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Primary education

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Irlen Syndrome - any experiences

30 replies

FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith · 05/01/2022 11:48

DD has just been assessed for this (she had suspected dyslexia). Does anybody have any experiences of what worked well for their child or any support required from school? Many thanks

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admission · 05/01/2022 14:12

I have seen in schools significant improvements in pupil's abilities when the right coloured glasses and /or coloured overlay are put in place after Irlen testing. Just make sure that DD is getting the right support in the school.

FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith · 05/01/2022 18:07

Thanks very much for replying @admission do you mind saying more about what to look for in terms of school support. The behavioural optometrist team seem really good but it’s helpful to have an idea of what others have put agreed with school.

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cansu · 05/01/2022 18:34

I would concur with the post above. There isn't much evidence for this being that helpful but it has caught on. There are lots of kids who have been tested for this. I have never met anyone who has been tested and found not to have visual stress. Regardless, most schools will copy worksheets on the colour recommended and may provide an overlay (plastic sheet of your chosen colour) Some will provide exercise books in the colour you want. You could also buy the coloured lenses.

FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith · 05/01/2022 20:38

Thanks. lm particularly interested in hearing from parents with practical experience.

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Newnamemsz · 05/01/2022 21:20

I was a SENDCO for 20 years with lots of experience. Dyslexia is a lucrative business but unfortunately coloured lenses aren't going to help. If your child has difficulties with light sensitivity by all means consider coloured lenses but I'd save my money.

Earlgreyandcake · 05/01/2022 21:24

I'm an optometrist- please think carefully before you spend money on behavioural optometry - there is little peer reviewed evidence that this helps.

Soontobe60 · 05/01/2022 21:29

[quote Newnamemsz][[https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27588-forget-colour-overlays-dyslexia-is-not-a-vision-problem]]/
[[https://theconversation.com/a-rose-tinted-cure-the-myth-of-coloured-overlays-and-dyslexia-120054]]
"Primary dyslexia and learning disabilities are complex neurocognitive conditions and are not caused by vision problems. There is no evidence to suggest that eye exercises, behavioural vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses improve the long-term educational performance of people affected by dyslexia or other learning disabilities."
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists

"“Vision problems can interfere with the process of learning; however, vision problems are not the cause of primary dyslexia or learning disabilities. Scientific evidence does not support the efficacy of eye exercises, behavioral vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses for improving the long-term educational performance in these complex pediatric neurocognitive conditions. Diagnostic and treatment approaches that lack scientific evidence of efficacy, including eye exercises, behavioral vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses, are not endorsed and should not be recommended”.._
American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Ophthalmology Executive Committee, 2008-2009, reaffirmed 2014, www.aao.org/clinical-statement/joint-statement-learning-disabilities-dyslexia-vis[/quote]
My Senco dissertation was on dyslexia, with some focus on IRLENS. I was not able to find any scientific papers that supported IRLENS as an actual thing! (which really shocked me).
That doesn’t mean I didn’t implement recommendations from optometrists whom the parents had paid for a private assessment. It’s amazing, apparently, how many girls prefer the pink overlays whilst boys won’t use one!

Soontobe60 · 05/01/2022 21:33

@FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith

Thanks. lm particularly interested in hearing from parents with practical experience.
From a purely practical POV, I’d recommend getting your child the coloured lenses rather than trying to get all materials they use in schools to be copied onto the exact colour paper that your report has suggested. Coloured overlays are the devils nightmare on paperback books. (although I haven’t seen any proof that they make a difference to. Child with dyslexia)
LivingInaBuildingSite · 05/01/2022 21:33

Just to put the other side, two of my DC and my DH wear tinted glasses.

DD is 10 and has green ones, green is in no way her favourite colour. If she thought she could’ve got away with purple or pink I’m sure she would have.

My DS is 15 now, he said when he started wearing them that it made a real difference and continues to feel a benefit from them.

Dh said it felt to him like there were just fewer words on the page when he wore his glasses. So pages of text just were easier to read.

It’s hard to get out of the kids what they really feel other than better/easier/etc.

We’re happy to pay for the tests and glasses if it might help.

Schools so far have been amenable to the glasses wearing (same primary for both, and current secondary for Ds).

Soontobe60 · 05/01/2022 21:41

@LivingInaBuildingSite

Just to put the other side, two of my DC and my DH wear tinted glasses.

DD is 10 and has green ones, green is in no way her favourite colour. If she thought she could’ve got away with purple or pink I’m sure she would have.

My DS is 15 now, he said when he started wearing them that it made a real difference and continues to feel a benefit from them.

Dh said it felt to him like there were just fewer words on the page when he wore his glasses. So pages of text just were easier to read.

It’s hard to get out of the kids what they really feel other than better/easier/etc.

We’re happy to pay for the tests and glasses if it might help.

Schools so far have been amenable to the glasses wearing (same primary for both, and current secondary for Ds).

That’s what I’ve seen in school generally. It’s all very general in terms of why the child prefers them. I feel it’s more to do with contrast. Reduce the contrast between black print and white paper (or screen) and it’s easier on the eye.
QueenofLouisiana · 05/01/2022 21:56

As a parent, I have found the use of green lenses to be nothing short of miraculous (albeit with eye and listening exercises as DS has a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder as well as visual). He went from unable to read for more than 10 minutes, struggling to decide text to reading Harry Potter in about 2months. (This is not a discussion about the literary merits of HP!).

DS described text as smooching and stretching without his glasses and finds reading very hard work. With glasses, he happily reads history/ politics books for hours.

We bought green paper and books to use at school, but now he wears the glasses he doesn’t need them. They were useful at the start when he used overlays.

At school, I never use a white board with black text. Mine is usually grey as I have two children who use different colours. When I have one child using an overlay, I’ll turn the board their colour. When helpful, I’ll produce books/ worksheets etc in the right shade and I’ll check we have the right colour put aside for SATs.

However, many children come in with overlays and never use them, so I wonder how helpful they actually are. I had one who had a report which said no direct light, but not too dark, not near a window, in direct line with the board, but avoid the glare. I sent photos of my room to the assessor and asked where I should sit the child. They had to admit that their instructions made it a little challenging (impossible).

I’d advise you to buy overlays not glasses at first. The colour they need can change over time, especially if they have exercises to do as well. The glasses are a lot more expensive to change.

QueenofLouisiana · 05/01/2022 21:58

Just to add, DS had treatment on the NHS for his VPD, it’s not always a private diagnosis.

Meadowblossom · 05/01/2022 22:03

As up to date research is not supporting this I don’t think many schools will be on board.

FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith · 05/01/2022 22:04

Thanks again to all who have commented- the personal accounts in particular are really helpful. Smile

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Runnerduck34 · 05/01/2022 22:18

3 of my DC have been diagnosed with Irlens .
2 also have dyslexia.
They have glasses with tinted lens which works better then overlays,coloured paper which are not always provided.
They tell me it makes reading easier ,stops words moving ,they can keep their place on the page, better depth perception, less light sensitivity,less headaches and eye strain.
All were diagnosed in primary school and now late teens,early twenties. They did have a period of not wanting to wear their glasses in mid teens but two of them now at uni and recently asked me to make an appointment to get new irlens glasses as they were finding studying harder which I take a sign they actually benefit from having them! The tint on glasses fades as well as colour prescription changes as they get older so do need check ups.
They are both happy with new glasses, third DC is an apprentice and decided he didn't need them any more but does less reading and writing . However when he got his glasses at age 10 he went up 2 reading years in about a term ( he is also very dyslexic)
Lots of people are sceptical but ime they do help.

Boobeedoo · 05/01/2022 22:38

My son has this and wears tinted lenses when reading/working. He was assessed about age 7 by a nhs orthoptist who was treating him for other eye issues. I am a natural skeptic and couldn’t believe it when he read with a coloured filter - more fluently and with a different voice than I’d ever heard before. They initially game him an overlay and said that the majority of children will stop using it within 6 weeks. Those for whom it makes a real difference hang onto it - and for those they recommended tinted glasses.

I did a ton of research and came to the conclusion that Irlens are dodgy - they use a wierdly proprietary method of assessing the need for tented lenses which they won’t publish or submit to scientific review. As someone said above, basically everyone they assess needs expensive tinted glasses. It’s like a MLM scheme where anyone can ‘train’ to be an assessor and set up as an Irlens expert. Of course they over diagnose. And of course they won’t release their methodology otherwise how could they make money from it?

Much more evidence based is research around ‘visual stress’ - the same condition under a different name. See research by Essex university:
www.essex.ac.uk/research/showcase/transforming-the-lives-of-those-suffering-visual-stress

There’s lots more peer assessed research on the web about visual stress if you Google. There’s also some Interesting stuff by a researcher called John Stein (brother of Rick!) who is a physiologist at Oxford. E.g. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3862071/

Tinted lenses were transformative for my son (who also has dyslexia - a separate but probably co-occurring condition). People are quick to dismiss it all as bollocks (because Irlens is so dodgy) but in my sons experience and my geeky research it’s definitely a real thing!

DowningStreetParty · 05/01/2022 22:55

Another one saying that there is something to this- my DC don’t have dyslexia but whatever ‘visual stress’ is it is something that their normal glasses didn’t help with.
The colours raised the number of words read aloud per minute compared to reading with normal glasses and also reduced words moving about on the page and changing colour, etc. I was sceptical as you like of all of this but am happy with that result.

Newnamemsz · 06/01/2022 05:25

"Much more evidence based is research around ‘visual stress’ - the same condition under a different name."
Effectively Irlens is a brand name it's a bit like calling a headache Panadol Syndrome.

FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith · 06/01/2022 17:32

Thanks again - I’ve realised I’ve opened a can of worms with terminology!

DD has just been assessed and we started using a transparency which appears to have already had a massive impact on her reading. We also have a v helpful report from an Ed psych from dyslexia assessment about supportive interventions (currently not assessed as dyslexic but they said we may benefit from assessment in future).

I was thinking about a tutor who might help with home learning (school are supportive). Did anyone else do this and if so how did you find them? This is all new to me. Id be really grateful for any advice.

@Boobeedoo @DowningStreetParty @Runnerduck34 and @LivingInaBuildingSite

OP posts:
Newnamemsz · 06/01/2022 18:07

Depending where you are I'd recommend http://bloomfieldlearningcentre.org.uk

Runnerduck34 · 07/01/2022 23:28

My DC have had tutors at various times.
They have been helpful and have increased their confidence and they made good progress.
Found tutors through a mixture Internet search, recommendations, adverts etc
Good luck

FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith · 08/01/2022 00:19

Thanks again both all the best

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massiveblob · 08/01/2022 23:21

My DD best mate has tinted glasses to help with IRLENS. She says it helps massively. The tint is quite subtle tbh.

CoffeeWithCheese · 10/01/2022 09:50

I have what the assessment described as a "very visual form of dyslexia" diagnosed when I went back to university in my 40s. I've basically learnt to constantly re-refer back to texts to pull information out rather than actually understanding and retaining anything I've read... take the text away from me and I'm bloody snookered!

I find it's much worse when I'm tired, or in certain lighting and the words just bugger off for a wander around the page or hover above it - but I've developed my own combination of tricks over the years... on my iPad I put a coloured overlay on the screen (in accessibility options) when I find it beneficial; I use the Office immersive reader in Word to proof read through things outlaid and I use a lot of text to speech software generally. I also print things out and mind map/highlight the shit out of stuff to get what I'm reading actually processed in my brain. If all else fails I have a few reading ruler single line overlays in my pencil case to isolate the line of text I'm reading - all just little tweaks that I've found help me.

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