Both of my twin boys were diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome http://irlen.com/index.php on Friday. We had a Eurika moment with one of them, using coloured plastic strips, he could read fluently, before using the strips he was really struggling. The long and the short of it is that they need special glasses for reading, which have be to ordered specially in the US. Each pair of glasses is going to cost over SFR 1000. Has anyone tried to claim these costs back from the school gemeinde, since in effect it is a disibility. Due to some personal changes at the moment, I am going to be hard pushed to find CHF 2000, but the children do need the glasses for their reading. In the meantime we do have the coloured plastic sheets, different for each child.
My first question would be "diagnosed by who?".
If it was a doctor, it should be covered by LaMal so I am not too sure about your question (relating to the school).
If it was not a doctor, I would suggest you start there and see if the doctor can give you a prescription for the glasses as a treatment for the condition.
Good luck.
Hi
I have been an Irlen screener for about 10 years here in Zurich. I do not think that you can claim this.
The syndrome was professionally diagnosed, but yet to be 'recognised' in Switzerland, hence why there doesn't appear to be funding for the glasses, that's what the guy said who came from the East Switzerland Blind Association who tested the children. There is a Swiss website www.irlen.ch Obviously we will try to get some funding, but I was thinking that someone may have been in our shoes before.
Hi. You don't seem to be listed with Irlen. Are you active/certified by them?
http://irlen.com/clinicfinder.php?c=CH&s=&q=
What are your comments on the system. Would be interesting to hear as I might recommend the testing to someone who is dyslexic.
I think that there are lots of screeners who sit under Fritz Steiner in Switzerland. He is our next port of call. If you do have children who are struggling to read and say that the letters are moving (dancing on the page) then get them tested. If I cannot get funding here, then I may take the children to the UK where the glasses are half the Swiss price!! This page shows you how sufferers see the words. http://irlen.com/distortioneffects.php
I was going to ask what brought the idea to our attention. Thank you for sharing.
If you say it's "not recognised" then your chances of funding are close to zero. Somewhat like neurofeedback for ADD children or Bionater orthodontical treatment. You can possibly look into the AHV / IV division ("Kostengutsprache für Geburtsgebrechen", but I'm not entirely sure how that works). Unfortunately, I wouldn't get your hopes high as Switzerland is slow in adding new and "alternative" treatments to their lists. And if it's not on a list, that's it, no further discussion.
From WP,
Skepticism surrounding scotopic sensitivity syndrome has evolved on several fronts:
Whether SSS exists as a distinct, predictably identifiable disease with a reasonable pathophysiologic mechanism; Whether SSS is causally or incidentally related to dyslexia, autism, or other conditions; and Whether existing methods of SSS treatment are appropriate and effective. The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) does not believe that there is any scientific evidence or basis for the use of coloured lenses (the treatment used for SSS) [[3]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#cite_note-2) . When discussing its scientific basis, the AAP mentions that "[t]he method used to select the lens or filter color has been highly variable,the color selection has also shown considerable variability,and the test-retest consistency has been poor" (p. 843)
The association of scotopic sensitivity syndrome and dyslexia has been challenged by many authors in both the optometric and ophthalmologic communities. [[4]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#cite_note-3) but recent scientific evidence suggests a weak association. [[5]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#cite_note-4) We have carried out a randomised prospective controlled trial of the effect of tinted lenses on the reading ability of 24 non-asthmatic dyslexic children aged between nine and twelve years. Reading ability was assessed using the Neale Analysis of Reading. After one school term, there was no significant difference in the change in reading age between treatment and control groups. After two school terms (approximately six months), only 11 children (44%) were still wearing the glasses. Of 381 suitable subjects for entry into the study, 208 were excluded because of a diagnosis of asthma (to avoid effects of medication on cerebral function). As a result, we may have excluded subjects who would have responded favourably to tinted lenses. [[6]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#cite_note-5)
Critics claim that the symptoms of those with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome are related to already known visual disorders. [[7]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#cite_note-6) According to a statement released by the American Optometric Association in 2004: [[8]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#cite_note-7) There is evidence that the underlying symptoms associated with the Irlen Syndrome are related to identifiable vision anomalies, e.g., accommodative, binocular, and ocular motor dysfunctions, in many patients seeking help from colored lenses. Furthermore, such conditions return to normal function when appropriately treated with lenses, prisms, or vision therapy. When patients exhibiting the Irlen Syndrome were treated with vision therapy, their symptoms were relieved. These patients were no longer classified as exhibiting this syndrome, and therefore did not demonstrate a need for the colored overlays or tinted lenses.
This assessment has been criticised however for applying a self defining criteria to the tests which reached this conclusion.
A previous controlled study found the lenses not to significantly improve reading but several of its peer reviewed studies did find distinct neurological patterns in those displaying strong symptoms consistent with the syndrome.
Although experts are divided over the pathology of Irlen Syndrome, and whether it is a homogenous condition, or if instead several distinct syndromes are not being mistakenly placed under this loosely defined one, what is agreed is that for sufferers, the symptoms are very real. In a small minority of extreme cases they do appear quite pronounced, even acute. In other words, the symptoms on sufferers is not disputed by any recognised body of medical opinion, but there is a lively debate over exactly what is the cause and how to classify it. This is important to stress, because the impression may have been gathered from the discussion on this subject, that those displaying symptoms are in some sense 'faking it'. In truth very few researchers, and none of the most widely respected ones, believe this to be the case, nor have they ever suggested this." [[9]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#cite_note-8)
I'd be inclined to suggest having the children checked out by an optometrist and an opthalmologist before paying 1000chf for glasses that may or may not be effective...
Which reminds me, my eldest is due for a hearing/eye checkup...
It has all the hallmarks of a pseudoscience ( I challenge anyone to take the long test and not get a positive result. It's ridiculous.) - but there are some that are covered by health insurance. So if true believers lobby hard enough, or it's shown to be real science, then it will eventually be covered. But as it stands - sourcing them somewhere cheaper than Switzerland is probably a good idea.
I've noticed my insurance covers things like naturopathy and homeopathy so apparently things are different in Switzerland....
My wife said that my son's face was a picture, his face lit up with a wide smile, when he rearlised that the words weren't moving.Today he read seven pages fluently without stopping or being prompted, with the coloured sheets, while before he stumbled through one page and then wanted to stop. He said today, "Mummy these coloured are going to change my life." this is without being prompted or questioned, he just came out with it. So to the doubters seeing a difference in my son is believing.
I do agree with you, I think that this is the start of a long journey. As children develop and grow, their eyes are also developing and growing and therefore need to be checked on a regular basis.
Basically the reason was the cost, but there is a wider agenda, since this was something we stumbled on half by chance and it wasn't mentioned on the forum. Also the cost of the test was free since it is paid for by the canton through in our case the www.obv.ch (East Swiss Blind Care Group).
If it works for you, that's what is important, isn't it. Great news!
In the past 10 years I have had some very surprising and pleasant results from the Irlen screening. I had a woman client who was actually a musician who could not read the music. After she wore the glasses she was able to read the music and see the fine lines in my white shirt. I have had people calm down, reading improve and headaches disappear.
Many people have sensitivities, such as audio, tactical and visual. The people with visual sensitivity are very sensitive to very white/brightness such as the florescent bright lights, white pages in a book or even bright monitors. (in our apartment we have mostly soft light bulbs) If they are sensitive to the bright lights they can experience headaches, sore eyes and especially anxiety because the nervous system is affected. If the pages on a book are very bright then people will avoid reading because of the unpleasantness involved.
Also highly recommend sun glasses in snowy days, and baseball caps.
In some cases bright lights can even bring on seizures as the system is attached by bright lights.
This is not weakness or a disability but one of those things we need to learn to live with.
As Crumbs already said - if it works for you then great! I would stick with the coloured overlays until you could be sure because 2000CHF is a lot.
Don't worry about the doubters, you could probably prove the earth was flat scientifically if you tried hard enough.
Which can only be said by someone with a fundemental lack of understanding of what science is about, and why evidence is essential to the proper promotion of any new treatment.
Don't worry about the doubters - if you have enough faith, brother, you will be healed.
There are indications that there is something behind some of it - I don't think it's in the same league as homeopathy. But if you look at the website, it's promoting fairly expensive treatments, that seem to be a cure for what ails you, making impressive claims that aren't necessarily backed up by the data. If it is preying on the desperate, and therefore vulnerable, in the hope of making a fast buck out of psychobabble, then no - it isn't great. I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who names a new syndrome and at the same time promotes a miracle cure for that syndrome, which you can get for only a few thousand francs.
Think about it like this. Currently, you're not covered by your health insurance. In order to be covered, the treatment needs to be recognised by the wider medical community. Over-hyping the product, and marketing it in the way the website and other apologists do, with, e.g. the laughable questionnaire, wrapping it up in language that pseudoscience loves, relying more on anecdotal evidence than proper trials, make that recognition more unlikely.
If the treatment is valid, the way it is being promoted is causing harm. Because people who can't afford the fees won't get the treatment.
What needs to be done, is to sort out the hype from the science. But it seems, as ever, people are more interested in making money out of it.
This is all very interesting. Do they have neuro ophthalmologists here in Switzerland? I'm from the US and when I was have visual issues after a brain injury sustained in a car accident I saw a neuro ophthalmologist. That would be the properly credentialed doc to examine brain-related visual-processing issues.