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Visual stress, a light sensitive condition that contributes to visual perceptual problems, impairs reading and can also be the cause of headaches, feelings of nausea or tiredness when reading.
understanding visual stress
Visual stress is also known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome. People who suffer from this condition often find it difficult to focus on closely designed patterns, such as stripes or multi-patterns for instance. They may also suffer from problems of glare and feel uncomfortable in bright daylight or sunlight or under fluorescent lighting conditions.
Although present in 20 percent of the population to some extent, visual stress may not be recognised as a serious hindrance until it comes to coping with small repetitive black print on a white background, or with a volume of reading.
understanding colorimetry
Colorimetry is used to explore colour to find the optimal tint which provides relief of visual stress. Joanna Williams is our Senior Optometrist based at our Sudbury practice and is an expert in colorimetry and visual stress. She has many years of experience using a colorimeter and regularly visits children in schools to screen for the condition.
RECOGNISING THE SIGNS
Many children who suffer from visual stress are often unaware that they see the page differently from others, until someone applies an appropriate coloured overlay (colorimetry) or prescribes precision tinted lenses. Then they often exclaim how words stop moving and how the page appears clear and still. Particularly with children, they don’t know what they see isn’t normal.
Some people do not recognise the severity of the problem, until it comes to a volume of reading at exam times for instance, when the inability to focus for a long period of time without becoming tired or suffering perceptual difficulties, suddenly arises.
The underlying photosensitive syndrome is also frequently involved in various neurological disorders that affect the visual cortex of the brain such as migraine, photosensitive epilepsy, autism, multiple sclerosis, head injury and stroke.
visual stress & colorimetry
the tests that we offer
We have two test types available
The first is an assessment using coloured overlays, which is usually carried out on children as a screening test.
This can be done by Joanna at Sudbury, Halstead or Haverhill and costs £40 or free when booked with an eye test.
The second uses the Intuitive Colorimeter and provides a specific tint for spectacles if required. This can only be done at the Sudbury practice. The cost for this is £90. Should you require tinted spectacles, you will require an up-to-date eye examination prescription.
The cost of single vision Precision Tinted lenses is £189, less the value of any voucher that you are entitled to, plus a frame.
the science of colorimetry
Watch Optometrist Joanna Williams explain the Science of Colorimetry below. Joanna is an expert in visual stress and offers coloured overlay assessments at our Sudbury, Halstead and Haverhill practices; with colorimetry only at the Sudbury practice of Wardale Williams, the only opticians in the local area who offers this.
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