Visual Stress & Dyslexia
If you struggle to read printed text clearly you might be suffering from visual stress, but we can help
If you have difficulties with reading – whereby letters move or jump around the page, or appear blurry or distorted – you may be experiencing a condition known as visual stress. While many people think that visual stress is the same as dyslexia, it is possible to suffer from one without the other.
Symptoms of both disorders are varied, but often include some or most of the following:
- Frequent headaches and migraines when reading
- Words that break into two or appear doubled
- Words that appear to shimmer or move about on the page
- Sensitivity to bright lights, especially when reading
- Preference for larger, widely spaced text over smaller, compacted writing.
Visual stress can also affect children, where it has a significant influence on their
education and overall experience of school. Struggles with reading can not only make children feel embarrassed and unable to keep up with their peers, but if left untreated may cause them to disengage with their education and become bored and disruptive.
Coloured overlays – sheets of translucent coloured plastic – have proven successful in reducing the symptoms associated with visual stress, and make reading much more comfortable for the individual. However, different people find different colours to be most helpful, so during your assessment you will be able to test a variety of different colours to find the one that allows you to read most comfortably.
You will then be able to take this overlay away with you to use in your everyday life. You can also have your particular colour and tint put into specific reading glasses for ease and convenience.
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