What is Visual Stress?

Visual stress is another name for visual processing difficulties. It is also sometimes known as Scoptic Sensitivity or Meares – Irlen syndrome.
Visual processing problems will invariably cause reading difficulties and frequently cause the print to blur, fade away or move around. In severe cases the student is unable to see the gaps between the words or the words fall off the page. Reading becomes stressful and tiring; students often complain of watery eyes and temporal headaches

Mild visual stress problems can be helped by:
• Using specialist coloured overlays
• Using coloured wallets
• Printing / writing on coloured paper.
• Enlarging photocopies.
• Using a piece of card, ruler or reading window, to help tracking.
• When word-processing not aligning right or justifying text.
• Using “dyslexia friendly fonts” such as Comic Sans or Arial.
• Using a font of at least12.
• Changing the background colour of the computer screen.
• Natural light is preferable to artificial.
• If light is causing a problem wearing a visor or cap may help.

Visual Stress Screening £30

A visual stress screening will assess the use of coloured overlays to help ease the symptoms of visual stress and print distortion. The student will receive a coloured overlay and reading ruler to use at home.
The student will also be advised on how to change the background of the computer screen and shown software programmes that can help visual stress.
A visual stress screening takes about 45 minutes.