IRLEN SCREENING

WHAT IS IRLEN SYNDROME?

Irlen Syndrome (also referred to at times as Meares-Irlen Syndrome, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, and Visual Stress) is a perceptual processing disorder. It is not an optical problem. It is a problem with the brain’s ability to process visual information. This problem tends to run in families and is not currently identified by other standardized educational or medical tests.

Irlen Syndrome can affect many different areas, including:

  • Academic and work performance

  • Behavior

  • Attention

  • Ability to sit still

  • Concentration

This problem can manifest itself differently for each individual. This problem is not remediable and is often a lifetime barrier to learning and performance. If you suffer from any of the following, Irlen Syndrome might be your problem:

  • Print looks different

  • Environment looks different

  • Slow or inefficient reading

  • Poor comprehension

  • Eye strain

  • Fatigue

  • Headaches

  • Difficulty with math computation

  • Difficulty copying

  • Difficulty reading music

  • Poor sports performance

  • Poor depth-perception

  • Low motivation

  • Low self-esteem

SYMPTOMS OF IRLEN SYNDROME

LIGHT SENSITIVITY:

  • Bothered by glare, fluorescent lights, bright lights, sunlight and sometimes lights at night

  • Some individuals experience physical symptoms and feel tired, sleepy, dizzy, anxious, or irritable. Others experience headaches, mood changes, restlessness or have difficulty staying focused, especially with bright or fluorescent lights.

READING PROBLEMS:

  • Poor comprehension

  • Misreads words

  • Problems tracking from line to line

  • Reads in dim light

  • Skips words or lines

  • Reads slowly or hesitantly

  • Takes breaks

  • Loses place

  • Avoids reading

DISCOMFORT:

  • Strain and fatigue

  • Tired or sleepy

  • Headaches or nausea

  • Fidgety or restless

  • Eyes that hurt or become watery

ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION PROBLEMS:

  • Problems with concentration when reading and doing academic tasks

  • Often people can appear to have other conditions, such as attention deficit disorder, and are given medication unnecessarily.

WRITING PROBLEMS:

  • Trouble copying

  • Unequal spacing

  • Unequal letter size

  • Writing up or downhill

  • Inconsistent spelling

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Strain or fatigue from computer use

  • Difficulty reading music

  • Sloppy, careless math errors

  • Misaligned numbers in columns

  • Ineffective use of study time

  • Lack of motivation

  • Grades do not reflect the amount of effort

DEPTH PERCEPTION:

  • Clumsiness

  • Difficulty catching balls

  • Difficulty judging distances

  • Additional caution necessary while driving

DISTORTIONS:

  • Words on the page lack clarity or stability; i.e.,

    may appear to be blurry, moving, or disappear

IRLEN SCREENING

An Irlen Screening takes an hour. A Certified Irlen Screener is specially trained to provide perceptual testing that will accurately diagnose whether Irlen Method and environmental and educational accommodations will provide immediate improvements in reading, math, handwriting, attention/focus, fluency, comfort during visual and computer tasks, and calm sensory overload.

Irlen Screenings provide information and awareness of sensory processing disorder symptoms and their possible causes which can mildly or severely impact a child or adult, and may be traced genetically for generations, across family members, from childhood or due to an illness or injury. Over 15% of all people have some degree of light sensitivity and are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions unless the professional tester is specially trained.

Once a diagnosis of Irlen Syndrome is established, various interventions can immediately relieve unique symptoms and improve function, learning, working productivity, stress working at the computer, attention, behavior and emotional balance. During the testing session, improvements may be observed and documented in such areas as reading or math fluency, accuracy, comfort, sustained attention, visual tracking and convergence, visual tracking, clarity of text, and ease and enjoyment during visually stressful tasks. With specific accommodations, improvement can be seen in handwriting, attention/focus, behavior, reading music score, testing results, as well as, a decrease in headaches, migraines, visual stress, and discomfort.

Irlen Method has over 30 years of evidence-based, medical & educational research from centers of neurology, psychology, psychiatry, public education, ophthalmology, reading remediation, vocational rehabilitation, the military, and prison schools. Irlen Method has been featured at major professional conferences, research journals, 60 Minutes, National Geographic, ABC/NBC News, Amen Clinics, Harvard Medical Journal, Bulletproof Executive, and universities internationally. Irlen Diagnostic Centers are found throughout the world. Millions have been helped by Irlen Method.