Mom0012 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Honestly, I did not know which board to post this on. My dd is mildly farsighted and wears glasses for reading, schoolwork, etc. My dh took her to a new eye doctor this week and he recommended tinted glasses for her. He said she doesn't have dyslexia, but something "like it". Has anyone ever heard of this? Anyone ever get tinted glasses and find they help you focus better? The thing with my dd is that she is an excellent student. She is taking high school Latin and just finished Spanish 1. Writing is easy for her and if she continues on the path she is on, she will finish algebra 2 in 8 th grade. She is a strong reader and makes great connections. However, when the doctor asked her if she ever has trouble keeping her place while reading, she said yes. She does use a bookmark to hold her place as she is reading, but I am not sure that is so much out of necessity as it is just a bad habit I started her on when I taught her to read. I would just go ahead with the tinted glasses, but she doesn't want them. She will be taking some outside classes next year and will need to wear them there. On the other hand, if she really does have some problem with her eyes, I feel we should get them. The whole thing sounds a little "out there" to me, but that's what I get for sending my dh to the appointment.;) If I had gone, I would have asked many questions and had a better feel for the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 We do the tinted sheets instead of the glasses. Honestly, I don't see any difference in the reading but it has improved his confidence, so I will take that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 We do the tinted sheets instead of the glasses. Honestly, I don't see any difference in the reading but it has improved his confidence, so I will take that. Thanks. I did see that there were tinted sheets for dyslexics, so I figured that was where this suggestion was coming from. In my reading though, it seems that certain colors work better for different people. If that is the case, I think I'd rather use the sheets instead of blue or green tinted glasses. KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Thanks. I did see that there were tinted sheets for dyslexics, so I figured that was where this suggestion was coming from. In my reading though, it seems that certain colors work better for different people. If that is the case, I think I'd rather use the sheets instead of blue or green tinted glasses. KWIM? The set I got had 4 different colors to test out which one works. You can get them in the size of a bookmark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 This is quackery, plain and simple. The AAP and the major vision societies all caution against it as a treatment for a real issue. Yes, while I don't always agree with the AAP, in this case, I'm not even sure there is any issue. AND it does sound questionable to me. On the other hand, I have another child who has been helped greatly by dietary changes that many would say could not make a difference, so I try to keep an open mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Is it that her vision "splits" . I don't know if I can explain it, but you test for it by bringing a small letter printed on a stick (like a tongue depresser) towards the eyes at nose level. The doctor then observes when the eyes lose their focus. The issue is (if you have this) when you're reading your eyes are working extra hard to keep the letters together. You may not even notice it, but it is happening. I only know this because I have this issue. When I was younger, tinted glasses were in style and I had a pair for awhile, for my farsightedness. When I changed to newer glasses with no tint the glasses didn't seem to work as well. At the time my eye doctor had no idea what my issue was. He said it was "in my head". When we moved to our current location (11 years ago), I got my eyes checked and the eye doctor diagnosed the issue. He said it 's correctable (to a degree) with eye exercises (free to do !). I'll admit I wasn't good about do the exercises, but I did them for a bit and it did help. I always thought I was farsighted, but the real issue was different. Anyway, the tint can help. For me, it explained why newspapers are easier to read than a textbook. The blaring black and white bothers my eyes. But, if your dd is complaining she doesn't HAVE to get tinted glasses. It can help, but it's not necessary. Sorry, I'm being long winded and not very clear. Just wanted to add that the doc may be right, but if it's what I'm thinking it could be he should have offered eye exercises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 We do the tinted sheets instead of the glasses. Honestly, I don't see any difference in the reading but it has improved his confidence, so I will take that. Can you tell me where to find these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Can you tell me where to find these? Amazon had the best price for them, under 13. Basically it is a tinted overhead projector sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 We do the tinted sheets instead of the glasses. Honestly, I don't see any difference in the reading but it has improved his confidence, so I will take that. Can you tell me where to find these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 We do the tinted sheets instead of the glasses. Honestly, I don't see any difference in the reading but it has improved his confidence, so I will take that. Can you tell me where to find these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabella Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 It doesn't sound much like she has dyslexia or 'something like it' with what you describe. If there is any area that she struggles with, or losing her place in books etc causes her to have trouble reading, then it MAY be worth a go, but it honestly sounds like she's not held back by it. My daughter had them, and it did help her to read more fluently as she didn't have to 'jump' the glaring white gap between words and letters. It also made a MASSIVE difference to her tiredness. Before the tinted glasses I would estimate she would say 'I'm sooo tired' about 20 times a day. It got to the stage where I was thinking of getting her checked for leukemia or something! She stopped saying it the day she started with the glasses. She wore them from about 8yrs old till puberty, when she didn't seem to need them anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 We do the tinted sheets instead of the glasses. Honestly, I don't see any difference in the reading but it has improved his confidence, so I will take that. Can you tell me where to find these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 The Irlen overlays are very controversial and don't have a lot of hard evidence behind them. I had a long talk about this with our DO. What you need is a correct diagnosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 My middle dd has Irlen lenses... My dd has a proper dx-- no real name for it though and the developmental Opthamologist said that glasses could not not correct the problem and vision therapy was iffy-- it was a visual processing issue-- kind of like split vision-- also one of her eyes does not see certain colors... it makes black on white physically HURT to read. She also has tracking issues where her eyes cannot follow a line even with a bookmark. The Irlen lenses were expensive! They did offer dd some relief though--better than just the overlays. She had one pair of glasses that were 'clear' and one that was tinted she used for reading. Currently she is trying out a new prescription from the Opthamologist and she is comfortable enough with it to do some free reading (something she has avoided for years). This weekend she is home visiting and she has taken over my Kindle-- so I'll probably pick up another one for her soon. I have lots of vision problems due to a past eye injury (not correctable) and reading print (mainly books) is all but impossible due to severe eye strain-- but I CAN read comfortably for HOURS on my Kindle (paperwhite)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I wore eyeglasses most of my life, until I had LASIK surgeries in 1997. When I read the title of this thread, I remembered that I had some kind of a tint in them, for many of those years. I think it was to cut down on the glare. Probably glare from lights. With regard to reading improvement or dyslexia, that seems like a stretch. I would ask your Ophthalmologist to check that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 This is a real thing, not made up. For my dd, black on white is the only thing she can read. If the print isn't black and the paper isn't white (and I mean stark white, not off-white or ivory or manila), then the print looks fuzzy for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 One of my girls has difficulty reading black on white. The whiter and glossier the paper, the worse the reading. She describes it as the black letters form deep holes that her vision falls into. Her preferred reading is white text on a blue back ground. (No way to use a tinted lens for that result!) SHe likes to read on the computer where she can change the text and background colors. The Kindle is also much preferred to real books. So, no help for you; just someone else agreeing that this can be a tremendous issue for some people. If your dd doesn't want the glasses, I wouldn't bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I have a son similiar to Kim and Jann's dc's issues, tracking is hard and frankly vision therapy seemed just as quacks and it wasn't very helpful. I have no idea where to buy the sheets being mentioned, but I'd be very interested. I can't afford the classes, but you can buy tinted projector sheets and that's what I did after weeks of pondering what to do about it. He was getting headaches and just really tired and it helps. He does still where glasses that supposedly "force" his eyes to redirect, but that doesn't solve the problem of the strain and tiredness. He hates wearing them and constantly takes them on and off while reading even 2 years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I do agree that that has nothing to do with dyslexia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 It doesn't sound much like she has dyslexia or 'something like it' with what you describe. If there is any area that she struggles with, or losing her place in books etc causes her to have trouble reading, then it MAY be worth a go, but it honestly sounds like she's not held back by it. My daughter had them, and it did help her to read more fluently as she didn't have to 'jump' the glaring white gap between words and letters. It also made a MASSIVE difference to her tiredness. Before the tinted glasses I would estimate she would say 'I'm sooo tired' about 20 times a day. It got to the stage where I was thinking of getting her checked for leukemia or something! She stopped saying it the day she started with the glasses. She wore them from about 8yrs old till puberty, when she didn't seem to need them anymore. Interesting. Thanks for sharing that. I do wonder if it's worth trying. If I knew it would help, I would definitely do it. The main thing that's holding me back is cost. She's had her last pair of glasses for at least 3 years and taken really good care of them, so I wanted to get her some that she'd really like in the hopes that she'd keep them just as long. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I can order an inexpensive pair online, just to try it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 Is it that her vision "splits" . I don't know if I can explain it, but you test for it by bringing a small letter printed on a stick (like a tongue depresser) towards the eyes at nose level. The doctor then observes when the eyes lose their focus. The issue is (if you have this) when you're reading your eyes are working extra hard to keep the letters together. You may not even notice it, but it is happening. I only know this because I have this issue. When I was younger, tinted glasses were in style and I had a pair for awhile, for my farsightedness. When I changed to newer glasses with no tint the glasses didn't seem to work as well. At the time my eye doctor had no idea what my issue was. He said it was "in my head". When we moved to our current location (11 years ago), I got my eyes checked and the eye doctor diagnosed the issue. He said it 's correctable (to a degree) with eye exercises (free to do !). I'll admit I wasn't good about do the exercises, but I did them for a bit and it did help. I always thought I was farsighted, but the real issue was different. Anyway, the tint can help. For me, it explained why newspapers are easier to read than a textbook. The blaring black and white bothers my eyes. But, if your dd is complaining she doesn't HAVE to get tinted glasses. It can help, but it's not necessary. Sorry, I'm being long winded and not very clear. Just wanted to add that the doc may be right, but if it's what I'm thinking it could be he should have offered eye exercises. Thanks for explaining. You know, in thinking about this, she did take a very long time to be able to space her words correctly when she was learning to write. She is capable of very pretty cursive, but many times, when I haven't specifically asked her to use her best writing, I'm kind of surprised at how she will write because it doesn't fit in with her other abilities. But, maybe that is just normal? She started wearing glasses when she was having lots of headaches, but she also began allergy shots at the same time, so I've never been sure which helped her in that area. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Or just get the lenses tinted in the pair she has? That's what we always do with our glasses. New rx with frames and tiny the old ones to use as sunglasses. For brown or gray tint for sunglasses it costs less than $20. I wonder if you can get the tiny color you need in her old glasses that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Or just get the lenses tinted in the pair she has? That's what we always do with our glasses. New rx with frames and tiny the old ones to use as sunglasses. For brown or gray tint for sunglasses it costs less than $20. I wonder if you can get the tiny color you need in her old glasses that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 Thanks to all who replied. I think I will buy the sheets and see if she feels like it makes any difference. I should also head back to the doctor to get further clarification on exactly what kind of tint he's talking about and why he recommends it. Everything seems to come so easy for this child, it's never occurred to me there might be a problem. And maybe there isn't. I've got another child who has struggled and I vaguely remember looking at the sheets for him when he was little, but I don't think we ever tried them. I may revisit that for him or even consider having him do more reading on the kindle because his eyes are extremely sensitive to light and tend to get fatigued easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 Or just get the lenses tinted in the pair she has? That's what we always do with our glasses. New rx with frames and tiny the old ones to use as sunglasses. For brown or gray tint for sunglasses it costs less than $20. I wonder if you can get the tiny color you need in her old glasses that way? Great! I didn't even know that was an option. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Google: scotopic syndrome Irlen lenses for some background information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I may revisit that for him or even consider having him do more reading on the kindle because his eyes are extremely sensitive to light and tend to get fatigued easily. I have photosensitive eyes, checked by the eye specialist. I was allowed sunglasses in the school computer labs and I needed the 3M computer screen filter for the computer monitor. Tinted glasses help me a lot and cost slightly more with insurance. I have tinted transition lenses now as the outside brightness can temporarily blind me which is scary crossing the roads with my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 We've seen good results with my ds using this. http://www.see-n-read.com/seenread.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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