This weekend a married couple traveled across Texas to see me to get Irlen colored glasses. They previously had a ‘Double Irlen Screening’ and would have been back quicker except the wife had to get Rx tintable glasses made.
The wife had a cataract in one eye and a strong prescription. She couldn’t wait to tell me how the overlay I prescribed during her screening helped with her job as a Lab Chemist as she works constantly on a computer. Her husband has Multiple Sclerosis and is a talented organist and collaborative pianist. He reported his overlay helps him stay focused better but he finds it ‘inconvenient’ – and of course an overlay does not help with bright lights in the environments he plays in.
The Filter Diagnostic was an interesting session, as I had set it up so they were seated opposite each other choosing from different sets of lenses which were then swapped. They were fascinated by the different responses they had to the colors and the color families they chose. The wife could easily express her preferences as she experiences tension in her forehead and could tell which colors helped with this and made her eyes relaxed. The husband often felt ‘there was not enough light’ and he gravitated towards the yellow colors (which the wife could not stand, so opposites really do attract!) The final color made looking at music more relaxing for him even when under bright lights.
At the end of the session the couple both needed fairly light colors, but could now look up at a fluorescent light without discomfort and could also tolerate a bright light in a dim environment (when I simulated driving at night). The colored lenses did not affect their ability to differentiate colors because the Irlen glasses do not color the environment (which would be SO annoying). So I left that day feeling tired but rather accomplished, my first ‘Double Filter Session’ was informative and enjoyable for all of us as we learnt from each other.
