Prevalence of symptoms of scotopic sensitivity/Meares-Irlen syndrome in subjects diagnosed with ADHD: Does misdiagnosis play a significant role?

Abstract

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 symptoms of SSS in individuals (n = 76), of whom one sub-group (n = 12) was comprised of subjects diagnosed with ADHD by qualified healthcare providers. The prevalence of each SSS symptom in the ADHD sub-group was compared to a second sub-group of diagnosed SSS individuals (n = 18), and also to a group of appropriately matched controls (n = 46). The data showed a remarkable lack of significant variations between the ADHD-diagnosed and SSS-diagnosed groups. In contrast, highly significant variations between the ADHD-diagnosed and control groups were clearly evident. The degree of symptom overlap between the ADHD and SSS disorders may be far stronger than previously reported and it is likely that many individuals with SSS may be misdiagnosed with ADHD.