Colour Overlay Assessment

Colour overlays can greatly with visual stress. Visual stress can contribute to reading difficulties in many children and adults.  Visual stress is when the visual cortex (the visual processing area of the brain) is over stimulated due to sensitivity to visual patterns, for example lines of black text on white paper. 

Symptoms of visual stress included:

•Blurring of print

•Letters and words appearing as if they are moving

•Discomfort when reading

•Glare from a white page

•Patterns in the print

•In some cases, migraines

Signs of visual stress include:

•Skipping words or lines

•Re-reading the same line frequently

•Moving the book around the desk

•Moving closer or further away from the book

•Poor comprehension of reading content
 

Visual stress can be a major part of the problem in poor readers even with those who are diagnosed 'dyslexic'. Individuals find that viewing text through a coloured sheet of acetate or coloured spectacles lenses can eliminate symptoms and improving their reading performance.

The rate of reading test is designed to measure the effects on reading of visual perceptual distortions of text, such as apparent movement of the words and letters, blurring and coloured halos. Patients are required to read a text that looks like a passage of prose but consists of random words. In the rate of reading test, reading ability is assessed in terms of rate and errors rather than in terms of difficulty of the words read. It is used to compare the individual’s performance with and without the overlay.

Contact us today if you would like to book yourself or child in for a colour overlay assessment.