Corrective lenses have made a huge difference in the lives of many of the children in our area. Here are some of their comments:

Here are some more comments from college age students

What do the parents have to say about their children’s new lenses?

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“I am writing on behalf of my son who was part of the Irlen Screening Programme in Reporoa and was diagnosed with Irlen’s earlier this year. He has now had his glasses for a few months and the improvement in his reading has been quite amazing, up two reading years (to above his age) in just three months. He is now confident to give reading a go…”     – Anne

 Kate“Wow, what a wonderful few months we have had. We had a daughter who excelled in all sports and maths but struggled a lot (to say the least) with her reading. Now we have a young girl who no longer refers to herself as dumb and is happy to read and write in front of her peers….In her words she describes the glasses as “fixing everything”.  Within an hour of getting her new glasses she was missing in the book section of the Warehouse, not the toy section. Thank you for taking the stress out of our learning.”    – Vicky

Bailey“Bailey pulls out his temporary coloured overlay. We lie in bed and he finishes his book, no fidgeting just us enjoying his book. That was my moment – my little boy labelled by some as a fidget and a lazy boy was neither – he had no control over that.” – Rebecca

Update on Bailey: “What a term we have had this term – we have noticed so many changes in our little man with having his glasses. Talking to him yesterday he has said how even he can see a difference when he is wearng them. His eyes don’t hurt and his brain isn’t heavy – his words.”  

 What do the teachers say?

“Teacher feedback relating to specific students has been positive and varied.  In all cases they have noted neater work presentation.  Individual students have demonstrated improved fluency and flow when reading, greater confidence in reading, children reading for longer periods of time (having greater concentration), improved letter and number formations, and therefore tidier written work.  There is some improvement where one student consistently used letter reversals (b and d) when  writing, and several have shown a greater awareness of spelling errors in their written language.” – Katie (Principal)

“The Irlen and Vision Screening Project has been of considerable benefit to the students of our school who have been diagnosed with Irlen and are now wearing prescription lenses. These include:

  • Improved focus

  • sustained concentration on reading tasks in all curriculum areas

  • Improved self-confidence

  • less fatigue and eye-strain enabling a more sustained period of concentration and on-task learning

  • Greater enjoyment of reading

  • Greater fluency in reading leading to an improved level of comprehension

  • Students selecting their own fiction and non-fiction books of a higher level.

We are also of the belief that the students who have received Irlen support will, over time, significantly improve their levels of achievement, particularly in the areas of reading and writing.” – Graeme. (Principal)