Visual Stress & Reading

About Visual Stress

As a first step, it is important that any child who struggles to read should be investigated by a Specialist Optometrist. A primary consultation can screen for basic visual issues and check eye health. If reading problems are detected, your Optometrist may recommend further testing as necessary. 

What Are the Main Causes of Reading Problems? 

Children tend to suffer from problems reading largely due to cognitive or visual issues. Visual issues which affect reading ability can include: 

• Uncorrected long-sightedness or other refractive errors 

• Poorly coordinated eye muscle alignment 

• Accommodative problems (inability of the eye to change focus properly) 

• Visual stress 

What Is Visual Stress? 

Visual stress is a condition in which visual processing in the brain is affected by different wavelengths of light (different colours). Symptoms of Visual Stress can include: 

• Skipping words or lines 

• Reading slowly or hesitantly 

• Jumping around of words and letters 

• Difficulty keeping track and frequently losing place 

• Dark, light or coloured patches appearing 

• Blurring and doubling of letters or words 

Specialist Reading Assessment

What’s Involved in The Examination? 

Our Specialist Optometrists apply a systematic approach to investigating symptoms of visual stress or difficulty reading. Prior to the assessment, you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire, which will help tailor the consultation to your child’s needs. 

This will normally include an assessment of: 

• Your child’s spectacle prescription, if any 

• Binocular vision – how well the two eyes are working together 

• Reading speed (Wilkins Rate of Reading) 

• Coloured overlay testing – to assess if the child responds well to different colours 

If this is found to be the case, your child may also benefit from a Colourimetry Assessment. Your Optometrist will discuss the suitability of this with you at your consultation. 

Vision Therapy 

After the consultation, the Optometrist will devise a program of vision therapy, if thought to be beneficial. This may include all or a combination of: 

• Eye exercises 

• Glasses 

• Coloured overlays/tints 

• Colourimetry 

Colour & Visual Stress 

The symptoms of visual stress can sometimes be alleviated by using coloured overlays or precision colour-tinted spectacles lenses. Clinical research in this area is ongoing, however despite the lack of settled consensus many patients report an appreciable alleviation in their symptoms with the use of coloured filters. 

What Are Coloured Filters? 

These are either coloured acetate sheets that are laid over the page or a filter put in spectacle lenses. The colour varies from individual to individual and is worked out by means of a coloured overlay assessment. 

Colourimetry Assessment 

Following a coloured overlay assessment and the successful use of a coloured overlay, for a trial period, the optometrist will perform a precision colourimetry assessment. Using the Intuitive Colourimeter patients will perform visual tasks to determine the exact hue, saturation and brightness of colour that alleviates symptoms of visual stress, migraines and other neurological symptoms. 

Following the assessment a precision tint may be prescribed as appropriate. The colour will be specific to each individual’s needs, much more precise than an overlay and very often a different colour to the overlay. Coloured lenses are also much more convenient than overlays, especially for working from the board or on the computer.