Irlen syndrome: expensive lenses for this ill defined syndrome exploit patients

“Well, doctor? Does she have Irlen syndrome?”

“Irlen syndrome?” I stifled my discomfort: I hadn’t heard of this seemingly common eye disease despite recent revision for my final postgraduate ophthalmology exams. The mother recognised that the ophthalmologist did not know what this condition was—“just like the support group woman said would happen.” She took some literature from her handbag with barely disguised contempt, and her young daughter continued attempting to dismantle the slit lamp as I scanned the leaflets.

Irlen syndrome, also known as “scotopic sensitivity syndrome,” was being publicised by a company called the Irlen Institute based in California. It sells expensive filtered lenses to people with vague collections of symptoms who tend not to trust eye professionals. I gave an honest assessment of what I thought: …