Countless numbers of children that come through our school system each year seem to be resistant or impervious to the strategies which I employ, and other broad-based strategies which are employed by our school system, to assist them in improving their reading skills. The Irlen Method of Reading by the Colors has been posited as a method to help overcome dyslexia and other reading disabilities. Does this treatment strategy have merit or substance that will further advance my own arsenal of strategies and techniques for advancing reading skills in children and/or adults? This question is what drives me in this research pursuit.
    The Irlen Method centers around a theory that psychologist, Dr. Helen Irlen, proposes in response to a perception problem that she ‘discovered’ and named, “Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome.” This syndrome is said to interfere with reading efficiency, as well as many other kinds of functioning. This is, indeed, a very intriguing method or treatment, because Dr. Irlen offers a possible explanation and treatment for a large portion of the population which struggles to make sense of the printed page and who are unable to read because of previously unknown reasons. Dr. Irlen points out that of the millions of children and adults around the world who are poor readers, some have been diagnosed with specific learning difficulties, while “countless more are either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all” (Irlen, p. 1) She proposes that the discovery of a “perceptual dysfunction” (Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome or SSS for short) accounts for many of their reading, as well as social and functional problems.
Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS) denotes a perceptual dysfunction wherein an individual “perceives the world around them in a distorted way as a result of a sensitivity to certain wavelengths of light (Irlen, p. 1). The theory supposes that SSS is a perceptual problem rather than a vision problem so it often goes undetected by medical professionals. Individuals with SSS experience many different kinds of reading problems. Not only does it affect reading, says Dr. Irlen, but also can affect “energy level, motivation, work production, ...problems with attention span, handwriting, gross motor activities, and depth perception” ( Irlen, p. 31). A person with SSS “can experience any or all of five different factors: light sensitivity, inadequate background accommodation, poor print resolution, restricted span of recognition, and lack of sustained attention” (Irlen, p. 31). Specific symptoms include: words seeming to fall off the page; words moving together; letters reversing and rotating; letters switching around; background pulsating, flashing, or twinkling; and background being bright and uncomfortable (Ibid., p. 51). A number of reading difficulties might occur as a result of the above symptoms. They include: slow reading; inefficient reading; tiring or falling asleep; inability to do continuous reading; and reading-induced headaches or nausea (Ibid., p. 51).
    Since the problem is not a visual problem, proponents argue that it often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. “Conventional eye examinations by vision specialists,” says Rickelman and Henk, “look at acuity, refractive status, eye coordination, focusing, and eye disease. They do not, however, detect certain aspects of perception that are related to Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome and reading” (Rickelman and Henk, p. 166). They add, “Apparently, scotopic individuals exhibit an unusual sensitivity to specific frequencies and wavelengths of the white light spectrum” (Ibid., p. 166). When an individual is overwhelmed by this avalanche of visual data, they are then unable to order and process the data so that it gives them a clear, distinct, or reliable image of what they are seeing. Thus, they struggle through their entire life in a constant state of confusion and fear, experiencing all or some of the symptoms listed above in varying degrees and intensities which contribute to failure and feelings that they are stupid. One can see that this could lead to serious emotional disturbances and developmental stagnation.
    Another reason the the problem often goes undiagnosed is the professional community feels that the problem does not exist, says Dr. Irlen ( Irlen, p. 58). There are very few, though the number is growing, teachers, psychologists, vision specialists and other professionals who are even aware that the problem exists and then even fewer who are trained to screen for the existence of SSS. Dr. Irlen charges that since teachers are convinced that “reading involves the basic components of sight vocabulary, phonics, and decoding skills—too many of them don’t consider that there are other reasons why a child might stumble over or incorrectly read a word” (Ibid., p. 132).
    The Irlen Method focuses on treating those diagnosed with SSS with colored filter therapy or “Read by the Colors” treatment. The theory contends that certain colors may correct the perceptual distortions of light and provide the child or adult with a new outlook on the printed page. Words will no longer float above the page or jumble into a wavy, incomprehensible tangle, or backgrounds will no longer pulsate or eradicate parts of letters.
    Several strategies are used to address SSS—colored overlays and tinted lens filters. Colored overlays are, basically,transparent colored plastic sheets or gels like those placed over theatrical lights to color or soften their effect. Various colors are used until one or several offer relief. Dr. Mary Williams, in her experimenting with colored light filters, has found that reading through blue filters helps 80% of the children read better (Williams, p. 2). The most controversial strategy is, however, Dr. Irlen’s. She has been offering colored lenses and spectacles to dyslexic children and adults since her pioneering work in the early 1980’s.
    The strategy, as explained by Dr. Irlen, is “not meant to replace reading remediaton,” but rather, “to eliminate the perceptual problems that inhibit the learning process” (Irlen, p. 74). She argues, “The use of colored overlays...will not alleviate difficulties with blending, phonetics, or sounding out words; nor will it increase weak sight vocabularies” (Ibid., p. 74). It is simply used as one tool to eliminate one layer of the problem. Dr. Irlen adds, however, “It is usually very difficult to separate the various layers. SSS is the exception. With SSS it’s simple, because you can easily identify the one particular component, treat it, and immediately eliminate it” (Ibid., p. 130).
    Since Dr. Irlen’s discovery in the early 1980’s, debate has raged quite heavily among social science and mental health professionals over whether there is any such syndrome called Scotopic Sensitivity, as well as, whether the prescribed treatment really does address a legitimate problem and offer a legitimate cure. Reliability studies have been done, papers have been written, news and TV stories have circulated for years either proving or disproving the theory. To date, proponents of the Irlen Method cite that over 80,000 adults and children wear Irlen Filters (ABSPD Handout). Several states recognize SSS as a learning disability and many state, national and international agencies recognize SSS, including the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, SAT, ACT, Braille Institute, etc. (ABSPD Handout).
    Much of the research that has been conducted has concluded that much of the information gathered in support of the Irlen Method has been “largely reliant on clinical case studies...and self-report data (Fletcher and Martinez, p. 1). Very little scientific research had been done until the early 1990’s, so there was no concrete evidence other than those studies and reports to support the theories. Research reports such as Fletcher and Martinez’s study (1994), concluded that scotopic sensitivity correction improves parsing ability, as well as produced positive changes in most eye-movement indices... [but] comprehension was not significantly affected” (Fletcher and Martinez, p. 3) Woez and Maples, argued that scotopic, refers to “vision in the dark” or to a “dark-adapted eye,” and there is no direct scientific evidence to support the concept that some eyes have an excessive sensitivity to particular frequencies of light, (p. 214). This critique caused Irlen and the SSS supporters to rename the syndrome, Irlen Syndrome. Woerz and Maples (1997) concluded that “the central problem in individuals with symptoms of SSS is undetected or untreated vision problems,” and that “visual anomalies” and “effects of placebo” [an inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug] contribute to the fact that many issues remain unresolved (Woerz and Maples, pp. 1-2). Caroline Nolander echoes this sentiment in her dissertation (1998), summarizing that the “power of the expectation factor is a unifying explanation for the pattern of recovery” (Nolander, p. 1).
    Dr. Irlen counters that “reading might remain a problem despite the readability of the page. Reading might still be a frustrating and complicated task. Vocabulary skills might be limited and require remediation. The reader might still need to develop analytical reading skills to understand subtleties and interpret the material” (Irlen, p. 169).
Recent models attempting to explain the physiological reasons for dyslexia have served, however, to provide a model and explanation for SSS as well. According to Dale Jordan, two research teams, Margaret Livingstone (1991) and Stephen Lehmkuhle (1993), discovered what causes Irlen Syndrome and developed the “neurological model” that explains what causes that particular visual perception phenomenon. Jordan summarizes this model as follows:
    We see by light that is reflected from objects around us. In reading and general seeing, reflected light is absorbed by thousands of photoreceptors in the retina. Each photoreceptor is like a tiny camera that takes a snapshot of part of what we see. These tiny snapshots of visual information are changed into fast and slow chunks. These fast/slow chunks are passed along the visual pathway to the brain stem and anterior geniculate nucleus. Two types of special cells carry these visual chunks down the visual pathway. Large magno cells quickly transfer fast chunks from the retina to the brain stem. Magno cells process light impulses for luminance contrast, space, depth perception, movement, motion, and position. Small parvo cells carry slower chunks related to color, shape, curvature, form and still images. The anterior geniculate nucleus must blend all of these chunks of fast/slow visual information into mental images that the brain can recognize. Irlen Syndrome exists when the large magno cells are not fully developed. Under electron microscope viewing, semicircular pieces are missing, like a bite out of a cooke. These underdeveloped magno cells transfer unstable, distorted cascades of visual information to the brain stem and anterior geniculate nucleus. This is especially true when the eyes must look at black print on white paper under bright light.... Under pulsing light, underdeveloped magno cells are overwhelmed by a stream of pulsing visual information that causes word blind patterns to erupt during reading (Jordan, pp. 1-2)
    There appears to be a solid neurological theory that would support the Irlen Method. Indeed, there may be many factors which contribute to the kinds of reading and social problems that have been outlined in this paper. Conclusions are, thus, hard to come by.
    All of us who service children with reading problems, however, constantly see the above symptoms. Various means of treatment have been employed, including educational interventions, counseling, and behavioral therapies. These various treatments never seem to adequately address all of the needs that face children with learning disabilities, dyslexia, and other problems. And so, we search for other resources; other possibilities; other answers and treatments that offer to a special segment of our population hope and the opportunity to succeed in life. The Irlen Method may just be one of those pearls of a resource that, along with all of the other strategies and methods, provides such hope and possibility. I, for one, am willing to investigate further and employ if possible this new strategy if it will answer the question for even one child and assist them to be successful in reading.

ABSPD Handout. Main facts about the Irlen method. Given at the ABSPDInstitute 2001: Focus on Reading, Appalachian State University, May 27-June 1, 2001.
Blakeslee, S. (1991, September 15), Study ties dyslexia to brain flaw affecting vision and other senses. The New York Times.

Fletcher, J. and Martinez, G. (1994). An eye-movement analysis of the effects of scotopic sensitivity correction on parsing and comprehension. Journal of Learning Disabilities, Jan 94, vol. 27, Issue 1.67.
Retrieved May 30, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://ftviewer.epnet.com/ftviewer/amful...rm%3D&ReturnText=Matched%20Result %20List

Irlen, H. (1991). Reading by the colors: overcoming dyslexia and other reading disabilities through the Irlen method. Richmond: Avery
Jordan, D. R. Irlen syndrome (Word blindness). Handout from the ABSPD Institute 2001: Focus on Reading, Appalachian State University, May 27-June 1, 2001.

Nolander, C. R. (1998). The effect of expectation and tinted overlays on reading abiliity in dyslexic adults (Scotopic sensitivity). Dissertation Abstracts Online, 59, no. 11B, (1998): 6076.

Rickelman, R. J. and Henk, W. A. (1990). Reading technology: Colored overlays and tinted lens filters. The Reading Teacher: A Journal of the International Reading Association, vol. 44, No. 2. 166-7.

Woerz, M and Maples, W. C. (1997). Test-retest reliability of colored filter testing. Journal of Learning Disabilities, vol. 30 Mar/Apr. 214-21. Retrieved May 30, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://spweb.silverplatter.com/c80570