COLOUR SCREENER PRO

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Colour and Reading difficulties

Some individuals with apparently normal eyesight, experience discomfort when viewing a page of print. Some report that the words appear to move, wobble or flicker while others say that the page appears too bright or the words are too close together.

This condition is referred to as Meares-Irlen syndrome. Those affected by the condition may skip words or lines when reading. Others report eyestrain or headaches after reading.

There is now considerable evidence that, for reasons that are poorly understood, these symptoms are sometimes relieved by changing the background colour to the print. This can be achieved by placing a coloured filter over printed text (coloured overlay) or by wearing spectacles with tinted lenses. Computer users can be helped in the same way by changing the screen colours. The colour required to achieve optimum relief varies between individuals and may change over time.

As scientific and anecdotal evidence for the beneficial effects of colour has mounted, an increasing number of teachers, psychologists, optometrists, orthoptists and others have started screening for Meares-Irlen syndrome. The conventional method for screening involves manually presenting a range of coloured overlays/filters and asking the patient to report which colour is optimum in terms of reducing any symptoms. This process is somewhat tedious and prone to a variety of subject and examiner biases.

In a bid to improve the efficiency of the process, a team of scientists led by Professor David Thomson started developing a Windows-based screening program in 1998. After careful evaluation, the City Coloured Overlay Screener was launched in 2001. The program simulated the coloured overlay testing protocol developed by Prof Wilkins and provided a reliable indication of the optimum Intuitive Overlay for individuals with Meares Irlen syndrome. The program proved to be very popular and soon hundreds of teachers and eye care professionals were using the program.

Colour Screener PRO builds on the success of the City Coloured Overlay Screener and offers an improved user interface and a range of new features including:

• The ability to print customized overlays using a standard colour printer and appropriate transparencies/ acetates
• The ability to determine the optimum colour for tinted spectacles. These can then be supplied in the form of “clip ons” for patients who wear spectacles of as non-prescription tinted spectacles. Eye care professionals with tinting facilities can use the program to produce customized tinted lenses.
• The ability to determine the optimum screen colours for computer users

. Here is what the reviewers and users say:

“It is fast and reliable and the kids love it”

“I love the ability to print out my own overlays. I can now get exactly the colour I want and I do not need to keep a stock”

“This is just what we have been waiting for. Many children who clearly benefit from coloured overlays cannot afford the tinted spectacles. The Coloraid clip-ons provide an affordable solution.”

“We have found that many computer users in our organisation prefer a coloured background. This software allows us to quickly and efficiently determine the optimum colour.”

HOW IT WORKS

Colour Screener PRO simulates the effects of coloured overlays and tinted spectacles by changing the background colour of the screen. To simulate an overlay, a portion of the screen is coloured while the surround colour is white. To simulate a tinted lens, the screen is viewed in a darkened room and the whole screen is coloured.

To determine the optimum colour, a sample of text is displayed on the screen while the colour of the background is changed systematically. The observer is asked to report which colour is most comfortable or minimises their symptoms. The effectivenes of the colours is assessed using a test devised by Professor Wilkins known as the Rate of Reading.

Computer screening is fast, thorough and sensitive and compares very favourably with manual screening.
 

SCREEN CALIBRATION

Screen calibration: It is important that the screen colours are well-matched to the coloured overlays and Coloraid tinted spectacles.

Because the colour reproduction of monitors differs somewhat, the user is required to visually check the screen colour against each overlay and make any necessary adjustment.

The program includes a variety of colour pallettes to simulate the overlay colours under different illuminants, e.g. daylight, tungsten and fluorescent.

TEST MODES

Colour Screener PRO has four screening modes:

• Intuitive Overlay Screening Mode. Select this mode if you intend to prescribe Intuitive Overlays (available from IOO Sales)
• Printed Overlays Screening Mode. Select this mode if you intend to print your own overlays using a colour printer and appropriate acetates
• Tinted Spectacles Screening Mode. Select this mode if you intend to prescribe Coloraid tinted lenses or you have facilities for tinting lenses
• Computer Display Colour Screening Mode. Select this mode to determine the optimum background colour for computer displays
   

TEST PROCEDURE

The precise screening procedure depends on the screening mode selected. However, the general procedure is as follows:

Baseline symptoms: The patient views a passage of text on the screen against a white background and is asked to rate the severity of any symptoms they may experience.
 

Baseline rate of reading: The patient is required to read a paragraph or random words against a white background. The number of words read in one minute and the number of errors made is recorded. This forms a baseline for the fluency of reading.
 

Manual screening: Two paragraphs of random words are displayed side by side on the screen. The background colour of each paragraph can be changed by clicking on a colour palette.

This allows a manual comparison of two colours which can be useful for confirmation purposes.
 

Automated screening: Two colours are presented simultaneously (successively in Tinted Spectacles and Display Screen mode) and the patient is required to select the “more comfortable” colour. The computer uses a sophisticated algorithm to compare different combinations of colours in order to determine the best colour overall. This algorithm generates a number of indices describing the consistency of the patient’s responses.
 

Rate of reading with preferred colour: Having determined the preferred colour, the program repeats the rate of reading test with this colour in order to establish if the overlay improves the fluency of reading. An improvement of 10% is generally considered to be the threshold for prescribing a coloured overlay.

 

Preferred colour for computer screens: Many people spend just as long looking at computer screens as printed papers. If they benefit from using a coloured overlay for normal reading they are also likely to benefit from changing the background colour of their computer screen. This can be easily done under most versions of Windows.

Colour Screener PRO ncludes a pwerful test for determing the optimum computer screen colour.
 

REPORTS AND ADMIN FUNCTIONS

Database: Colour Screner PRO includes a powerful integrated database for storing results and generating reports. Full details of every screening are stored automatically avoiding the need to take any notes during the test.
 

Analysis: The program presents a visual comparison of the symptoms and rate of reading result with and without a coloured overlay or tinted lens.
 

Analysis Results of the colour screening are presented on a color map showing the patient’s colour preferences and indicating the reliability of their responses.
 

Reports: The Coloured Overlay Screener includes a powerful report generator. Produce clear and attractive reports using the templates included or design your own reports.
 

PRINTING OVERLAYS

Printing Overlays: A unique feature of Colour Screener PRO is the ability to print coloured overlays using a standard colour inkjet of laser printer and OHP acetates.

This facility allow overlays of virtually any colour to be generated and avoids the need to maintain a stock of expensive pre-printed overlays. The program includes a range of overlay templates including A4, A5 and a range of “letter box” designs.

The name of the patient/ client and the school/ practice can be printed on the overlay.

CUSTOMISED TINTING

Opticians with access to a laboratory with lens tinting facilities can take advantage of the Customised Tinting feature.

Having identified the preferred colour for a Coloraid tint, the exact Hue, Saturation and Brightness of the screen can be varied to fine tune the selection.

The target tint colour is then shown on the left and a white circle is shown on the right. Spectacle lenses are then dipped in the appropriate tint dyes and then placed over the white circle to allow a direct visual comparison until a good match is obtained.
 

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