How Colour Can Help

When there’s difficulty concentrating on black text on a white page changing the background colour can sometimes help

In order to learn to read, write and spell it is essential that a person sees what is actually on the page in front of them. Each word sound must obviously always match up with the same sequence of letters in the same order. The strings of letters in a line must break in the correct place to form the individual words.

Strange as it may seem, for many people who struggle to read, this is not the case. Some experience discomfort from the glare effect of black print on a stark white page. This can be so extreme as to distract attention from the content of the page, or to deter an individual from attempting to read.

Glare or blobs can make it difficult to pick the print out from background or cause the spacing between the words to join together to create a river effect that stands out more vividly than the actual text. Letters may wobble, move, merge together and overlap, fade, and float.

Each time the person sees a particular word it may have a different letter arrangement making it extremely difficult to pick up a reliable visual “picture” of that word for instant recall when spelling or a fast sight-sound match on reading. Imagine how confusing and frustrating that must be.

The source of these symptoms can sometimes be a delayed development in functional control over the visual system. This can be identified and treated through Behavioural Optometry Vision Assessment, Lens Therapy and Vision Therapy.

In the short term, however, while the underlying source is being treated, symptoms can often be reduced to some extent by the use of Coloured Overlays. This is the cheapest, easiest way to benefit from colour masking.