New Vision With Colorimetry
Although you probably haven’t heard of it before, Visual Stress is a common sight problem that affects many people around the world. Similar to color blindness, this condition can cause a person to have trouble seeing correctly. Visual Stress creates distortions that must be corrected in order for an individual to see properly and clearly. For example, the contrast, or lack thereof, between letters and their background can cause reading problems, possibly including some cases of dyslexia. Color perception can be one of the main reasons for Visual Stress.
To test for Visual Stress, optometrists use something called an Intuitive Colorimeter. This is a type of colorimeter that is calibrated to measure how the eye distinguishes between color and contrasts. During this test, the optometrist can change the hue and saturation of what the patient is seeing. Similar to other vision tests, the patient can decide whether something is more clear or less clear, or if they can see better before and after adjustments. The colorimeter analyzes the colors the viewer is and isn’t able to see clearly, and which colors may cause visual disturbances in conjunction with each other.
Once the specific causes are determine, the eye doctor can create custom glasses that act as filters for the problem areas. The lenses are tinted specifically to counteract the colors and eliminate distortions. This helps the eyes to perceive the text as sharp, not blurry, and also helps process the information more clearly and quickly.
By fixing visual stress, people who had difficulty reading and concentrating can renew their ability to work efficiently. Children who seem to have problems with reading, learning, and concentration may suffer from visual disturbances. These children can benefit greatly from testing and beginning to use the tinted lenses at an early age. Using colorimetry in this setting proves that scientific applications can be used to easily provide solutions to everyday problems in ways that may not have been discovered otherwise.
