Irlen recommends annual filter checks to stay on top of any changes in the color property of your lenses and any changes in brain or body chemistry that might affect your optimal color. If you haven’t seen your Irlen diagnostician in a while, here are a few reasons why you might want to call and schedule an appointment asap:
- Colors change over time: As with any other material, repeated exposure to light, air, and ultraviolet rays can change the color property in the lenses or fade color over time. Annual filter checks stay on top of any change in color that might have occurred as a result of this environmental exposure.
- Your brain and body chemistry changes : Brain and body chemistry can change, and changes in brain and body chemistry can affect what color you need for maximum benefit. Hormone changes that accompany puberty, growth spurts, hormonal birth control, pregnancy, and menopause are all significant factors that can contribute to changing color needs.
- Injury or illness: Head injury and serious illnesses such as Lyme’s Disease, viral infections, and auto-immune disorders have all been linked to changing color needs. If you’ve been sick, or in an accident, and your Irlen Spectral Filters don’t seem to be working as well as they used to, this might be why.
- Medications and medical procedures: Certain medical procedures such as anesthesia, chemotherapy, and Lasik can all affect your color needs. In fact, increased light-sensitivity after Lasik is one of the most common side-effects of the procedure. Medications, or changes in medications or dosage, can also impact your color needs.
How do you know if your color isn’t quite right? Well, some signs, like the words are moving on the page again, are obvious, but other signs can be more subtle, like if your child doesn’t seem to want to wear her lenses. If it hasn’t been a year yet, and you’re experiencing any of the following signs, don’t wait, call your Irlen Diagnostician and schedule a filter check – there’s no need to suffer!
5 Signs You Need A Filter Check
- Wearing your Irlen Spectral Filters causes pain or discomfort, such as eye-strain or headaches
- Symptoms have returned, such as print distortions or physical symptoms
- You’re more tired or fatigued than usual
- You find yourself not wanting to put on your Irlen Spectral Filters, but aren’t sure why
- In children, you may notice behavior changes, such as the return of tantrums, hyperactivity, or resistance to read or do homework
Many times clients aren’t even aware how much symptoms have come back or how much harder they’re working until they come in for a filter check and get their new color. The changes can happen slowly over time, so they can be difficult to notice. This is why regular filter checks are so important.