Pictured above: Mike Biddle, of JBOpticians, with the orthoscopics testing equipment

A Midlands optician is offering a revolutionary new service which can help people with a wide range of reading and learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Orthoscopics uses light - specifically, different combinations of the colours that make up white light - to help people with a range of different conditions.

Using different combinations of blue, green and red light has been found to help people read, who had previously complained of not being able to see letters clearly, or having them move about, or even disappear off the page, which is a common trait in people with dyslexia.

Mike Biddle, who lives in Compton, Wolverhampton, and works for Shropshire-based  JBOpticians, has been working with Ian Jordan, the Scottish optician who developed orthoscopics, and is now one of only a handful of opticians across the UK with the equipment and experience to be able to offer the service.

JBOpticians has practices in Madeley, Wellington, Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth.

A trained optician for more than 30 years, Mr Biddle said he has been impressed by the results of his orthoscopics work already, and is looking forward to offering the service to people in the Midlands.

"It has been known for some time that colour can help people suffering from dyslexia, and they can often read better when things are printed on coloured paper rather than black on white," he said.

"But that doesn't help them when they are writing themselves, or trying to read or copy from a white board."

The orthoscopics service is available at the company's Madeley practice in the High Street.  People are given a free consultation to begin with, to see if the method is something which can help them, before they go on to have a full assessment.

 "Orthoscopics works on the light that is going into the eye, and we also take into consideration the types of lighting that people will be working under, as that can also have an effect," explained Mr Biddle.

"The system can help to find the exact colour of light that each individual responds best to, and then have lenses made to that specific hue.

"This is not a cosmetic tint, but a very precise coloured lens, which can be prescription or just plain, depending on what each person needs.

"Orthoscopics is still in its infancy, and work is ongoing to examine the effect it could have on a whole range of different conditions, from behavioural problems to migraine relief, so it's exciting to be part of something so ground-breaking, and to be able to offer it to our customers in Shropshire."