Visual Assessment
Our Visual Assessment is tailored to investigate two broad aspects of “vision” with respect to people who are underachieving because of conditions, such as dyslexia, in accordance with guidelines suggested by the Medical Research Council and the College of Optometrist. It is not just a “sight test” but a full eye examination, including a further in-depth investigation of how the eyes and the eye muscles work together. A visual assessment takes about sixty minutes.
Eyesight & Eye Muscles
Whilst visual problems are frequently associated with the difficulties experienced by individuals with such conditions as dyslexia, they are not the cause of the learning difficulties.
However, they may be contributory factors and they need to be dealt with to ensure that their problems are not exacerbated. This means that anomalies of refraction (“sight”), focussing ability, eye-muscle balance and eye movement control need to be diagnosed and, where necessary, managed or treated. This may mean spectacles with lenses or prisms and/or eye exercises.
Coloured Overlays and Tinted Glasses
Research has shown that the symptoms of visual stress experienced by some dyslexic individuals can be reduced or alleviated with the use of tinted spectacle lenses or coloured overlays. For some, the tint in the spectacle lenses needs to be very precise in order for it to be successful.
Coloured Overlays
Coloured overlays play a crucial role in identifying individuals who might benefit from Intuitive Colorimetry and the prescription of specifically tinted eyeglasses.
Due to their cost-effectiveness, coloured overlays are frequently employed as a screening tool. If an individual experiences improved reading comfort with a coloured overlay, it justifies further evaluation through Intuitive Colorimetry.
Optometrists typically utilise purpose-designed coloured overlays, such as the Intuitive Overlays produced by the Institute of Optometry or those provided by Cerium Visual Technologies.
Precision Tinted Spectacle Lenses
There are a number of diagnostic systems available to optometrists enabling the investigation of the effect of colour. One of the most scientific is the Intuitive Colorimeter developed by Professor Arnold Wilkins. This technique helps find the precise colour (hue) and depth of colour (saturation) characteristics of the required optimum tint. Both the Intuitive Colorimeter and any subsequently prescribed tint are manufactured by Cerium Visual Technologies.
For many patients for whom colour will help, the optimum tinted spectacle lenses will provide more help than the best-coloured overlay, so overlays should generally not be considered as the “end” but rather as a test to determine if tinted lenses will help.
