Effect of Colored Overlays on Reading Comfort in People with and without Meares-Irlen Syndrome

Abstract

People with Meares-Irlen syndrome (MIS) perceive visual distortions and abnormal brightness in text. Translucent colored overlays may alleviate these symptoms, making reading more comfortable. We examined various colors' effect on reading comfort, and whether colored overlays affect reading in Japanese participants with and without possible MIS. Participants read Japanese syllabary (Hiragana) and English alphabets with ten colored overlays (purple, rose, peach, orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, blue-gray, and gray), and without overlay. After reading the texts, participants ranked each overlay color's reading comfort. In both the Hiragana and English alphabet conditions, participants with possible MIS ranked the blue-gray and light blue overlays highly, and normal controls ranked blue-gray, gray, green, and light blue highly. These results suggest that bluish-colored overlays make reading more comfortable in people with and without MIS.

The Effect of Colour Overlays on Reading Achievement among the Children with Irlen Syndrome

“…From this study, it is disclosed that by using the blue colour overlays, the reading score of the subject has increased. The finding parallels with the previous research by Imaizumi et al (2016), which emphasises that bluish colour overlays make reading more comfortable to the participants with and without symptoms of Irlen syndrome compared to other colours in the Japanese syllabary and also English alphabets condition.…”

“…A study by Ikeshita et al (2018) identifies that the blue band can positively affect children with dyslexia because they can read more efficiently when the digital text is highlighted with a blue band. Besides, a study conducted by Imaizumi et al (2016) found that using the bluish colour overlays can make the reading more comfortable for the participants with and without Irlen Syndrome in the Japanese syllabary as well as English alphabets condition. Apart from that, the blue colour overlay also can increase reading achievement, especially for individuals who suffer from the symptoms of Irlen Syndrome (Imaizumi et.…”

“…Besides, a study conducted by Imaizumi et al (2016) found that using the bluish colour overlays can make the reading more comfortable for the participants with and without Irlen Syndrome in the Japanese syllabary as well as English alphabets condition. Apart from that, the blue colour overlay also can increase reading achievement, especially for individuals who suffer from the symptoms of Irlen Syndrome (Imaizumi et. al., 2016;Wilkins et al, 2004).…”

Visual Acuity, Color Discrimination, and Quality of Life in Patients with Cataract: Towards a Comfortable Lifestyle

“…Affective engineering (e.g., [1,2]) and psychophysiological (e.g., [3]) studies have sought to investigate aspects of human vision, including visual acuity and color perception. Some individuals have visual disturbances due not only to injury and disease but also to aging (e.g., senile cataract).…”