WHAT IS VISUAL STRESS?
Visual Stress is a visual processing disorder due to sensitivity to light and a believed hyper- excitability of visual brain. Visual Stress is said to affect 20% of the population – 13 million people in UK. It is not the same as dyslexia but it affects about 40% of dyslexics.
As humans we are adapted to view natural images. Imagine a picture of a lake and mountains, beach, garden – is that comfortable to look at? Now imagine a stripy black and white shirt or a zebra – is that comfortable?
English text is made of striped patterns which are mainly written in black on white paper, to our brain look like stripes – not natural!
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF VISUAL STRESS?
Print blurs or goes out of focus
Letters move, shimmer or shake
Patterns like ‘rivers’ or ‘worms’ appearing when reading black on white text
Glare from page or VDU
Coloured halos around words
Poor tracking, losing place when reading.
Sore , watery eyes and headaches when reading
VISUAL STRESS FULL ASSESSMENT
Full eye examination – 1 hour, payable in advance.
In-depth binocular vision investigation.
Reading speed test
Tracking
Near focussing
Pattern glare test
Colorimetry assessment.
VISUAL STRESS PROGRAMME FEES
One hour full assessment £195
Follow-up appointments £95
VISUAL STRESS THERAPY PROGRAMME FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN
Minimum period of 18 months.
Direct debit £16 per month. Full assessment at a discounted rate of £80.
Regular follow-up checks (3 to 6 months or as required).
25% off lenses (free lenses supplied if eligible for an NHS voucher).
50% off specialised tint.
50% off spare spectacles.
Accidental damage cover (small excess may apply).
25% off non-NHS frames.
REFERRAL VISUAL STRESS ASSESSMENT
Includes Optomap imaging.
50% discount off all professional fees.
25% off all frames, lenses and tints.
Please note – Assessments require 24 hours cancellation notice, or the advanced fee is forfeited.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
COLOURED FILTERS
Filters can reduce discomfort by reducing contrast and filtering out a particular wavelength of light that causes the neurons to fire unnecessarily. But it has to be correct colour, saturation and brightness. A person may be sensitive to a particular wavelength of light and this can explain why a coloured tint can stabilize the visual brain.
BINOCULAR VISION & READING
Lot of symptoms of visual stress are the same as if the eyes have binocular vision insufficiency so do not work together properly. This could be due to eye muscles weakness so it’s VERY important to have full eye test and detailed binocular vision assessment. Unstable binocular vision can cause fixation to swap between eyes. This can be addressed with prescription lenses that stabilize the vision at near. Then we can proceed to Colorimetry assessment which goes through 6000 colour combinations to find the correct tint.