Dr. Daniel Amen:

I am a board certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, medical director of Amen Clinics, Inc. (four psychiatric/brain imaging clinics), and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.

For the past 10 years, my clinics have screened all of our patients for the Irlen Syndrome.  When appropriate, we have made many referrals to Irlen Clinics and our patients have successfully used Irlen Filters to alleviate many symptoms, including headaches, learning and reading problems, light sensitivity, and depth perception issues

In performing before and after scans with the Irlen Filters as the only intervention, we have seen the brain become significantly more balanced.  I have often been amazed at the improvements our patients have experienced.  My sense is that the lenses help to filter out certain colors of the light spectrum that are irritating to brain circuits."

Sincerely

Daniel C Amen M.D.

Dr. Sharon Vaselenak :

Helen L. Irlen
Executive Director
Irlen Institute International Headquarters


-----Original Message-----
From: Sharon Vaselenak [
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 6:40 PM

I am a family physician in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  After several  years of increasing health problems which almost cost me my job, I "discovered" that I had Irlen syndrome as my son was being  reinvestigated for a learning disorder.  It also came to explain many  school difficulties that my youngest daughter was having as well.

Subsequently, several other family members have been found to be  severely affected, with their primary aggravating factor being 
fluorescent light and LCD computer monitors.

Over the past 15  months, I have identified 60+ patients in my practice who are  affected to a significant degree and the number continues to grow.  I  am now also being contacted by people from other cities as word gets  out that I have an interest in this area.  It is overwhelming!

I am  both amazed and saddened by the impact that this sensitivity has on so  many peoples' lives, from losing jobs, failing in school, running  vehicles off the road, being incapacitated by severe headaches, and  the list goes on.

The spectrum spans all ages, with my youngest patient having had severe symptoms from age 5, and the oldest being  diagnosed at age 75 after moving into a seniors complex that was  extremely well-lit - all with fluorescent lights.  This elderly gentleman knew that he felt strange if he left his apartment, and became so disoriented by the lighting in the halls that he actually fell and fractured his sternum.

Sharon Vaselenak MD, CCFP, FCFP