Visual Stress, Migraines and Colourimetry

Spectacles incorporating Precision Tints have been found to help releive the symptoms caused by visual stress and migraines.

What is Visual Stress?
Some individuals experience visual discomfort when attempting to read. These distortions include blurring and fading of print, movement of words and letters, appearance of patterns in text and glare effect.

Contributing factors to visual stress are any uncorrected refractive errors and binocular vision anomalies which will cause visual difficulties and reduce visual comfort.

Visual stress can be related to light sensitivity in disorders such as migraine and epilepsy.
Meares Irlen Syndrome or ‘Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome’ is characterised by eye strain and visual perception distortions when reading.

The Treatment
We will initially carry out a thorough Eye Examination. This will be followed by an in-depth evaluation of the binocular function of your eyes.

We then carry out an assessment of vision with the use of coloured, Spectral Filters. This will initially be with overlays (coloured transparent sheets placed over the page).  

The colour is specific to each individual and has to be selected with care. Coloured overlays can be used for screening and initial assessment, but individuals who find overlays helpful usually derive greater benefit from Precision Tints.

The best colour for overlays is unlikely to be the same as that for the spectacles.

The Intuitive Colorimeter is the instrument used to specify the correct tint for spectacles and was developed by the Medical Research Council. Individuals using the appropriate tint can suddenly see more clearly and comfortably. The tint permits more fluent, efficient and comfortable reading, and is often useful not only for reading but more generally for the reduction of glare and the alleviation of visual stress symptoms.

Michael James Opticians can carry out an Overlay Assessment followed by an assessment with The Intuitive Colorimeter. For more information contact the practice.