Case Histories

The following are real case histories from people who have been had Orthoscopic assessments with Jo O'Neill at our practice in Gloucester. All names have been changed.

Case History 1

Anne, 13 years old came to Jo reporting that when reading, the words ran together, the text would vibrate and some letters looked bolder than others.  The text would blur after a while and some words/letters disappeared all together, making reading a very unpleasant experience.  She was very poor at catching and throwing,  was poor at riding a bike, unable to stand on one leg and mixed up right and left.  She was a very capable child but was starting to struggle at school.  At the age of 13 years and 7 months she had a reading assessment carried out and was given a reading age of 8 years and 9 months.

Outcome

After she had received his VDex tinted spectacles her reading assessment was repeated and in the space of a couple of weeks her reading age had improved to 11 years and 9 months.  The teachers had reported a marked improvement in her work and concentration since wearing the spectacles.

Case History 2

Georgina, 11 years old, came to be assessed and reported that when reading it appeared that the text was rippling as if under water.  The text blurred after reading for a few minutes and letters vibrated. She also occasionally reversed her letters, b/d, p/q, etc.  She suffered with frequent frontal headaches and rubbed her eyes often.  Her concentration was poor and she was easily distracted. She also had problems hearing if there was background noise though her hearing had been checked and was found to be normal. 

Outcome 

After her assessment a VDex tint was prescribed. She reported that when wearing her spectacles the text now appeared stable making reading a much easier and more pleasurable task. Her headaches also went and she  felt it easier to concentrate at school.

Case History 3

Julian, 12 years old came to be assessed who had been diagnosed with Dyspraxia.  When reading he reported that text became blurred and occasionally he got double vision.  His working memory was poor.  His eyes often felt irritated and he rubbed them frequently.  His balance and co-ordination was poor.  He had difficulty catching a ball and he found racquet sports impossible. He constantly bumped into people and objects. 

Outcome 

After his assessment a VDex tint was prescribed and his mother reported that his co-ordination had greatly improved.  He was now playing badminton very well.  His posture has greatly improved, e.g. when eating he now brings his knife and fork up to his mouth rather than leaning right down to his plate.  His mother reported that he now walks straighter and doesn't cross into her path when walking together.  She also reported that he is much more confident and positive in his attitude about himself and also life.  He reported that he can concentrate in class better and isn't as easily distracted.  He doesn't see shadows on the page now.  He can write more in less time and his writing is neater.  He can go faster on his bike and playing football is easier. His eyes feel less tired.

Case History 4

Richard, 16 years old, came to be assessed.  He had been admitted to hospital for psychiatric assessment on a few occassions.  He had a full intelligence test carried out by his Educational Psychologist which stated that in most areas he was in the 90th percentile or above, high average or superior.  In his working memory index he was in the 47th percentile, average.  He became distressed because he was unable to explain his experiences in a way which enabled other people to understand them. He had difficulties telling the time of day, days of the week and months of the year.  He had extreme difficulty navigating spatially and frequently got lost between home and school. He had perceptual difficulties in understanding the spatial relationship of objects, especially when they were moved around in space and had little conception of how far away something was.  He frequently walked into things.  He was uncomfortable in bright lights. Background noise became an overwhelming, sensory overload.  He saw confetti like dots in atmosphere or radiating from fluorescent lighting. He was very frustrated and self harmed.  It was a great effort to read and make sense of what was written on the page.  He had poor concentration.  His eyes felt irritated and he had a tendency to rub them frequently.  He "feels" his way along corridors at school by running his hand along the wall so that he knows his position and doesn't bump into the wall or other people.  He reported that he felt disorientated and felt like he was going to fall over if he didn't hold on.  He had poor balance and had difficulty catching or throwing a ball, riding a bike proved extremely difficult as he tended to veer off the track and he got his left and right muddled. 

Outcome 

After his assessment a VDex tint was prescribed and he reported that he felt a lot calmer.  His vision had stabilised and he was now able to read comfortably.  He didn't feel so overwhelmed with background noise or movement.  He was able to throw and catch a ball accurately and stand on one leg without loosing his balance.  Without the specs on I asked him to repeat his name, address and telephone number three times as quickly, but as clearly as possible.  He just about managed to say it once with a lot of hesitation and corrections before he gave up.  With the specs on he was able to repeat it three times correctly with no hesitation in a calm voice.  I don't know who was the most stunned, him or his mother!  Whilst sat talking to me, wearing the tinted specs, he reported that her headache had disappeared, a headache he hadn't realised that was with him constantly until now.

I am still to do a three month follow up with this young gentleman, but initial responses are very promising.

Case History 5

Timmy, 7 years old came to be assessed.  He reported that he reverses letters and words,that words appear to move on the page, and he has difficulty reading.  He gets headaches and rubs his eyes frequently.  When reading, text becomes blurred and he occasionally gets double vision.  He has poor short term memory and poor concentration.  Even though he is a bright child he is falling behind at school.  An eye test revealed no prescription was necessary.  After her assessment he was prescribed VDex tinted  lenses.

Outcome 

On his follow up his Mum reported that he had jumped three reading levels in one week!  He now enjoys reading as it is much more comfortable for him and he's working hard to catch up with the rest of his class.  His handwriting has also improved.  The specs have been a huge boost to his confidence as he is now able to keep up with the rest of the class.