumvistechproducts.com Software solutions Lightstone, A., Lightstone, T. and Wilkins, A.J. (1999). Both coloured overlays and coloured lenses can improve reading fluency, but their optimal chromaticities differ. Special needs teachers and educational psychologists also often know of local optometrists who have specialised in this subject. Alternatively, you could simply phone any local optometrist and ask them to recommend someone. Wilkins, A.J., Evans, B.J.W., Brown, J.A., Busby, A.E., Wingfield, A.E., Jeanes, R.J. and Bald, J. (1994). Double-masked placebo-controlled trial of precision spectral filters in children who use coloured overlays. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 14(4), 365-370. Software solutions can achieve the same effect on the computer screen. Here are some options that you can try, many of which are free.
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 I’ll often get asked if these letters being transposed and reversed diagnoses dyslexia. The simple answer is ‘no’. As a stand alone difficulty we would not say this is dyslexia, yes it can be a characteristic of that, along with other clusters of difficulties. However I would always strongly recommend a full diagnostic dyslexia test and certainly a visit to a behavioural optometrist.After 3 months of using Irlen Colored Overlays, students demonstrated significant improvement in reading achievement with gains between 1 year 8 months to 2 years 8 months.”
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. 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? Original Irlen Colored Overlays work great for placing over paper and books. Shop Irlen Colored Overlays
Colored Overlays for Dyslexia
The precise routine will vary from one optometrist to another but the basic eye test includes refraction (tests of lens focus), acuity (ability to see small objects), tests of the health of the eyes, and basic tests of ocular motor function (how well the eye muscles work together). There are other tests that are not always included in the examination but are generally thought to be particularly important for children with reading difficulties. You can ask an optometrist whether they would do these tests before you book an appointment: Children who persist in using their overlay usually find coloured glasses more convenient to use. Classes 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 4. Irlen: Irlen lenses, also known as Irlen Spectral Filters, are coloured overlays or lenses that aim to reduce perceptual distortions and visual stress experienced by some people with dyslexia. The specific colours are customised for each individual based on their symptoms. The rate of reading words on this test is usually more than 10% higher with the chosen overlay than without in children who will subsequently make frequent use of their overlay.
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