Irlen syndrome

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Irlen syndrome
Pseudomedical diagnosis
Risks Nocebo

Irlen syndrome (or scotopic sensitivity syndrome) is not a medical condition. It is a type of visual processing disorder which, research shows, can be mitigated through individualized spectral filtering. Some suggest the ideas of Irlen syndrome are pseudoscientific and not supported by scientific evidence, [1] [2] [3] and its treatment has been described as a health fraud taking advantage of vulnerable people; [4] however, more then 200 peer-reviewed published scientific articles support the existence of the condition and efficacy of spectral filtering as an intervention [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] .[ excessive citations ] Irlen syndrome is recognized by the US and Australian defense forces.

Contents

The condition was first identified in the 1980s. [23]

Irlen method

The Irlen method uses colored overlays and tinted lenses in the form of glasses or contact lenses. The method is intended to correct visual processing problems; brain imaging studies show improved brain function that correlates with reduced symptomology in associated with Irlen syndrome. [24] [13] [18]

History

In 1980, New Zealand teacher Olive Meares described the visual distortions some individuals reported when reading from white paper. In 1983, while working under a federal research grant at the California State University of Long Beach, American psychologist Helen Irlen thought that filtering the visual information before reaching the brain through the use of either colored overlays or spectral filters (worn as glasses), could allow the brain to correctly process the visual information it received. They thought that in doing so, these colored overlays and spectral filters could eliminate symptoms associated with Irlen syndrome. Similar symptoms were separately described by Meares and Irlen, each unaware of the other's work. Irlen, who was the first to systematically define the condition, named the condition "scotopic sensitivity syndrome," though in years following, some referred to it as Meares-Irlen syndrome, Irlen syndrome, and visual stress. [25]

Early studies investigating Irlen syndrome as a treatable condition have been criticized for having a biased and subjective approach to their research. [23]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Cotton M, Evans K (1990). "A review of the use of Irlen (tinted) lenses". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Ophthalmology. 18 (3): 307–12. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9071.1990.tb00625.x. PMID   2261178.
  2. ↑ Miyasaka, Jordan Da Silva; Vieira, Raphael V. Gonzaga; Novalo-Goto, Elaine Shizue; Montagna, Erik; Wajnsztejn, Rubens (March 2019). "Irlen syndrome: systematic review and level of evidence analysis". Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria. 77 (3): 194–207. doi: 10.1590/0004-282X20190014 . PMID   30970133. S2CID   108293945.
  3. ↑ LaBrot Z, Dufrene B (2019). "Chapter 5: Learning". In Hupp S (ed.). Pseudoscience in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: A Skeptical Field Guide. Cambridge University Press. pp. 66–79. doi:10.1017/9781316798096.007. ISBN   9781107175310. S2CID   240819473.
  4. ↑ Travers JC, Ayers K, Simpson RL, Crutchfield S (2016). "Fad, Pseudoscientific, and Controversial Interventions". In Lang R, Hancock T, Singh N (eds.). Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder –Evidence-Based Practices in Behavioral Health. Springer. pp. 257–293. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-30925-5_9. ISBN   978-3-319-30923-1. [We] consider this method to be a classic example of a commercial enterprise preying on vulnerable and desperate individuals in search of simple solutions for developmental disorders and disabilities
  5. ↑ Chouinard, Brea D.; Zhou, Crystal I.; Hrybouski, Stanislau; Kim, Esther S.; Cummine, Jacqueline (1 July 2012). "A Functional Neuroimaging Case Study of Meares–Irlen Syndrome/Visual Stress (MISViS)". Brain Topography. 25 (3): 293–307. doi:10.1007/s10548-011-0212-z. ISSN   1573-6792. PMID   22124535.
  6. ↑ Riddell, Patricia M.; Wilkins, A.; Hainline, Louise (May 2006). "The effect of colored lenses on the visual evoked response in children with visual stress". Optometry and Vision Science: Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry. 83 (5): 299–305. doi:10.1097/01.opx.0000216125.83236.af. ISSN   1040-5488. PMID   16699442.
  7. ↑ Robinson, G. L.; Foreman, P. J.; Dear, K. B. G. (1 December 2000). "The Familial Incidence of Symptoms of Scotopic Sensitivity/Irlen Syndrome: Comparison of Referred and Mass-Screened Groups". Perceptual and Motor Skills. 91 (3): 707–724. doi:10.2466/pms.2000.91.3.707. ISSN   0031-5125. PMID   11153837.
  8. ↑ "Incidence of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome in Colorado Inmates | Office of Justice Programs". www.ojp.gov. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  9. ↑ Robinson, G. L.; Conway, R. N. (December 1990). "The effects of Irlen colored lenses on students' specific reading skills and their perception of ability: a 12-month validity study". Journal of Learning Disabilities. 23 (10): 589–596. doi:10.1177/002221949002301005. ISSN   0022-2194. PMID   2280166.
  10. ↑ Robinson, G. L.; Foreman, P. J. (August 1999). "Scotopic sensitivity/Irlen syndrome and the use of coloured filters: a long-term placebo controlled and masked study of reading achievement and perception of ability". Perceptual and Motor Skills. 89 (1): 83–113. doi:10.2466/pms.1999.89.1.83. ISSN   0031-5125. PMID   10544403.
  11. ↑ Bouldoukian, Joelle; Wilkins, Arnold J.; Evans, Bruce J. W. (January 2002). "Randomised controlled trial of the effect of coloured overlays on the rate of reading of people with specific learning difficulties". Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics: The Journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists). 22 (1): 55–60. doi:10.1046/j.1475-1313.2002.00002.x. ISSN   0275-5408. PMID   11829008.
  12. ↑ Noble, Jeanne; Orton, Michelle; Irlen, Sandra; Robinson, Greg (1 June 2004). "A controlled field study of the use of coloured overlays on reading achievement". Australian Journal of Learning Disabilities. 9 (2): 14–22. doi:10.1080/19404150409546760. ISSN   1324-8928.
  13. 1 2 Kim, Ji Hyun; Seo, Hye-Jin; Ha, Suk-Gyu; Kim, Seung-Hyun (April 2015). "Functional magnetic resonance imaging findings in Meares-Irlen syndrome: a pilot sudy". Korean Journal of Ophthalmology: KJO. 29 (2): 121–125. doi:10.3341/kjo.2015.29.2.121. ISSN   2092-9382. PMC   4369514 . PMID   25829829.
  14. ↑ Garcia, Ana Carla Oliveira; Momensohn-Santos, Teresa Maria; Vilhena, Douglas de Araújo (2017). "Effects of Spectral Overlays on Reading Performance of Brazilian Elementary School Children". Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica: Official Organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP). 69 (5–6): 219–225. doi:10.1159/000484139. ISSN   1421-9972. PMID   29558741.
  15. ↑ Abdelraouf, Ehab R.; Kilany, Ayman; Elhadidy, Mohamed E.; Zeidan, Hala M.; Elsaied, Amal; Eid, Ola M.; El-Saied, Mostafa M.; Anwar, Rasha; Nashaat, Neveen H. (2023). "Dyslexia with and without Irlen syndrome: A study of influence on abilities and brain-derived neurotrophic factor level". Ibrain. 9 (1): 32–42. doi:10.1002/ibra.12080. ISSN   2769-2795. PMC   10529325 . PMID   37786524.
  16. ↑ Caskey, Jacqueline; Freney, Peter (14 June 2019). "WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF DYSLEXIA AND MEARES-IRLEN SYNDROME IN ADULT VOCATIONAL STUDENTS?". European Journal of Education Studies. doi:10.46827/ejes.v0i0.2486 (inactive 14 December 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of December 2024 (link)
  17. ↑ BarNir, Aviva; Shaked, Haya; Elad, Shulamit; Tosta, Sandra (October 2023). "Evidence for Overlapping Visual Processing Difficulties in Adult ADHD and Visual Stress". Perceptual and Motor Skills. 130 (5): 2087–2105. doi:10.1177/00315125231192809. ISSN   1558-688X. PMID   37528514.
  18. 1 2 Huang, Jie; Zong, Xiaopeng; Wilkins, Arnold; Jenkins, Brian; Bozoki, Andrea; Cao, Yue (26 May 2011). "fMRI evidence that precision ophthalmic tints reduce cortical hyperactivation in migraine". Cephalalgia. 31 (8): 925–936. doi:10.1177/0333102411409076. ISSN   0333-1024. PMC   3132147 . PMID   21622479.
  19. ↑ Tosta, Sandra; Ferreira, Mauricio; Lewine, Jeffrey; Anderson, Adam (23 February 2024). "Individualized spectral filters alleviate persistent photophobia, headaches and migraines in active duty military and Veterans following brain trauma". Brain Injury. 38 (3): 177–185. doi:10.1080/02699052.2024.2309253. ISSN   1362-301X. PMID   38334039.
  20. ↑ Kim, Seung Hyun; Cho, Yoonae A. (15 December 2010). "Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Dyslexia in Korea : Correlation With Meares-Irlen Syndrome". Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society. 51 (12): 1639–1642. doi:10.3341/jkos.2010.51.12.1639. ISSN   0378-6471.
  21. ↑ Park, Shin Hae; Kim, Seung-Hyun; Cho, Yoonae A.; Joo, Choun-Ki (15 March 2012). "The Effect of Colored Filters in Patients with Meares-Irlen Syndrome". Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society. 53 (3): 452–459. doi:10.3341/jkos.2012.53.3.452.
  22. ↑ Soares, Fernanda Amaral; Gontijo, Lucília Silva (September–October 2016). "Production of knowledge: genetic basis, biochemical and immunological of Meares-Irlen Syndrome". Revista Brasileira de Oftalmologia. 75 (5): 412–415. doi: 10.5935/0034-7280.20160084 . ISSN   0034-7280.
  23. 1 2 "Irlen Syndrome | Science-Based Medicine". 7 August 2013.
  24. ↑ "The University of Newcastle, Australia". The University of Newcastle, Australia. 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2007.
  25. ↑ Wilkins, Arnold J.; Evans, Bruce J. W. (2022). "Vision, Reading Difficulties, and Visual Stress". SpringerLink. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-03930-0. ISBN   978-3-031-03929-4.
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