Abstract
Purpose: Visual disturbances that make it difficult to read text are often termed “visual stress”. Coloured filters in spectacles may help some children overcome reading problems that are often caused by visual stress. It has been suggested that for optimal effect each child requires an individually prescribed colour for each eye, as determined in systems such as the “Harris Foundation” coloured filters. Alternatively, it has been argued that only blue or yellow filters, as used in the “Dyslexia Research Trust” (DRT) filter system, are necessary to affect the underlying physiology. Method: A randomised, double blind trial with 73 delayed readers, was undertaken to compare changes in reading and spelling as well as irregular and non-word reading skills after 3 months of wearing either the Harris or the DRT filters. Results: Reading improved significantly after wearing either type of filter (t = −8.4, p < 0.01), with 40% of the children improving their reading age by 6 months or more during the 3 month trial. However, spelling ability (t = 2.1, p = 0.05) and non-word reading (f = 4.7, p < 0.05) improved significantly more with the DRT than with the Harris filters. Conclusion: Education and rehabilitation professionals should therefore, consider coloured filters as an effective intervention for delayed readers experiencing visual stress.Implications for RehabilitationAny disability that impacts on a child’s capacity to read has serious implications for academic development as well as the ability to participate independently in activities of daily living.One reading disability, generally termed “visual stress”, is related to visual disturbances that make it difficult to read text.This research demonstrates the beneficial use of coloured filters for promoting visual reading capacity for children with visual stress.Professionals who are involved in the needs of children with reading delay, may like to consider the benefits that coloured filters can afford children with visual reading problems.
Highlights
In a typical school day, children spend up to 60% of their time on reading, writing and other close work [1]
Education professionals are well placed to identify those children with delayed reading abilities, but both educational and rehabilitation professionals, such as special needs educators, occupational therapists and psychologists as well as optometrists and orthoptists need to be aware of the varied causes of reading disabilities, Address for correspondence: John Stein, Deptartment of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, Oxford University, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
The increase in s score were statistically significant for both the Dyslexia Research Trust’’ (DRT) filters: t 1⁄4 3.0, p50.05, and for the Harris Foundation filters: t 1⁄4 2.6, p50.05; average effect size: d 1⁄4 0.17
Summary
In a typical school day, children spend up to 60% of their time on reading, writing and other close work [1]. People, especially children, with this visual disturbance do not always realise that others do not experience these same difficulties and do not commonly report their problems. The effects of visual stress include visual discomfort, headaches and tiredness. These symptoms lead to a reduced reading duration capacity and a lack of ability to read with sufficient fluency to grasp meaning. The use of coloured filters to alleviate it was recognised in 1980 by Olive Meares, a school teacher in New Zealand [11], but the condition has been well known to optometrists for many decades with early pioneers such as Kraskin and Skeffington advocating the use of stress-relieving lenses to ameliorate discomfort and permit optimal visual efficiency [12]
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