Irlen syndrome

Irlen syndrome
Pseudomedical diagnosis
RisksNocebo

Irlen syndrome (or scotopic sensitivity syndrome) is a medical condition of disordered visual processing which, it is proposed, can be treated by wearing colored lenses. The ideas of Irlen syndrome are pseudoscientific and not supported by scientific evidence,[1][2][3] and its treatment has been described as a health fraud taking advantage of vulnerable people.[4]

The condition was proposed in the 1980s.[5]

  1. ^ Cotton M, Evans K (1990). "A review of the use of Irlen (tinted) lenses". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Ophthalmology. 18 (3): 307–12. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9071.1990.tb00625.x. PMID 2261178.
  2. ^ Miyasaka, Jordan Da Silva; Vieira, Raphael V. Gonzaga; Novalo-Goto, Elaine Shizue; Montagna, Erik; Wajnsztejn, Rubens (March 2019). "Irlen syndrome: systematic review and level of evidence analysis". Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria. 77 (3): 194–207. doi:10.1590/0004-282X20190014. PMID 30970133. S2CID 108293945.
  3. ^ LaBrot Z, Dufrene B (2019). "Chapter 5: Learning". In Hupp S (ed.). Pseudoscience in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: A Skeptical Field Guide. Cambridge University Press. pp. 66–79. doi:10.1017/9781316798096.007. ISBN 9781107175310. S2CID 240819473.
  4. ^ Travers JC, Ayers K, Simpson RL, Crutchfield S (2016). "Fad, Pseudoscientific, and Controversial Interventions". In Lang R, Hancock T, Singh N (eds.). Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder – Evidence-Based Practices in Behavioral Health. Springer. pp. 257–293. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-30925-5_9. ISBN 978-3-319-30923-1. [We] consider this method to be a classic example of a commercial enterprise preying on vulnerable and desperate individuals in search of simple solutions for developmental disorders and disabilities
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference sbm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).