Irlen Syndrome: What is it and Who Could Have It?

Irlen Syndrome can affect academic performance, performance on the job, behavior, attention, and concentration. However, Irlen Syndrome is not currently identified by standardized educational and medical tests. Many people have never even heard of Irlen Syndrome, yet it is an important problem to look at. For sufferers, identifying the problem is a very important step. There is treatment available and those who may be suffering from Irlen Syndrome should be tested.

What is Irlen Syndrome?

Formerly known as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, Irlen Syndrome is a type of processing problem. In sufferers, the brain is unable to properly process visual information. Irlen Syndrome is not an optical problem. While the exact cause remains unknown, research shows that Irlen Syndrome is likely to be genetic as it often runs in families. Irlen Syndrome can be a lifetime barrier to learning and performance.

What are the Symptoms?

You may suffer from Irlen Syndrome if you are slow or inefficient at reading, have poor reading comprehension, suffer from eye strain and fatigue, get headaches frequently when reading, have difficulty copying, have difficulty reading music, or have poor sports performance. Sufferers are also frequently light sensitive. If you are bothered by glare, have difficulty completing tasks under fluorescent lights, or have difficulty working in bright sunlight, you may have Irlen Syndrome. People with Irlen Syndrome frequently read in dim light, skip words or lines, take frequent breaks when reading, and avoid reading altogether whenever they can. Those with Irlen Syndrome may also have poor depth perception and are therefore often more clumsy, have difficulty catching balls, cannot judge distances easily, and must use more caution when driving. As you can see, Irlen Syndrome affects many aspects of life.

Who Could Have Irlen Syndrome?

While it may seem like such a problem would be very noticeable, due to coping skills that isn't always the case. Those with reading problems, dyslexia, and other learning difficulties may have Irlen Syndrome. However, gifted students with good reading skills are not exempt. Gifted and average students with Irlen Syndrome may spend longer completing assignments, avoid reading for pleasure, do poorly on timed tests, be unable to keep up with reading assignments, and may be excellent listeners in class so that they do not have to do their reading assignments. Those with dyslexia, ADD (attention deficit disorder), migraines, autism and Asperger Syndrome, brain injuries, and/or visual problems may have Irlen Syndrome in addition to their other problems. Irlen Syndrome may even be misdiagnosed as dyslexia in some cases.

Getting Tested

As many of the symptoms for Irlen Syndrome are also symptoms of other problems, it is important that you be tested if you think you may have Irlen Syndrome. Being tested involves two testing sessions. During the first session, you will be tested for Irlen Syndrome. If you don't have Irlen Syndrome, the testing ends here. If you have Irlen Syndrome, you'll go in for a second testing session where the best treatment is determined.

Treatment by Color

The exact reasons that treatment using colors works for Irlen Syndrome are still unknown. What researchers do know however, is that color works. Irlen Syndrome sufferers are treated with either colored overlays or colored filters (or in some cases, both). Many sufferers of Irlen Syndrome have difficulty reading black print on white paper. If their difficulty is isolated to reading, colored overlays work well. Sometimes words may wiggle on the page, move around, or momentarily disappear when someone with Irlen Syndrome is reading something on white paper. However, once they put their colored overlay over the page, the words stay still and they are able to read. For other sufferers, their difficulties go beyond reading. For sufferers with light sensitivity, problems with depth perception, headaches, copying difficulties, and difficulties with tests, colored filters worn as glasses or contacts prove to be a better treatment option. The color for filters and overlays is generally different.

Many people with Irlen Syndrome learn to cope and therefore go undiagnosed and untreated. Other sufferers drop out of school and take a low paying job that doesn't require them to read. If you may be suffering from Irlen Syndrome, get tested. If your child is showing signs of Irlen Syndrome, get them tested. The sooner you or your child are diagnosed, the sooner treatment can begin. With treatment, sufferers of Irlen Syndrome can see vast improvements.