February 26, 2018 - Eye Health
Hey folks, it’s Dr. Sam and I want to talk to you today about the Irlen Lens Syndrome and how it affects the eyes and vision.
Helen Irlen is a psychologist who linked up reading and learning issues with brain processing problems. She says that reading and learning issues are not optical problems, but they are perceptual brain processing issues. To treat these issues, she prescribes different colored tinted glasses or contact lenses and this reduces the reading or learning issue. She does get results!
There was also a study that was done by Dr. Daniel Amen who’s a neuropsychiatrist. In the study, he took some pictures of the brain with people who had Irlen Sensitivity Syndrome and he found that people with the condition had more brain activity and people who use the color tinted lenses had less brain activity.
So what I would say is this. In terms of a brain processing issue, we have to include the eyes in the conversation. When Dr. Irlen says that this is not an optical problem, I disagree. Learning, especially through our vision, has two phases. The input phase where our eyes take in the information and our brain processes that information. The output phase is what we do with the information in terms of our sensory-motor system.
There was a study done by Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, who was the chief of pediatrics at the Eye Institute at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, and he took a look at the Irlen Syndrome and found that 95% of patients who were diagnosed with the condition actually had undetected visual problems. This includes problems with visual tracking, visual focusing, visual coordination, and eye-hand coordination. When he applied vision therapy the Irlen syndrome went away.
One thing I would say about Irlen syndrome is that it is important to offer support to those who are struggling with reading and learning. The tinted glasses are good for supporting these people. However, these tinted glasses are a symptom-based approach and you are always going to need these tinted lenses. When we talk about learning through the eyes, it’s important to remember that the eyes form from brain tissue during fetal development.
For visual processing issues, I do commonly utilize color therapy. This is where we apply different colors to the eyes in order to stimulate part of the retina and open up peripheral vision. You can have similar effects in improving the processing of information. By stimulating the eyes and brain together, you can use color therapy and get to the point where you no longer need tinted lenses.
Overall I would say that the Irlen sensitivity syndrome has some validity, but it’s critical that we include the eye-brain connection as part of the conversation.
Lastly, I would say that eye doctors need to step up! I speak often about the difference between eyesight and vision – and eye exams only test for eyesight! Eye health professionals should (and could!) be doing much more to test visual processing skills. This would help millions of kids and adults who struggled with processing disorders.