Stephen John Loew

• PhD
• Research Associate at University of New England

Prior investigations of scotopic sensitivity or Meares-Irlen syndrome have identified several features also found in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, and a subtype of dyslexia in which visual recognition is the primary deficit. In particular, anomalies in lipid metabolism, including low essential fatty acid status...

Algunos síntomas del Síndrome de Estrés Visual/Meares-Irlen son similares a los informados por individuos con síndrome de fatiga crónica (SFC). Se evaluó la incidencia de nueve síntomas ampliamente reconocidos de estrés visual (EV) en un grupo de sujetos (n = 20) con síndrome de fatiga crónica. La presencia de cada síntoma de EV en el grupo con SFC...

Abstract: Visual stress (VS) affects reading in 5-12% of the general population and 31-36% of children with reading disorders. Symptoms include print distortions and visual discomfort when reading, and are exacerbated by fluorescent lighting. Prior research has indicated that VS can also affect proficient readers. We therefore examined levels of vi...

This study analyzed the effects of spectral overlays on ocular motility during reading among a clinical group of children and adolescents experiencing visual–perceptual distortions of text. We reviewed the records of 323 eye-hospital patients diagnosed with visual stress and divided this participant sample into two age-based cohorts: children (n =...

Visual Stress reportedly affects 5-12% of the general population and 20-30% of people with dyslexia. Symptoms are characterized by visual discomfort and perceptual distortions when viewing lines of text, and can be exacerbated by fluorescent lighting and bright paper. In this study, nursing students reported their levels of visual discomfort while...

Abstract This study analyzed the effects of spectral overlays on ocular motility during reading among a clinical group of children and adolescents experiencing visual–perceptual distortions of text. We reviewed the records of 323 eye-hospital patients diagnosed with visual stress and divided this participant sample into two age-based cohorts: child...

The visual-processing disorder Meares-Irlen Syndrome, or Visual Stress (VS), is believed to be caused by visual cortex hyperexcitability (visual sensory-overload) and reportedly affects reading efficiency in 5-12% of the general population and 20-30% of dyslexics. VS-symptoms include distortions or 'movement' of text and visual discomfort/fatigue w...

The acquisition of reading comprehension abilities and written expression is one of the key factors among learning processes in which students show many difficulties. For this reason, it is necessary to implement effective intervention strategies from early school years. The program EPI.com is aimed at improving lexical, semantic, and syntactic pro...

Expanded Abstract - Proceedings of the 7th Brazilian Congress of NeuroVision, pp.48-51: Sociedade Brasileira de Neurovisão (SBNV) & Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), September 12 - 13, 2019, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Un alto porcentaje de adolescentes con trastorno por déficit de atención con o sin hiperactividad (TDAH) no consigue resultados académicamente satisfactorios, debido, entre otras razones, a la poca organización en el estudio y el desconocimiento de técnicas y recursos para abordar las tareas escolares. El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer y mejor...

The visual processing disorder Meares-Irlen Syndrome, or Visual Stress (VS), is believed to be a predisposition to visual cortex hyperexcitability (visual sensory-overload), and reportedly affects reading efficiency in circa 12% of the general population and a third of all individuals diagnosed with reading disorders. Symptoms include blurring, dis...

A high percentage of adolescents with Attention Deficit Disorder [with or without Hyperactivity (ADHD)] fail to become academically successful because, among other reasons, they have poor study-organisation and lack the skills and resources to tackle homework. The aim of this study was to first determine and then improve the study habits and skills...

Invited Symposium Coordinator: [5 presentations of collaborative research studies from Australia, Spain, and Malaysia]. Title of Symposium: “Reading Learning Disabilities and Visual Stress in the Classroom: - Time for a New Perspective?” Coordinator: Loew, S.J. - By invitation of the 8th International Congress of Psychology and Education, June 15-1...

Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders in childhood and affects about 5% of school students. ADHD is characterized by three main symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. These deficits suggest a problem in the voluntary control of behavior that is generally associated with executive...

Dyslexia is one of the most common problems in childhood, even affecting adult population, and its prevalence situates between 5% to 17% of school-age children, according to different studies (Katusic, Colligan, Barbaresi, Schaid, & Jacobsen, 2001; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2003). This is important since reading disabilities have shown to be an importan...

In this review, we discuss the historic evolution of ADHD research up until the present, and explain the actual theoretical models of writing in relation to ADHD and attention. Given the characterization of writing as a recursive process, and in order to show its relationship with attention disorders , examples of applicable writing models are also...

A key stimulus behind the present review has been the growing debate among educational researchers, politicians and the general public concerning apparent declines in the literacy and numeracy levels of school students. Recent years have also witnessed a plethora of research by educational psychologists investigating the underlying causes of key le...

Several diagnostic symptoms of the visual-processing deficit Meares-Irlen/Visual Stress Syndrome are remarkably similar to symptom manifestations reported by individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). We surveyed the specific incidences of nine widely-recognised symptoms of visual stress (VS) in a group of subjects (n = 20) previously diagnos...

APPROACH: In recent years there has been much discussion in educational psychology journals concerning the incidence of school students in developed nations with inadequate literacy and numeracy skills. There has also been evolving debate as to whether these vital skills have actually been declining in Western countries. Thus, a hypothesis is prese...

Previous investigations of the visual-perception disorder scotopic sensitivity syndrome (SSS), also known as Meares-Irlen syndrome, have identified several clinical features of symptom manifestation which are strikingly similar to those found in attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We surveyed the incidences of nine widely-recognised s...

The visual-perception disorder scotopic sensitivity syndrome (SSS), also known as Meares-Irlen syndrome is a form of visual system hyperexcitability which reportedly affects between 5% and 12% of the general population and between a quarter and half of individuals with dyslexia. The condition affects reading, writing and visual-attention abilities....