Vision and Visual Stress
Vision
Prior to having an assessment if you are coming yourself, or you are a parent bringing a child, it is vitally important that you or the child has an eyesight test prior to coming in case the whole problem is visually based. If the optician prescribes glasses let the child or you as an adult wear them for a couple of weeks and if necessary then come for the assessment.
Mears-Irlen Syndrome, is the sensitivity to the glare of text on a white ground. Placing differently coloured overlays across the white ground can help some people to read more accurately as without their chosen overlay the text can appear distorted in various ways but with an overlay the distortion goes away. If the overlay works the effects may be slightly increased reading speed and accuracy or dramatically increased speed and accuracy. I use a set of Cerium Overlays prior to all my assessments. If an overlay is helpful, using the chosen overlay in reading tests means that any persistent difficulties are not applicable to their co-existent Mears-Irlen Syndrome and so applications for Access Arrangements or DSA awards are not impeded. In making sure eye tests are carried out prior to the assessment it ensures that other issues may not be responsible for the colour overlay having such a dramatic effect, such as, Amblyopia.