ReadEZ Screening Software
The ReadEZ Screening System is designed for teachers, educational psychologists, optometrists, orthoptists and other professionals who are involved with the diagnosis and management of Visual Stress.
The Screening System contains everything required to diagnose and manage Visual Stress, including a powerful software app which will run on on any Windows-based PC, a set of 25 trial clip-ons, 12 ReadEZ Overlays and 12 ReadEZ Reading Guides.
How it Works
The ReadEZ Screening Software simulates the effects of coloured overlays and spectacles by changing the background colour of the screen.
To determine the optimum colour, a sample of text is displayed on the screen while the colour of the background is changed systematically. The observer is asked to report which colour is most comfortable or minimises their symptoms. The effectiveness of the colours is assessed using a test devised by Professor Wilkins known as the Rate of Reading.
Computer screening is fast, thorough and sensitive and compares very favourably with manual screening.
For further information on the ReadEZ Screening Software and how to become a ReadEZ Test Centre, please visit the Thomson Software Solutions website.
- 1) Baseline Symptoms
- 2) Baseline Rate of Reading
- 3) Automated Screening
- 4) Rate of Reading with Preferred Colour
- 5) Database
- 6) Analysis
The patient views a passage of text on the screen against a white background and is asked to rate the severity of any symptoms they may experience.
The patient is required to read a paragraph of random words against a white background. The number of words read in one minute and the number of errors made is recorded. This forms a baseline for the fluency of reading.
Two colours are presented successively and the patient is required to select the “more comfortable” colour. The computer uses a sophisticated algorithm to compare different combinations of colours in order to determine the best colour overall. This algorithm generates a number of indices describing the consistency of the patient’s responses.
Having determined the preferred colour, the program repeats the rate of reading test with this colour in order to establish if the ReadEZ tint improves the fluency of reading. An improvement of 10% is generally considered to be the threshold for prescribing a coloured overlay.
The software includes a powerful integrated database for storing results and generating reports. Full details of every screening are stored automatically avoiding the need to take any notes during the test
The program presents a visual comparison of the symptoms and rate of reading result with and without a coloured overlay or tinted lens.