What is  Scotopic Sensitivity/Irlen Syndrome?

It's a perceptual problem that prevents an estimated ten to twelve percent of the population from being able to learn, read, or study efficiently. Until now, it has baffled educators and the scientific community because it remains undetected by standard educational, visual, and medical tests.

Individuals with SSS perceive the printed page and sometimes their environment differently. They must constantly make adaptation or compensate. Individuals may be unaware of the extra energy and effort they are putting into reading and perceiving.

Individuals with SSS may read slowly or inefficiently or have poor reading comprehension, strain, or fatigue. SSS can also affect attention span, listening, energy level, motivation, work production, and mental health.

Individuals with SSS may be viewed as underachievers or as having behavior, attitude or motivational problems. This problem can coexist with other learning difficulties. Some people diagnosed with learning difficulties, dyslexia, or ADD may be, in addition, also suffering from SSS.

What are the symptoms?

Light sensitivity. One is bothered by glare, fluorescent lights, bright lights, sunlight, or driving at night. There is discomfort or difficulty concentrating or working under bright lights or fluorescent lights.

Inefficient reading. Difficulty reading print, numbers, or musical notes. Problems bay include print that shifts, shakes, blurs, moves, doubles, disappears, or becomes difficult to perceive.

Slow reading rate. Inability to read letters, numbers, musical notes, or words in groups. This results in problems tracking, correctly identifying words, or the ability to skim or speed read.

Attention deficit. Problems concentrating while reading or doing schoolwork. One may have difficulty staying on task, take breaks, look away, become restless, fidgety, or tired.

Strain or fatigue. One feels strain, tension, fatigue, sleepy, or have headaches with reading and other perceptual activities. Strain can interfere with the ease of reading, studying, or even listening.

Poor depth perception. Inability to accurately judge distance or spatial relationships. May be unsure or have difficulty with such things as escalators, stairs, ball sports, or driving.

Answering "yes" to three or more of these indicators may suggest you may be helped by the Irlen Method

• Poor comprehension
• Skipping words or lines
• Reading slowly or hesitantly
• Taking breaks
• Losing one's place
• Avoiding reading
• Reading in dim light improves perception
• Misreads words
• Strain or fatigue
• Headaches or nausea
• Fidgeting or restlessness
• Trouble copying
• Unequal spacing or letter size in writing
• Stain or fatigue while using a computer
• Difficulty reading music
• Sloppy, careless math errors
• Misaligned numbers in columns
• Ineffective use of study time
• Clumsiness
• Difficulty catching balls
• Difficulty judging distance
• Difficulty accurately perceiving the environment

 

What is the treatment?

 The patented Irlen Treatment Method uses precision tinted filters, worn as glasses (or colored overlays), to reduce or eliminate perception difficulties and light sensitivity. An intensive diagnostic assessment determines the beneficial filter color from an almost limitless number of color combinations.

Since 1983, the Irlen Method has gained increasing support as a result of worldwide research and testing. Research at renowned universities has indicated that the difficulty may lie in the brain's ability to accurately process information. Looking through color may correct this difficulty by altering the timing by which visual information is received and processed. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwise have been helped by the Irlen Method.

Results

• Improved reading accuracy
• Better comprehension
• Increased reading speed
• Reduced strain and fatigue
• Improved academic performance
• Improved self-esteem
• Better sports performance
• More effective study time

In addition to periodic re-evaluations, a complete treatment program may need to include remediation or other interventions to correct coexisting reading problems and learning difficulties.

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