10/28/2025
Using the Pattern Glare Test as a Functional Vision Screening Tool
Purpose
The Pattern Glare Test is a simple, evidence-based way to screen for visual sensitivity and cortical hyperexcitability—both of which are common in patients experiencing:
• Headaches or migraines
• Dizziness or motion sensitivity
• Post-concussion or vestibular symptoms
• Reading discomfort, fatigue, or eye strain
• Difficulty focusing or concentrating
When patients react negatively to patterned visual stimuli, it suggests that their visual system is part of the problem and that further functional vision assessment is warranted.
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How to Perform the Screening
1. Open the pattern glare image (a black-and-white concentric stripe pattern) on a smartphone or tablet.
• Hold at a comfortable reading distance (around 40 cm / 16 in).
• Use normal room lighting (not overly bright or dim).
2. Ask the patient to look directly at the center of the image for 5–10 seconds.
3. Observe and ask:
• “Do you notice any movement, shimmer, distortion, or color?”
• “Does it make you feel uncomfortable, tense, or dizzy in any way?”
4. If the patient reports discomfort, nausea, dizziness, headache pressure, or visual distortion, this is considered a positive response.
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Interpreting the Results
A positive pattern glare response suggests that the patient’s visual processing—particularly in the magnocellular and parvocellular pathways—is hypersensitive or unstable.
This often correlates with binocular vision dysfunction, accommodative stress, or poor visual-vestibular integration.
These findings indicate that the brain is working too hard to stabilize what the eyes are seeing, which can trigger or amplify symptoms.
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Clinical Implications
Patients who show sensitivity on this test are often the same individuals who:
• Feel visually overwhelmed in busy environments
• Experience headaches, dizziness, or motion sickness
• Struggle with screen tolerance or reading
• Have lingering post-concussion or migraine symptoms
This visual sensitivity is not just a byproduct of their condition—it’s often a driving factor that increases neurological and vestibular load.
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How Specialized Lenses Can Help
A positive Pattern Glare Test tells us that the brain is reacting abnormally to visual input, but it also means that it can be calmed and stabilized.
Through a specialized lens prescription—often involving precise changes in prism, focus, or lens alignment—we can:
• Reduce cortical visual overstimulation
• Rebalance binocular input
• Decrease visual-vestibular conflict
• Relieve headaches, dizziness, and visual fatigue
• Improve comfort, concentration, and overall performance
These optical adjustments create a more stable and efficient visual experience, allowing the brain to process visual information smoothly rather than defensively.
In many cases, patients notice immediate relief—describing that the world feels steadier, clearer, or “more relaxed.”
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Next Steps
If a patient reports discomfort during the Pattern Glare Test:
1. Document their response (type and severity of discomfort).
2. Refer them for a functional vision assessment to evaluate eye teaming, tracking, depth perception, and visual-vestibular coordination.
3. Note that specialized lens design can often reduce the sensitivity revealed by this test, helping patients progress faster in their rehabilitation and daily life.
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Summary
The Pattern Glare Test is a quick, no-cost screen that helps physiotherapists and other rehab professionals identify when vision is contributing to dizziness, headaches, post-concussion symptoms, or performance issues.
If the pattern bothers the patient, that tells us their visual system is involved—and with the right optical prescription, we can often reduce that sensitivity, relieve symptoms, and restore smoother visual-vestibular performance.
