Thoughts on Irlen overlays...scotopic senstivity?

Question

I sure can not find a lot of research on this, has any good research been done?
My district seems to think that the overalys are the greatest things...I wonder about the placebo effect and at the very least the overlays may help but do nothing to address a probable vision problem.
Would like to hear from some folks out there and what you think.
Thanks.
Also any good studies that you can link me to would be nice.

Answer 1

A good page to start from is given below.

I used to be very sceptical, and am still certain that in many cases coloured overlays and glasses are being given to no effect (and at considerable expense) or to no effect due to the treatment (barring placebo, attention, time spent with child on reading....etc.)
The majority of children given overlays do not persist with them, even when they are first greeted with enthusiasm.

I've seen numerous children who had been given Irlen glasses where the problem was simple refractive or binocular errors that had not been picked up.

But, and it's a big but, even when the above is allowed for, there is definitely a proportion of people who show marked improvement in reading ability, and a reduction in visual stress and other symptoms when the correct overlays and tinted glasses are used.

It's finding the right people and the right colours.
At a lecture the speaker noted that the one category *not* really helped by overlays in her experience was dyslexia, which she considered a separate issue.

The area is still very open, uncertain and subject to research.