What is Irlen Syndrome?

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 Irlen Syndrome is a type of visual or perceptual processing disorder. Someone with a visual or perceptual processing disorder has difficulty making sense of visual information. This is different from problems involving sight or vision. When an individual suffers from Irlen Syndrome, their brain has difficulty processing certain wavelengths of light. In this way, light (especially bright and fluorescent lighting) becomes a stressor on the brain. This stress causes certain parts of the brain (e.g., the visual cortex) to become overactive. It is this over-activity and inability to effectively process visual stimuli that creates a variety of visual, physical, cognitive, emotional, and neurological symptoms. Light sensitivity is very common with Irlen Syndrome. Irlen Syndrome is hereditary and tends to run in families, affecting males and females equally. However, an individual can also acquire symptoms of Irlen Syndrome as a result of illness, medical procedures, or traumatic brain injury (or concussion). Like Autism, Irlen Syndrome is a spectrum disorder, falling on a continuum from slight to severe. Individuals who can read or perform visually- intensive activities for 40-60 minutes before any Irlen symptoms appear are on the slight end of the spectrum. These individuals can manage most academic tasks without difficulty; but when endurance is required, their performance may deteriorate. Individuals with severe Irlen Syndrome will experience symptoms within 20 minutes of beginning to read. For some, symptoms may not begin immediately; however, symptoms will get worse the longer the individual continues to read or be in bright lighting. Fortunately, it is very easy to treat Irlen Syndrome. 

When the brain has difficulty processing visual information it is called a visual, or perceptual, processing disorder. How, or what, someone sees might be affected, but it is not a problem with the eyes, it is a problem with the brain. Visual processing problems can include difficulties with visual discrimination, visual memory, visual sequencing, and visual motor processing. In the case of Irlen Syndrome, a core light sensitivity is what leads to the visual processing problems the brain experiences. Visual processing problems can sometimes overlap with learning difficulties and concentration problems, but are quite prevalent within the general population as well. While most often, a visual or perceptual processing disorder will be present from birth, visual processing problems can also be the result of head injury.

Irlen Syndrome can affect many different areas, including:

• Academic and work performance
• Behavior
• AttentionAbility to sit still
• Concentration

This problem can manifest itself differently for each individual. This problem is not remediable and is often a lifetime barrier to learning and performance. If you suffer from any of the following, Irlen Syndrome might be your problem:

• Print looks different
• Environment looks different
• Slow or inefficient reading
• Poor comprehension
• Eye strain
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Difficulty with math computation
• Difficulty copying
• Difficulty reading music
• Poor sports performance
• Poor depth-perception
• Low motivation
• Low self-esteem

 
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