Irlen syndrome – sometimes referred to as ‘visual stress’ or ‘perceptual processing disorder’ – is a neurological condition which affects a person’s vision. However, it isn’t a problem with the eyes as such – it’s more to do with the way the brain processes visual information.
Needless to say this has an impact on reading and writing. Sufferers find it difficult to read as words appear jumbled on the page or even to move around, causing headaches and eyestrain. People may also find it difficult to keep their place while reading a piece of text or struggle to process its meaning. The contrast between the colour of the paper and the printed word – usually black on white – can sometimes appear too harsh.
Irlen syndrome often goes hand-in-hand with other neurological conditions such as autism, ADHD or behavioural disturbances, but is particularly common in people with dyslexia. Surprisingly, it’s estimated that 15 – 20% of the population have some level of difficulty in this area with many people completely unaware that they have any issues.
Visual Stress Impacts All Aspects of a Person’s Life
Jessie is a dyslexia-specialist teacher and tutor, who has also been trained to assess people for visual processing problems. She says that this lack of public awareness is partly because the NHS doesn’t yet acknowledge Irlen syndrome as a condition in its own right, and also because, until recently, visual difficulties were considered less important than other types of SEN. Now, however, there is a growing awareness of the impact these struggles can have on all aspects of a person’s life.
“The symptoms vary from person-to-person but people might comment, for example, that words look ‘funny’ on the page or that the light is bright,” Jessie explains. “For some people, the background of a page seems to come to the foreground or the gaps between lines of text appear to move like ‘rivers’. It can make people feel nauseous.
“Children who have difficulties with visual processing might have slow or inefficient reading as well as poor retention of the information they read – on top of trying to process what they see, the cognitive load of understanding what they read is too high for the brain to cope with. They might also find it difficult to copy from the board or struggle with maths.”
Irlen Syndrome Diagnosed Via a Simple Test
Fortunately, identifying and treating visual stress is relatively straightforward, she points out, using set questions and seeing whether different coloured overlays alleviate some of the over-stimulation. In this way, tinted, plastic rulers are placed over an image or a piece of text, helping the nervous system to process visual information in a calmer way. And although visual processing problems can’t be cured, these simple measures can make reading, writing and all aspects of learning much less taxing for sufferers.
“The coloured overlays are usually trialled in pairs,” Jessie continues. “There are yellow tones such as peach, rose or purple, or blue tones which are greens and greys. People usually prefer one kind, though this can change over time. It can also depend on how stressed you are or how much sleep you’ve had. Students can also ask for exam questions to be printed on a certain colour of paper.”
Diagnosis Can be a Relief
“I’ve also assessed adults and it’s lovely to see their relief,” she admits. “They say, ‘This is why reading has always been so difficult!’ In fact, while I was training to be an assessor, I discovered that I have visual processing problems myself. I have some dyslexic traits and when I look back at my schooldays, I remember I always found reading tiring and I lost my place a lot. Reading out loud in class was always difficult and really affected my confidence.
“I have a lot of empathy for my students and the struggles they face,” Jessie concludes. “I feel strongly about helping people with visual stress. If you find the right tool, it can make a world of difference.”
Always Seek Medical Advice
Jessie recommends that anyone with any concerns about visual processing seeks advice from an optometrist or ophthalmologist in the first instance.
For further information about Irlen syndrome, visit https://www.irlenuk.com
