Oklahoma Clients: 2 times per year, In-person Irlen ® Syndrome Services are offered, in March & October, to line up with school spring and fall breaks
Irlen® Syndrome Testing & Treatment
Change Screen Color
What You Can Do
If you experience headaches, visual distortions, eye strain, or fatigue when reading, or if bright lights and screens are overwhelming, consider scheduling an Irlen Method assessment. Relief may be as simple as finding the right color overlay or filter to support your brain’s unique way of processing the world.
The Irlen® Method is about making the world more accessible for every kind of brain. If reading or bright lights have always felt harder than they should, you’re not alone—and support is available.
Why Your Glasses Won’t Match Your Overlay
Your Irlen overlay and your Irlen Spectral Filters serve different purposes and are never the same color. Overlays come in just 10 colors, while Irlen Spectral Filters are custom-made from over 100,000 possible shades—uniquely tailored to your brain’s needs. Using the same color for both can actually make symptoms worse. Only a precision-tinted filter, determined through diagnostic testing, will effectively normalize your visual processing. The result: comfortable, clear vision in all environments—not just when reading.
Colored Filters
Personalized, Everyday Relief
For those with broader symptoms—such as difficulty with writing, math, depth perception, night driving, or general light sensitivity—precision-tinted Irlen® Filters (worn as glasses) are recommended. These filters are tailored during a second diagnostic session and are designed for continuous, all-day use.
Benefits of Irlen® Filters:
- Reduce or eliminate symptoms in all environments (not just when reading)
- Provide comfort without darkening your visual world
- Improve function in bright lights, under fluorescent lighting, and even at night
Important Note:
Wearing the wrong color can worsen symptoms. Only Certified Irlen® Diagnosticians can properly assess and prescribe the exact filter you need.
Colored Overlays
The Original, Research-Backed Solution
Irlen® Colored Overlays are transparent plastic sheets available in ten colors, designed to be placed over printed pages or screens. They are the only overlays supported by over a decade of scientific research and used worldwide in schools and by individuals with visual processing difficulties.
Who Benefits Most?
Overlays are most effective for those whose difficulties are limited to reading. They are a first step in the Irlen® Method and can provide immediate relief for on-the-page visual stress.
How Do Overlays Help?
- Improve print clarity and stability
- Reduce eye strain and fatigue
- Eliminate headaches triggered by reading
- Improve comprehension and tracking
- Increase reading speed and comfort
- Allow for longer, more enjoyable reading sessions
Why Overlays Work?
For individuals with Irlen® Syndrome, high-contrast print (like black text on white paper) can overwhelm the visual cortex, causing discomfort, visual distortions, and exhaustion. Colored overlays reduce this contrast, calming the brain’s response and making reading a more positive experience.
Why Not Just Sunglasses or Standard Tinted Lenses from Amazon?
Sunglasses only block sunlight and reduce brightness, but Irlen® Spectral Filters specifically target the problematic wavelengths without making your world darker. Standard colored lenses from optometrists or online sites are not individualized and can worsen symptoms. Only certified Irlen® professionals use the correct diagnostic process and color selection
How the Irlen® Method Works
Step 1: Problem Identification
The first testing session determines if Irlen® Syndrome is present and if color technology can help. A certified Irlen® Screener or Diagnostician assesses your symptoms and identifies which colored overlay provides relief. Family participation is encouraged, especially for children.
Step 2: Precision Color Selection
If overlays help, a second session with a Certified Irlen® Diagnostician/Clinic identifies your unique precision color for filters (worn as glasses). This color targets the exact wavelengths of light causing your symptoms—essential for those with math, depth perception, light sensitivity, or environmental challenges.
The Irlen® Method: Science-Backed, Individualized, and Neuroaffirming
The Irlen® Method offers a non-invasive, color-based technology to help brains process visual information more comfortably and accurately. Using precision-tinted colored overlays and filters, this approach is the only method scientifically proven to address the visual processing challenges of Irlen® Syndrome.
The Irlen® Method is not reading instruction. Instead, it filters out problematic light waves, reducing visual stress and allowing the brain to focus and process information with greater ease. This can lead to improved reading fluency, comprehension, attention, and comfort—making daily activities less taxing for neurodivergent individuals.
Referenced information and images are the property of the Irlen® Institute, the Irlen® Syndrome Foundation, and Irlen® International.