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Visual stress

Symptoms of visual stress are common in children and adults who have difficulties with reading, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, ADD and ADHD, autism, epilepsy, migraines, and disorders related to eye coordination (binocular vision). Visual stress is a common symptom of the Moro reflex.


The most common symptoms of visual stress are headaches, eye pain (burning, itching, red eyes, tearing), and the sensation that written text is moving.


Children with visual stress tend to dislike strong contrasts, such as black letters on a white page. Sentences, words, or letters may appear to "dance" or move.


Those affected by this problem may skip letters or entire lines when reading, read quickly but with many errors, and have difficulty understanding the text. The text may become blurry, letters may change in size, or they may see double letters or additional letters at the end of words. Letters may appear fuzzy, darker, lighter, or flickering. Some people perceive patterns in the text or see shapes or colors in the white spaces between sentences, which can be distracting (and sometimes obscure the text). This often leads to light sensitivity, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.


Visual stress can also result from children using their vision to compensate for defects in the vestibular system. As a result, the child's visual system becomes overloaded. Children who use vision as a compensation for vestibular system deficits may struggle with finer visual skills, such as distance perception, smooth side-to-side eye movements (essential for reading text), and the ability to quickly refocus between distant and close objects (important for copying from the board).


A first aid solution for children with visual stress can be colored reading overlays. However, these do not resolve the root cause of visual stress. Therefore, it is essential to address the underlying issue, such as inhibiting primary reflexes (especially the Moro reflex) and improving the function of the vestibular system.


Article author: PhDr. Marja Volemanová, PhD.

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