About the Overlay Test

This Overlay Test is designed to aid in the detection of signs of Visual stress, the test below will help you to find out if a coloured overlay may increase your reading speed. This tool is not a diagnosis for Visual Stress but may help identify if an overlay may be useful. The test is best run on a desktop or laptop. If you or you child suffers from reading difficulties, eyestrain or headaches you may want to find out whether or not you have a visual stress issue. We advise that you have your eyes checked regularly by an Optometrist. Please check out our resources page for more information on Visual Stress and where to get additional support, advise and materials.

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What are symptoms of Visual Stress

Visual Stress can vary from person to person but symptoms may include:

  • Headaches
  • Blurring of print
  • Noticing white "rivers" running down the page. The white background stands out more than text above it.
  • Losing place within text, skipping words or lines
  • Words appearing to move or jump
  • Eyestrain
  • Difficulty in understanding the text being read
  • Glare on page
Example of visual stress

The Overlay Test

Click start to begin the test

  1. First run the test without a coloured overlay
  2. When you click the Start button the test will begin a 30s timer
  3. Read as many words out loud as you can until you get an alert to stop.
  4. You will then be asked to click on the last word you read.
  5. Repeat the test again without an overlay
  6. After you have done it a couple of times start to try with different colour overlays, these can be changed using the buttons above.
  7. To get an accurate indication repeat the test without an overlay again at the end and compare your results to this as a baseline
  8. You can restart the test by clicking the stop button at any time during the countdown
  9. If you want to see these instructions again click the See Instrustions button, this will also stop the testing

This test is not supported by Internet Explorer, please use Chrome, Firefox or Edge

Results

Total words you read in 30 seconds

Results Advice

If you found you achieved more words with a coloured overlay, work out how much your reading speed increased by. You can do this by using the calculator below. We advise that you do the test again without an overlay now you are familiar with the test, then use this score as your baseline result. Use the highest score achieved as your Top Score.

Increase of more than 5%

If your wordcount increased by more than 5% an overlay may be helpful. You can find out where to get them and additional advise on our resources page We recommend that you have an overlay assessment carried out by a specialist Optometrist to rule out any additional pathology

Increase of less than 5%

If your wordcount increased by less than 5% then an overlay may not be of much use. If you find it more comfortable to read through an overlay. You can find out where to get them and additional advise on our resources page We recommend that you keep your eye examinations up to date with an Optometrist to check the health of your eyes.

Decrease in wordspeed

It doesn't look like an overlay would be helpful at this point. If you are having issues with your vision we recommend that you keep your eye examinations up to date with a local Optometrist. If it has been a while since your last examination maybe it's time for a check up.