School Issues

• A Typical Scenario
• Is Your Child Struggling in School?
• National PTA Resolution on Vision Testing
• Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD)
• Poor Standardized Test Scores: The Vision Connection
• Raising Awareness about Vision Disorders in Children
• Requests for Section 504 Accomodations
• Symptoms of Vision Problems that Cause School Troubles
• The Students Bill of Rights
• Vision and the Gifted Child
• Vision is Key to Developing Your Child's Abilities
• Vision Problems Can Make School a Struggle
• When a Child Struggles, the Whole Family Struggle
• Why is School so Challenging for Your Child?

Reading Difficulties

• Retraining the Eyes Can Help Kids Read
• Success Stories
• The Eye Bone's Connected to the... Brain Bone
• Therapy for Poor Vision Can Be Real Eye-Opener
• Vision and Reading
• Vision and Developmental Dyslexia
• When Your Child Struggles
• Resources: Research update on Visually-Based Reading Disability

Vision and Perception

• Perceptually Impaired: Now What?
• Training the Eyes to Focus on Work
• Irlen Filters - Reading by the Colors
• Vision Changes as we Age
• ADHD: Vision And Its Valliant Attempt To Derive Meaning From The World.

Irlen Filters -- Reading by the Colors

We're periodically asked about the application of Irlen tinted lenses or filters for persons having difficulty reading or learning. Helen Irlen, a psychologist, introduced the concept of "Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome" (SSS), a condition suggestive of vision problems when reading.

The symptoms of SSS include print blurring, ghosting, and swirling. A person with the condition can experience any or all of its factors: light sensitivity, poor print resolution, restricted span of recognition, and lack of sustained attention. Irlen test centers have sprung up all around the world, but testers seem to have overlooked Irlen's caution about searching for the magic pill.

In her book, Reading by the Colors, Irlen writes that individuals interested in being screened for SSS should first see an optometrist and receive a complete visual examination. When the exam is more than routine, additional tests will analyze the visual system in greater detail and will also evaluate focusing and tracking skills. Irlen notes:

"For SSS treatment to be successful, existing visual problems need to be treated first. Perception skills are based on a solid visual foundation. It is essential for individuals to eliminate all visual problems prior to getting treatment for perception and other learning difficulties."