Hi Mary

Also see below from http://www.dyslexic.com/


Vision and Dyslexia:

What is it about?
Many children and adults with reading difficulties can benefit from using coloured overlays or coloured lenses.

Recent research, examining children aged 7-11 in two primary schools, found 50% of children reported improvements in the perception of text with coloured overlays (see http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays/reading%20disorders%20OC2.ht m). But how and why colour helps is still not clear.

This visual problem is known as "Meares-Irlen syndrome" -- a difficulty certain people (not just dyslexic people) have with glare from the page. Coloured filters placed over the page can reduce the glare. And the result is that you can read faster, for longer, feel less tired and understand more of what you have read.

Who can benefit from colour?
The research suggests that 20% of the population could improve their reading by using colour. Although colour can help many dyslexic people, it does not help all dyslexics and it is not a cure, just a treatment of the symptoms. Trained teachers and optometrists can carry out assessments to identify which colour may help you. Different individuals prefer different colours and one person's preferred colour can change after a time.

How is colour used in practice?
Coloured overlays are sheets of transparent vinyl which you lay over each page of type. Assessment kits and rate of reading tests help to work out which is the best colour for you.
Coloured lenses can be bought from specially trained optometrists. The colour used in the lenses is usually a different colour to that used in overlays because of the difference in the distance between the text and the colour film. For a list of optometrists who prescribe coloured lenses, visit Cerium Visual Technologies.
The Optim-Eyes lamp consists of a desk lamp with 60 LEDs which you can adjust independently to create the exact colour that suits the individual's needs. More information on the Optim-Eyes...
Currently, we are trying out a computer program which lets you change the foreground and background colours in windows programs to suit you, but this is still under development.

Further information
There is a very useful site on colour and reading problems by Professor Arnold Wilkins at the University of Essex at http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays/
We sell a video produced by the University of Essex, called Reading with Colour in which children talk about their experiences with overlays, and a test with overlays is demonstrated.
And frequently asked questions about coloured overlays and reading can be found at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays/faq%20OC6.htm.
 

Sue

Assistive Technology Adviser
Edge Hill College