The Effects of Irlen Colored Lenses on Students' Specific Reading Skills and Their Perception of Ability

Recent evidence suggests that a specific visual-perceptual dysfunction not normally assessed by eye examination should be considered as a significant cause of reading problems. The use of tinted nonoptical (Irlen) lenses to minimize this dysfunction has been hypothesized to result in significant improvement in reading and other visual-processing skills. The present study involved 44 subjects with reading disabilities (33 males, 11 females), aged between 9 years 1 month and 15 years 11 months, who had been provided with Irlen lenses. Assessment of subjects' perception of their own ability (Student's Perception of Ability Scale) 6 and 12 months after the fitting of Irlen lenses indicated a significant improvement in attitude to school and to basic academic skills. Subjects also demonstrated significant improvements in reading comprehension and reading accuracy, but not in rate of reading, when assessed using the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability at 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals after lens fitting. Differences in the pattern of improvement are discussed in light of previous findings.