Irlen Syndrome is a visual processing problem that can be treated through a comprehensive assessment and wearing tinted lenses or filters. Irlen Syndrome can be present in both dyslexic and non-dyslexic individuals. Tinted lenses are not a treatment for dyslexia. Dyslexia is a language-based disorder and wearing tinted lenses does not remove the need for science-based teaching instruction for dyslexic individuals. Irlen Syndrome can often co-occur with conditions such as dyslexia and ADHD.
Irlen Syndrome is a problem with the brain, not the eye. It is a perceptual processing disorder, not a visual problem, a finding that the most current brain imaging research supports. In simplistic terms, when an individual suffers from Irlen Syndrome, their brain has difficulty or an inability to process certain wavelengths of light. In this way, light (particularly bright and fluorescent lighting) becomes a stressor on the brain. This stress causes certain parts of the brain (e.g. the visual cortex) to become overactive. It is this over-activity and inability to effectively process visual stimuli that creates a variety of visual, physical, cognitive, emotional, and neurological symptoms.
Children referred to us through the Empowered Learning Trust screening project in the Reporoa region are fitted with corrective lenses at a subsidised cost.