Getty/Peter Dazeley
03 March 2022
Professors Bruce Evans and Arnold Wilkins have compiled guidance for optometrists to avoid making misleading statements about dyslexia and visual stress in optical practice.
The guidance provides a brief summary of different topics relating to dyslexia and visual stress, alongside examples of statements considered reasonable or misleading on the basis of existing evidence.
Evans and Wilkins highlight that eye care professionals should avoid using statements such as ‘we treat dyslexia’ – instead describing interventions as treating visual problems that can co-occur with dyslexia.
Practitioners should also steer clear of the term visual dyslexia, which could imply that there is a particular type of dyslexia that eye care professionals can treat.
“There is no good evidence for such a view,” the researchers highlighted.
They note that the evidence suggests fewer than one in five people with dyslexia experience visual stress.
While coloured glasses may alleviate visual stress, practitioners should not claim that they “treat dyslexia.”
Regarding controversy around visual stress and its treatment with coloured filters, Evans and Wilkins recommend acknowledging that there is a mixed body of evidence in this field.
Claiming that coloured filters are a proven treatment for visual stress or that these interventions are scientifically proven could therefore be misleading.
The guidance provides a brief summary of different topics relating to dyslexia and visual stress, alongside examples of statements considered reasonable or misleading on the basis of existing evidence.
Evans and Wilkins highlight that eye care professionals should avoid using statements such as ‘we treat dyslexia’ – instead describing interventions as treating visual problems that can co-occur with dyslexia.
Practitioners should also steer clear of the term visual dyslexia, which could imply that there is a particular type of dyslexia that eye care professionals can treat.
“There is no good evidence for such a view,” the researchers highlighted.
They note that the evidence suggests fewer than one in five people with dyslexia experience visual stress.
While coloured glasses may alleviate visual stress, practitioners should not claim that they “treat dyslexia.”
Regarding controversy around visual stress and its treatment with coloured filters, Evans and Wilkins recommend acknowledging that there is a mixed body of evidence in this field.
Claiming that coloured filters are a proven treatment for visual stress or that these interventions are scientifically proven could therefore be misleading.
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