Supporting Children with Dyslexia & Visual Stress
Half Term Reflections: Supporting Children with Dyslexia & Visual Stress
As half term approaches, many families find themselves pausing—catching up, slowing down, and often reflecting on how things are going at school.
For parents of children with dyslexia, this break can bring a familiar question into focus:
“Why does reading still feel so difficult?”
While dyslexia is widely understood as a learning difference affecting reading and processing, there is another factor that is often overlooked—visual stress.
When Reading Feels Uncomfortable
Some children don’t just find reading challenging—they find it physically uncomfortable.
You may notice:
Words appearing to move, blur, or jump on the page
Difficulty keeping place when reading
Complaints of headaches or tired eyes
Avoidance of books, even when they enjoy stories
These signs can point towards visual stress, a condition that can exist alongside dyslexia and make reading feel overwhelming.
A Different Way to Support Reading
At Andrew & Rogers, we offer colourimetry assessments to explore whether colour can make reading more comfortable.
Colourimetry is a precise, clinical process that identifies whether a specific coloured filter helps stabilise text and reduce visual strain. For some children, the right colour can make words appear clearer, calmer, and easier to follow.
This doesn’t replace the support they receive at school—but it can make a meaningful difference to how reading feels day to day.
Not a Diagnosis—But a Valuable Support
It’s important to be clear: colourimetry is not a diagnosis for dyslexia.
However, for children who experience visual stress alongside dyslexia, it can be an incredibly helpful tool—reducing discomfort, improving focus, and helping build confidence with reading.
From Assessment to Everyday Use
If colourimetry identifies a benefit, we can provide precision-tinted lenses tailored exactly to your child.
These can be incorporated into prescription glasses if needed, offering a practical, consistent solution that supports both vision and comfort—whether in the classroom or at home.
Why Half Term is the Perfect Time
During the busy school term, it’s easy to push concerns aside.
Half term offers a natural opportunity to:
Reflect on your child’s reading experience
Notice patterns or frustrations
Take a step towards additional support
A calm, unrushed assessment during the break can provide clarity—and potentially a simple way to make reading feel less of a struggle.
Supporting Confidence, Not Just Vision
Every child’s experience is different. Our approach is always individual, taking time to understand how reading feels—not just how it looks.
For some, small changes can have a big impact.
Book a Colourimetry Assessment
If your child is finding reading uncomfortable or tiring, we invite you to explore whether colourimetry could help.