How might colour help?
In some cases, the symptoms of visual stress can be reduced by the use of coloured filters: a coloured overlay placed over text or coloured lenses worn in spectacles. It is thought that offering a large number of colours allows for optimal results. The Intuitive Colorimeter™ offers many thousands of colour combinations.
Research by the Medical Research Council and the Institute of Optometry has shown that these visual distortions can be eased by the use of precision tinted spectacle lenses and coloured overlays which in turn helps progress with reading.
As a first step, it is important that anyone who struggles to read should be referred to a vision specialist. A primary eye examination which checks for the existence of refractive errors, such as long or short sight or astigmatisms, is free of charge to school age children under NHS provision. It is important to rule out or treat other vision deficits before testing for visual stress. Once an eye examination has been carried out, the practitioner may then assess for visual stress. At this point the practitioner may use an overlay as part of the testing procedure.
Whilst coloured overlays are useful when reading from a book, precision tinted lenses are more convenient when copying from the board or from another book or for those individuals who are particularly light sensitive and may develop headaches and eye strain when attempting to read. If visual stress is found to be present, the practitioner may suggest prescribing precision tinted lenses as a longer term aid. From simple improvements in reading performance to dramatic transformations in quality of life, precision tinted lenses may offer a range of potential benefits.