DISABILITY SERVICES

What is Irlen Syndrome?

This information is also available as Factsheet 35 in PDF format (130 kb).

Irlen Syndrome is also known as Meares-Irlen or Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome or visual stress.

  • The causes of the condition are not yet fully understood, but it makes people see the printed page differently.
  • It can also make it difficult to judge distances and spatial relationships accurately.
  • It is not detected by standard visual, educational or medical tests.
  • It is a perceptual problem, not a visual one, and is not corrected by prescription glasses.

How do you know if you have Irlen Syndrome?

People who have Irlen Syndrome see the page differently because of distortions of the print or white background.

When reading, they may:

  • Prefer a dim light
  • Have difficulty absorbing information
  • Need to take breaks from the page
  • Feel drowsy, tired or strained
  • Skip words or lines
  • Get watery or hot/dry eyes
  • Develop headaches

In general, they may have:

  • Difficulty looking at a computer screen
  • A sensitivity to light
  • Discomfort with fluorescent lights
  • Difficulty judging heights or distances
  • Motion sickness
  • Difficulty with stairs and/or escalators

If you have experienced any of these effects, please contact us to make an appointment to have an assessment with a disability adviser.

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How do people who have Irlen Syndrome see print?

A wide variety of distortions of print can be reported, such as:

  • The print appearing to float above the page.
  • The word being read is clear but the other words on the page move or swirl.
  • Lines of print appear to shift and move up and down.
  • The white background becomes dominant and looks like rivers running down the page.
  • The letters double or have white, black or coloured images.
  • The words and letters on the page appear blurred.
  • The white background takes over and parts of letters become faded or disappear.

Examples of some of these distortions can be found on the Irlen Institute website.

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What can be done?

People with Irlen Syndrome can read with much greater ease if they cover a print with a specially treated coloured overlay. Screening can help to identify which colour is most beneficial to you.

You may also be referred to an Irlen diagnostician, who will prescribe coloured lenses that can be worn as glasses or contact lenses. In some cases, you may be referred to a specialist optometrist. The assessment fee and the cost of providing the lenses can often be met through support funding, and you can be given advice from Disability Services on how to obtain this.

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Further information

In addition to our useful links, you may find the following websites helpful.

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Note: some of the documents on this page are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Get Acrobat Reader