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Do colored overlays help with dyslexia?

5 minute read · updated October 28, 2026

10 sources: 6 peer-reviewed research, 2 charity or professional body, 2 product documentation

The research does not show that colored overlays or tinted lenses improve reading for people with dyslexia. A 2016 systematic review found benefits were small, often similar to placebo, and could not be endorsed, and US eye-care and pediatric bodies do not recommend them.[1][2] Some readers still find a tint more comfortable, which is a separate question.[3]

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Colored overlays are tinted plastic sheets laid over a page, and tinted lenses are glasses with colored filters. Both have been studied as aids for reading difficulties.[1] This page sets out what the research and professional bodies say, and how to judge comfort for yourself.

What the research found

The most detailed review is a 2016 systematic review in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics. It examined 51 published items and judged most of the studies to be at high or uncertain risk of bias.[1] The better-designed studies gave less support for any benefit, improvements that did appear were often small and similar to placebo effects, and the authors concluded that the use of colored overlays or lenses for reading difficulties cannot be endorsed.[1]

The authors suggested that reported benefits are likely explained by placebo, practice, or the Hawthorne effect, where people do better simply because they know they are being watched or tried out on something new.[1]

A 2018 overview of four systematic reviews found that three concluded there is not enough good-quality evidence to support overlays or lenses, while one concluded that the evidence does support them despite its limits. On balance, the authors wrote, there is not yet a reliable evidence base for recommending them for reading difficulty or discomfort.[4] One of the few studies with adults, 24 university students with dyslexia and 24 without, reported a benefit from wider letter spacing but none from an overlay.[5]

Dyslexia and visual stress are different things

Part of the confusion comes from mixing two experiences. The 2025 UK consensus panel on dyslexia agreed that visual stress, discomfort with high-contrast patterns such as black lines of text on white, is a condition separate from dyslexia, although it can make text harder to process.[8] The BDA's guide for employers makes the same point: visual discomfort when reading is often thought of as part of dyslexia, but people with and without dyslexia can experience it.[3]

The BDA describes the evidence for overlays and lenses in relieving visual stress as mixed. It says they do give some people a more comfortable reading experience and may be a reasonable adjustment for some, but that they do not relieve the reading difficulties that come with dyslexia.[3]

If a tint feels better, that still counts

Comfort and reading skill are separate. Research measuring reading speed and accuracy does not capture whether a page feels easier to look at for a long stretch, and there is no reason to give up something you find comfortable. What the evidence argues against is paying a lot for tinted lenses on the promise that they will fix reading.

You can try a tint without buying anything. Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge offers page themes that change the background color, and Accessibility Reader on iPhone lets you set text and background colors.[9][10] The focus reader on this site is another way to change how a passage looks.

A fair way to test a tint on yourself

  1. Pick two passages of similar length and difficulty.
  2. Read one with your usual setup and one with the tint, on different days, at the same time of day.
  3. Note how long each took and how your eyes felt after 20 minutes.
  4. Swap the order and repeat, so the tint is not always the second, more practiced read.
  5. Keep the tint if it is consistently more comfortable. Drop it if you notice no difference.

For approaches with more research behind them, such as listening while reading, see reading tools and accessibility features.

Quick answers

Do colored glasses help dyslexia?

US pediatric and eye-care bodies found no scientific support for tinted lenses improving long-term educational performance and do not recommend them.[2] A 2016 systematic review reached a similar conclusion.[1]

Why do overlays seem to help some people?

The 2016 review authors suggest that placebo, practice and the Hawthorne effect likely explain reported benefits.[1] Some people also experience visual discomfort that a tint makes more comfortable, which the BDA treats as separate from dyslexia.[3]

Is visual stress the same as dyslexia?

No. The 2025 UK consensus panel described visual stress as a separate condition that can make text harder to process.[8]

Can I ask for overlays at work?

In the UK, the BDA says overlays may be a reasonable adjustment for some people who find them more comfortable.[3]

Review status

Source-checked, not expert-reviewed

Drafted with AI assistance. Each factual claim was checked against the source it links to on 2026-10-28. No clinician, psychologist or dyslexia specialist has reviewed this page. See the claims register.

Sources

  1. [1]The effect of coloured overlays and lenses on reading: a systematic review of the literature. Griffiths PG, Taylor RH, Henderson LM, Barrett BT. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 36(5):519-544. doi:10.1111/opo.12316, 2016. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  2. [2]Joint statement: Learning disabilities, dyslexia, and vision. American Academy of Pediatrics; American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus; American Association of Certified Orthoptists. Pediatrics 124(2):837-844, 2009. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  3. [3]Dyslexia friendly workplaces: a guide for employers. British Dyslexia Association, 2023. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
  4. [4]Efficacy of coloured overlays and lenses for treating reading difficulty: an overview of systematic reviews. Suttle, Lawrenson and Conway. Clinical and Experimental Optometry 101(4): 514-520 (doi:10.1111/cxo.12676), 2018. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  5. [5]The effects of letter spacing and coloured overlays on reading speed and accuracy in adult dyslexia. Sjoblom, Eaton and Stagg. British Journal of Educational Psychology 86(4): 630-639 (doi:10.1111/bjep.12127), 2016. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  6. [6]Learning disabilities, dyslexia, and vision (joint technical report). Handler SM, Fierson WM, et al., for the American Academy of Pediatrics and partner eye-care organizations. Pediatrics 127(3):e818-e856, 2011. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  7. [7]Tinted lenses and coloured overlays (Guidance for Professional Practice). College of Optometrists. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
  8. [8]Toward a consensus on dyslexia: findings from a Delphi study. Carroll, Holden, Kirby, Thompson, Snowling and the Dyslexia Delphi Panel. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (doi:10.1111/jcpp.14123), 2025. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  9. [9]Use Immersive Reader and reading mode in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft Support. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  10. [10]Read or listen to text in apps with Accessibility Reader on iPhone. Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation

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This educational questionnaire summarizes what you tell us about reading and writing. It does not screen for, diagnose, or rule out dyslexia or any other condition.