At David Austen Optometry, we use specialised overlays, tints and Colorimetry to investigate whether a specific tint can help with visual stress. Visual stress is a sensitivity to patterns, especially high contrast lines or stripes, which can cause visual perceptions or distortions. These patterns can be the individual words or the lines themselves that make up a paragraph.
Visual stress can be the cause of words appearing to move, blur or change in size or shape. People can also become hyper-aware of gaps between words ‘linking up’ and appearing as rivers down the page. It is more common in dyslexics, but it is important to note that Visual Stress can also occur in non-dyslexics too. In both cases, symptoms can become more apparent under pressure, such as reading out loud, revising for, and being in exams.
Evidence is limited but visual stress can be alleviated with the use of a coloured tint, specific to that person. Initially, overlays are used to determine whether colour does indeed help the patient, then if so, the patient can choose whether to have Colorimetry. This involves the use of a Colorimeter which is a machine designed to pinpoint the correct hue and saturation of tint for maximum reduction of the symptoms of visual stress.
