Article2005

Visual stress in adults with and without dyslexia

78 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Research in Reading

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Reading and Literacy Development Visual perception and processing mechanisms Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology

Abstract

The relationship between dyslexia and visual stress (sometimes known as Meares‐Irlen syndrome) is uncertain. While some theorists have hypothesised an aetiological link between the two conditions, mediated by the magnocellular visual system, at the present time the predominant theories of dyslexia and visual stress see them as distinct, unrelated conditions, a view that has received some support from studies with children. Studies of visual stress in adults are rare, yet recent reports of a high incidence of this phenomenon amongst university students with diagnosed dyslexia call for further investigation of the issue. This study sought to clarify the relationship between visual stress and dyslexia by comparing the reading performance of dyslexic and non‐dyslexic adults with, and without, colour. Degree of susceptibility to visual stress was determined by means of a symptom rating scale. Optimal colour was determined using an Intuitive Colorimeter, which was also employed to assess reading speed under the two experimental conditions. Only the dyslexic students with high visual stress showed significant gains in reading speed when using optimal colour. The use of response to treatment (rather than symptomatology) as a diagnostic criterion for visual stress is questioned, especially when applied to adults, as this may give misleading findings. On the basis of reported symptomatology, students who experience high levels of visual stress are more likely to show improvements in reading rate with optimal colour if they also have dyslexia than if they do not have dyslexia. Although not establishing an aetiological link, these findings imply an interaction between the two conditions with major implications for theory, diagnosis and treatment.

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References

2004Specific reading disability (dyslexia): what have we learned in the past four decades?1997To see but not to read; the magnocellular theory of dyslexia 1991Physiological and anatomical evidence for a magnocellular defect in developmental dyslexia.2000Progress in understanding reading: scientific foundations and new frontiers 1981Dyslexia: Theory and Research 2001The magnocellular theory of developmental dyslexia 2003Developmental dyslexia: specific phonological deficit or general sensorimotor dysfunction?1896A Case of Congenital Word Blindness

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2016A systematic review of controlled trials on visual stress using Intuitive Overlays or the Intuitive Colorimeter 2012Questioning the benefits that coloured overlays can have for reading in students with and without dyslexia 2007Computerized screening for visual stress in children with dyslexia 2016The effect of coloured overlays and lenses on reading: a systematic review of the literature 2014Colors, colored overlays, and reading skills

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