Do you have difficulty reading?

The following is excerpted from the Irlen Institute's website. This site is a great source for information on Irlen Syndrome (a.k.a. Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome). It includes sample distortions that are not only fun to check out but also one of the best tools for describing what a person with Irlen Syndrome might see when they read.

Answer “Yes” or “No” to the following questions:

Do you skip words or lines when reading?

Do you reread lines?

Do you lose your place?

Are you easily distracted when reading?

Do you need to take breaks often?

Do you find it harder to read the longer you read?

Do your eyes get red and watery?

Does reading make you tired?

Do you blink or squint?

Do you prefer to read in dim light?

Do you read close to the page?

Do you use your finger or other markers?

Do you get restless, active, or fidgety when reading?

If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, then you might be experiencing the effects of a perception problem called Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, which can interfere with your reading efficiency. Now, for the first time, there is a simple method Irlen Colored Filters worn as glasses or contact lenses, that can help people overcome this problem quickly and easily.


If you found this self test intriguing, please check out the other self tests on the Irlen Institute’s website:

· Long Version
· Headaches, Migraines, Stress, and Strain
· Light Sensitivity
· Autism
· Color Light Activity

Does Irlen Syndrome affect whether or not you will become a book lover?

A recent New York Times article entitled “A Good Mystery: Why We Read” brought to mind an interesting question:

Are children with reading disabilities less likely to develop a love of books and reading?

Logically, the answer should be yes. Children with Irlen Syndrome who are not diagnosed have an especially difficult time perceiving the words on the page, let alone experiencing pleasure from reading. Like other people diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome, I assumed everyone saw the print the way I did, until the question, “What do you see when you read?,” arose in my family.

Wait, you mean the page doesn’t flash for everyone?
The words aren’t supposed to gyrate? Move in waves? Swirl?
Others don’t see additional colors like blue and yellow appear around black type on the white page?
Do you mean to tell me that others can read and read and read…and it still looks the same to them?
They don’t get headaches that can grow into migraines?
They don’t experience eye-strain?
And they don’t have to constantly reread to understand a morsel of what’s written?

Even with all of this happening when I read, I still loved it. I have always loved to learn and saw books as an endless resource for learning more. I still do.

There are many books that stand out from my childhood, but my favorite was Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I believe this book struck a chord with me because it opened up into a world created by endless imagination. In short, it showed me that life had endless possibilities.

As I grew older, I began to favor nonfiction works. I believe this is partly due to the fact that nonfiction works are easier to jump around in, as well as put down and pick back up frequently. Only recently did I delve back into fiction with a fantastic book, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Although reading has always been a struggle, lessened by colored lenses, I never stopped. Nor have I ever desired to cease the pursuit “to finish a book.” In fact, I’m currently reading Helen Irlen’s Reading by the Colors and am determined to finish it in a few days. Today, I read an anecdote from a teacher that made me smile with familiarity:

“I constantly bought books. I would read a chapter or two and then put the book down. It hurt to read, it wasn’t comfortable, and it was just too much work. Now that the colored filters have stopped the distortions, I’m reading all those books that I’ve collected over the years.” (Reading by the Colors: Overcoming Dyslexia and Other Reading Disabilities Through the Irlen Method by Helen Irlen, p. 77)

So, what do you think? Do you believe that people with reading disabilities are less likely to love reading? Or, do you think that the strategies those of us with these disabilities use give us a deeper understanding for what we read?

Welcome to the Can U See This? blog!

I was diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome (then referred to as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome) when I was 13 years old and in the 7th grade. After being diagnosed, I went to class with my rose-colored overlays in hand. My reading improved immediately.

A few months later, I had a shiny new pair of aqua glasses. Thankfully, this was about the same time that the John Lennon-style colored glasses became trendy. Even with that, as a 13 year old girl in middle school, I was self-conscious when wearing the glasses. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the joke, “Is it too bright in here for you?” Well, yeah, it kinda is.

So, I started this blog to help inform others of Irlen Syndrome and provide insight into everyday life with it. I have been able to cope well with it over the years, but it is still a struggle when I want to do one of the things I love most—to read.

Welcome to my blog. I hope you find something interesting here & come back to learn more.