Visual Stress

Visual Stress has also been known by other names such as Meares-Irlen Syndrome or Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome

 

Visual stress is considered a visual difficulty which can affect a person's ability to read. It manifests itself in the form of unpleasant visual symptoms when reading black text on white paper, especially for prolonged periods.

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The visual distortions experienced can be significantly reduced through the use of coloured overlays or filters. Visual Stress is not caused by Dyslexia, it is often a co-occurring difficulty linked to many other learning disabilities such as Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia and Dyslexia.

 

However Visual Stress can also occur in isolation and may be the only difficulty experienced by an individual.

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Symptoms include illusions of shape, movement and colour in the text, distortions of the print, loss of print clarity, and general visual irritation. Visual stress can also cause sore eyes, headaches, dizziness, frequent loss of place when reading, and impaired comprehension.

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Visual stress is caused by the striped effect of black writing on white paper which causes over stimulation and excitation of the visual cortex Visual stress can have an adverse effect on the development of reading skills

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Research has shown that 15 - 20% of people suffer visual stress to some extent, and they also tend to be hypersensitive to fluorescent lighting and flicker on computer monitors.

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Screeners

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If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of Visual Stress, you can complete the below Visual Stress Screening Assessment.

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Next Steps

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If your screening score indicates that  you are a Moderate to High Risk of experiencing symptoms of visual stress then you should book an appointment with an optician to ensure there is no medical reason why you are experiencing these difficulties. 

 

If a routine eye test or prescription lens does not alleviate your symptoms then an appointment should be booked with a behavioural ophthalmologist.

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Strategies to Support with Visual Stress Symptoms:

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• Prescription Coloured Lens

• Coloured Overlays

• Coloured A4 Notebook/ Note Pads 

• Reading in Nature Day Light

• Avoiding Fluorescent Lighting

• Requested Coloured Exam Papers in School/College/University

• Using Colour Filter Software on Laptops

• Change the Page Colour on Microsoft Word

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