According to experts, around 10 per cent of the population has some form of dyslexia. Deborah Bowyer finds out more... ARTIST Leonardo Da Vinci, legendary mathematician Albert Einstein and business tycoon Richard Branson are all sufferers. And rumour has it that if you are one of the 10 per cent of the population with dyslexia, you stand a far better chance of getting a job with American space giant Nasa. On the downside, unless you or your parents take action and get it recognised, you could have a tricky time at school or in later life. Luckily for the two sons of dispensing optician Paul Davies-Todd, who specialises in colorimetry – the science of modifying visual responses by using colour – their father was quick to spot something wrong and take action. Paul had been trying to figure out what was wrong with his youngest son Ben when he was about seven or eight. The bright child, who was good at sport and had good speech and excellent other skills, was having problems at school.

And it was during a trip to Africa when he met someone researching scotopic sensitivity that the penny began to drop. “I’m involved in a project that recycles old spectacles and takes them to Africa and it was during one of these trips that I stumbled across some useful information.

A professor was researching scotopic sensitivity and the symptoms sounded similar to those Ben was experiencing.” When Paul came back to Lincoln, he searched for information about how to test for the problem and came across the Colorimeter machine. He now has one at Davies- Todd’s branch at Bunker’s Hill in Lincoln. Developed by Cerium Visual Technologies, the machine is a logical and sequential means of exploring colour space to find the optimal precision tint for the relief of the perceptual distortion found in dyslexia, migraine and photosensitive epilepsy.

The prescribed colour can be reproduced as a tinted lens, allowing the sufferer to see more clearly. Sufferers of scotopic sensitivity often don’t like white paper and bright lights as this causes optical disturbances. Paul recalls attending a recent conference in Grantham on dyslexia and a delegate from one forward-thinking education authority revealing his schools had introduced different colours of paper. “He told us there had been a massive improvement in the ability of some pupils and how much longer they could concentrate. It shows how making simple changes can help,” said Paul, whose other son

Mark is also a sufferer. “Those who wear these tinted glasses say how clear and still the world is with them on. It’s all about how the light strikes the back of the eye.” Paul’s sons are now doing well. Ben (21) has a full-time job while Mark (11) is about to start senior school. But Paul, who has developed a deep understanding of dyslexia through his experience, is determined to help as many sufferers as he can.

“Often their confidence is at a low ebb because of what they have been through. I get a real buzz out of seeing the change and watching them blossom into almost different people,” said Paul. “I’ve seen it work time and time again.

I remember a girl from Grimsby coming to see me when she was 16. I asked her to read from a newspaper and it was like listening to a six year old. Three weeks later, she came back with her tinted glasses and told me how wonderful it was – she could read everything! I saw her recently and she’s doing her masters degree. It’s wonderful to be able to turn someone’s life around like that.” Ben Mounsey from Woodhall Spa is testimony to the wonders of the machine.

A former pupil of Gartree Community School, Ben is doing a degree in illustration and 3-D animation at Falmouth University. He feels so strongly about dyslexia that he works at a special needs school during his holidays and helps teach dyslexic children in Cornwall. Ben (20) said: “People seeing me instinctively know me as the one with the green glasses. Back home, I used to be the only one with the special tinted glasses but since going to university I’ve met other students who wear them.

“When I was at school, I couldn’t look at the board and write at the same time. The whole dyslexia thing changed my focus. School can be cruel if you are different. It’s difficult to explain but it’s like the page vibrating and tracking between lines.” Ben’s mum Linda heard about the glasses on the radio and read how good they were and decided to take Ben for some tests. “The glasses have made a huge difference to Ben’s life.We noticed a big difference when he started wearing them,” said Mrs Mounsey. “We’re so proud of him and what he has achieved so far. Dyslexia should be recognised more. It affects so many people.”

The Dyslexia Institute says the most important thing you can do is to build up the damaged confidence and self-esteem of your child. “Make sure he knows he is loved for himself and that this love is not dependent on how well he does at school,” said a spokesman.

Lincoln opticians