What is Meares-Irlen Syndrome?

Some people with no apparent problems with their eyes, report that it is “uncomfortable” to look at certain patterns – including a page of words. Some people find that the words appear to move, wobble or flicker while others see colours or patterns in the words. This tends to make reading for any length of time uncomfortable and can lead to eyestrain, headaches or even migraines.

For reasons that are still not well understood, these disturbing effects can often be reduced or even eliminated by placing a sheet of coloured plastic (an overlay) over the page or using coloured lenses. Interestingly, the colour required to achieve this varies from one person to another and the colour can be different for overlays and lenses.

For some the benefits may be slight but for others the effects can be dramatic, significantly increasing reading speed and fluency and reducing headaches and eyestrain.

A school teacher in New Zealand (Olive Meares) and and educational psychologist in the US (Helen Irlen) were among the first to report this phenomenon so the condition has become known as Meares-Irlen syndrome or simply Visual Stress.

The ReadEZ system provides a complete range of solutions for those with Meares-Irlen syndrome including coloured overlays, coloured reading guides, coloured clip-ons and coloured prescription and non-prescription glasses.

Edwards opticians are pleased to announce that we have installed the ReadEZ software to help identify those who are likely to benefit from colour.

As a company we are dedicated to making solutions for Meares-Irlen syndrome accessible to all by offering high-quality, evidence-based products at affordable prices. Which is why we chose the ReadEZ system over the Intuitive Colorimeter and Cerium tints as these products can be as much as 3X more expensive than our prices listed below:

  • ReadEZ Screening £35
  • Reading guides £2.50
  • Overlays £3.50
  • Clip-on £49 (To go over existing spectacles)
  • Complete Plano (Non Prescription) Spectacles £69
  • Complete Prescription spectacles from £133 (less an NHS voucher if applicable)