Tinted glasses for Irlen's syndrome (how much difference do they make?)

improvement of course.

Does she use different glasses for reading and for long distance? Could she need to keep swapping them in the lesson? It might be worth getting the rulers, and seeing if they make a difference with normal reading; if she can see a marked inprovement, then consider coloured lenses for the glasses.

can i just ask as a novice to this- DD has been complaining that the interactive white board fizzes when she tries to read it when there is no background colour could we have a problem? she has one eye long sighted and the other short which doesn't help. but would getting a tint over the top help her read the white board- the teacher insists there is no problem. DD comes home crying.

Should explain, I was reading with the children who were "behind" in reading, so should not imply that 4 out of 12 children would benefit from the overlays.

Incidentally, I have always been a prolific reader, but I can see for myself that some colours make the text sharper.

Sorry, didn't preview and have now got the link right www.bdastore.org.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_17&products_id=443

I tried out the overlays at school where I help with reading. Out of the 12 I read with, 4 children found them extremely helpful, several of the others found them useful as a ruler to help keep their place, and on or two others just found it made reading more fun.

It stand to reason, if the overlays help wiht reading, then the glasses or lenses would be useful for writing tasks.
Obviously they are not an instant cure for all reading difficulties, but given how little they cost, (like £1 per child!!!) how easy they are to use, I cannot believe why all schools don't have a pack for ALL children to try.

I second Ian Jordan. I have been going there for years. It has really made a difference to the dc's.

Meares-Irlen (or Visual Stress) is very real and has a major impact on peoples lives.Our son has had years of abuse from teachers telling him he is lazy, stupid etc. After struggling for many years and after visiting opticians, Doctors etc we finally got to the route of the problem via our local Sensory Support Service within the County Council's Children's Services. They conducted tests and directed to Professor Bruce Evans. Our son had prescribed coloured lenses and it has made an 80% difference to his reading and writing.He was assessed by an Educational Psychologist and in addition was diagnosed with dyslexia. The SENCO at school told us we were wasting our time and in the last 6 months before GCSEs we worked hard doing mind maps to help him revise. He was predicted straight Fs and he achieved 1A, 3 Bs and 6 Cs. This enabled him to go to college and now on to University.

We were on the verge of giving up and accepting what the teachers were saying' but we decided to fight for our son and challenged the fact that he was "written off". The simple solution of prescribed tinted lenses and additional support has been a life changing experience not just for our son but many other people. It should be funded by the NHS and we are getting the support of our MP.The condition is currently not recognised by the NHS but there is now plenty of significant research to confirm the condition. The problem appears to be the loophole in the Optician's Act which recognises "focal" problems but not neurological eye problems. This must change and I would urge all parents/carers to lobby their local MP in order to make this happen.

Also if you suspect your child has this problem ie if the text on a page moves or blurs, or if he/she says " the letters are fizzing" take your child to an optician who has a colorimeter machine.This way they can be correctly tested and diagnosed.

Do not take NO for an answer if you do not fight for your child no one else will.

Maverick - on any thread concerning dyslexia s/he infers that dyslexia doesn't exist.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but Im glad s/he is being challenged.
Again perhaps people should look at the research of Professor Bruce Evans on the subject of Irlen Syndrome.

ummm I'm always on about this! - Please take a look at Ian Jordan's website (google Jordans eyes and it comes up with "Jordans multisensory optician), you can also phone him to discuss.

His practice is in Ayr, Scotland but free assessments on NHS up there. He could tell you which centres nearer you do orthoscopics. From personal experience (mine and 2 ds) I would really recommend him.

Hope all goes well, whatever you decide,
Stressa

If you go with a certified Irlen Diagnostician there are only two labs licensed to do their filters so that the color is pure. Perlot is right about variations if you have it done elsewhere.

Fava you said that your assessment was free through the NHS? How did you go about getting that? Did you approach an optometrist yourself?

Jabberwocky is right indeed, although the feedback on the contact lenses is mixed, but again I'm sure they work with different people. Also, the law is slightly questionable on whether your insurance would cover you driving in them, so adults, be careful....

By the way, just be wary of the tinting colour, people such as Cerium and other suppliers of tints do have some colours which are slightly different although have the same name (so "rose" from cerium might be a bit different from the "rose" you'd get at at an optician). It's not a huge risk but I would suggest asking the person who did the checks what manufacturer they use. You can usually tell by looking at the actual overlay itself in the corner. From what I can gather (not 100% here) but Cerium is the standard that opticians use usually.

ALSO, SHOP AROUND, the price for tinting can be scandalous with some companies charging over £100 for "dipping" whilst with others it is half that or less, again, the person who does the actual testing should be able to point you in the right direction.

take care, P.

The Irlen Institute also offers a service to tint contact lenses for people who don't want to look "different".

The tinted filters are nice for those things where you can't do the overlays such as computers, math, etc. So if it is helping noticeably with reading and the problem is with writing then yes, filters would be the next step.

Oh, and as for glasses, yes they work too.

It's a matter of personal preference though, some kids get on with them, some don't, some don't like the idea of being different etc...they are quite a bit more expensive than overlays too, but much more convenient as they can work with writing and classwork as well.

I note also that MAverick quotes the Rose dyslexia report as saying that the evidence is subjective. Well, 1, it doesn't say that but 2, if it did, so what. Pretty much all optical studies are subjective, you are asking people to report what they see. Go to any opticians and see if they can give you a prescription just by looking at you...they need your, gasp SUBJECTIVE opinion on how well you see. Same for ALL the senses.

All of the dyslexia studies are subjective, should we throw those out too? What about non neuro-psychology, all bunk because you can't to an fMRI scan for happiness?

Don't think so...

Hello all,

I HAD to get involved in this discussion. My wife is one of the foremost experts on MIS in the UK.

First, it works, I see it every day, kids who can't read come to my wife and leave able to read, with knock on effects in their behaviour, self esteem etc. We see people in tears with relief that they are not "thick".

The main reason I wanted to post here though is the comments from Maverick. This person is basically misquoting left right and centre.

1. Professor Wilkinson DID NOT say what is quoted, quite the opposite in fact.
2. The rose report on dyslexia DOES NOT contain the quote given, I am looking at it now, actually is says that "changing background contrast...help with visual stress" and "using coloured overlays is used in schools etc. etc.".
3. There IS scientific evidence for this phenomenon. If Maverick had actually bothered to READ "Reading Through Colour: How Coloured Filters Can Reduce Reading Difficulty, Eye Strain and Headaches" by Professor Wilkins they would see this, also try "Reading by the Colours: Overcoming Dyslexia and Other Reading Disabilities Through the Irlen Method" by Irlen that ALSO has scientific studies in it.

Please do not be put off trying overlays by people like Maverick. THEY WORK. Just to be clear, THEY WORK. Wilkins says so, Rose says so, despite what Maverick misquotes.

And if you are thinking "well he would say that, his wife's in the business, he has an agenda". Yes I DO have an agenda, I want children to be able to read without getting headaches, so sue me.

You don't have to come to my wife (her website is www.colour2c.co.uk by the way) there are others in the UK and abroad, but don't shut this off as a possible way to help your child through one of the most difficult times of their life by leaving them with a debilitating problem that can be fixed with a £3 bit of see through coloured plastic.

There, I feel better now.

I hope this has helped

mavrick the OP said Irlen's effects her son's everyday life, clumsy, knocking things over etc. she's looking at glasses to help with this.

My opinion is that people shouldn't advocate unscientifically tested treatments and therapies for those with reading difficulties.

Tinted overlay guru Wilkins himself, '(W)ent on to conclude that the wearing of tinted lenses is unlikely to have a direct effect on the child's level of reading skill' (Muter. Early Reading Development and Dyslexia. p 179)

www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays/tinting%20M4.htm
www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays/
rate of reading test info

Prof. Wilkins and colleagues of Essex University were amongst the first to apply scientific rigor to the study of scotopic sensitivity or Meares-Irlen Syndrome, as it had become known. The Essex University team set up double blind placebo controlled trials and went on to establish a number of tools for screening for scotopic sensitivity and quantifying the effects of coloured overlays.

The screening test is available to professionals and is know as the Intuitive Overlays Test. Whilst the tool used to quantify the effects of overlays is also available to professionals and is known as the Wilkins rate of reading test.

More information can be found HERE

wow maverick-you are really good at copying and pasting aren't you?

do you have any opinions and thoughts of your own?