Colored Filters: A Treatment for Reading Problems?
In recent years the notion of treating individuals with tinted spectacle lenses or colored overlay-filters has become popular. Some schools have advocated the use of colored filters for students with reading dysfunction in the hopes that reading skills will improve. Moreover, there are commercial centers that "test the scotopic sensitivity syndrome" (referred to as the SSS). Claims have been made that testing for SSS can lead to the exact color to treat an individual's reading dysfunction. This process can be expensive, which could be justified providing such a regimen is effective. The question is whether or not tinted lenses or filters actually help. Are they really effective for treating reading problems?
The scientific basis of treatment with colored filters has been questioned.a First: the word Scotopic refers to night vision. We need photopic levels of illumination as in daylight, in order to read. Second: There may be a placebo (psychological) effect resulting in anecdotal statements that reading is "improved" with the colored filters. Third: Research is lacking that validates the use of colored filters.
Of particular interest is that reported symptoms of SSS seem to be very closely related to vision disorders.b Such common complaints as fatigue, skipping words, shimmering of print, blurring, headaches, watery eyes, and difficulty concentrating while reading can almost always be treated optometrically with lenses or vision therapy.c Recommendations of the Studt Center for Vision Therapy at the Eye Care Center (ECC) are as follows:
- Individuals with reading dysfunction should have a basic eye and vision examination, either by their local optometrist or in the Primary Eye Care Service at ECC. This testing is to rule-out problems such as refractive errors, binocular vision problems, and eye diseases.
- If referral to the Studt Center for Vision Therapy is indicated, a thorough evaluation of visual efficiency skills and developmental visual information processing can be done. Dyslexia and other special testing can also be administered.
- Appropriate vision therapy, and sometimes special prescription lenses, may be recommended to treat vision problems associated with reading dysfunction.
- In a few selected cases colored filters may be tried at little, if any, cost. These filters are most often tinted blue but they may be rose or various other colors, or even a neutral gray. The faculty optometrist may recommend these for certain patients to determine if, in fact, any comfort or improvement in reading performance is attained. Performance can be objectively measured with word decoding accuracy and reading comprehension tests. Vision therapy, however, is practically always the preferred treatment for lasting effects in such cases, even in those few patients who subjectively report benefiting from colored filters.
a Cardinal DN, Griffin JR, Christenson GN. Do Tinted Lenses Really Help Students with Reading Disabilities? Intervention in School and Clinic 1993; 28:275-279.
b Blaskey P, Scheiman M, Parisi M, Ciner E, Gallaney M, Seiznick R. The Effectiveness of Irlen Filters for Improving Reading Performance: A Pilot Study. Journal of Learning Disabilities 1990; 23:604-612.
c Special Report: The Efficacy of Optometric Vision Therapy. Journal of the American Optometric Association 1988; 59:95-105.
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