Behavioural Optometrist and Irlens Syndrom

[tryingtokeepintune]

Anyone knows how does one decide who to see? What is the difference?

Go see a behavioural optometrist. A behaviour optometrist will check if you need coloured overlays - but will also check for many, many more problems including focussing and tracking.

My DD had been 2 two opticians, one who said her vision was fine, another who 'specialist in coloured overlays' who said she needed a yellow overlay.

So we went to a behaviour optometrist to get yellow tinted glasses and found out she didn't need yellow glasses - but she had huge problems with close vision and her vision was not at all fine. Couldn't focus her eyes very well, etc.

We left with bifocal glasses, and started doing vision therapy with them.

Highly, highly, recommended.

(Irlen Syndrome is far rarer than other eyesight problems)

IndigoBell - am very interested in behavioural optometrist. Have googled and got list from BABO but there does not seem to be anyone within an hour of us. May I ask how you found yours?

Riven, realise I'm in France so this isn't entirely relevant to you but we saw one opthalmologist who saw nothing wrong with DD's eyes besides long sight in the left one, we later saw someone used to treating kids with ASD who sent us to an orthoptist as she saw all sorts of problems with focussing and vision tracking. it's worth getting a second opinion, if you can. Is there anyone who specialises in eye probs for kids with CP...?

Trying - I got mine from the BABO list.

Riven - Our paediatric eye specialist saw nothing wrong with DS's eyesight either - and when we handed in a report done from the sound learning centre saying he had huge visual perception problems they said 'oh, we don't deal with that.'

It is such a minefield. We have (at various times) been seen by

• optician
• opthamologist
• orthoptist
• behaviour optometrist

and the behaviour optometrist has been the only one that has been any good.

Vision therapy is eye exercises done to fix tracking and focussing problems.

Whether or not they'd be suitable for your DD I don't know. I guess you'd have to speak to a behaviour optometris to see what they thought.

Google Dr Arnold Wilkins he is a professor at Colchester Uni & has published soem interesting stuff on irlens & visual stress.
Specialises in visual stress and reading difficulties, has an interest in autism but a background in epilepsy.

DD1 had coloured overlays and then coloulered glasses for Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome [what it used to be called]she saw the eye doctor at local hospital.

Thanks for tips. Will make a move on this.