Efeito das lâminas espectrais (overlays) em parâmetros visuais e na habilidade de leitura: revisão integrativa de 1980 a 2008

People with visual stress, Irlen syndrome, use spectral overlays to reduce visual distortions and prevent visual discomfort while reading. This study aimed to carry out a integrative review from 1980 to 2008 on the effect of spectral overlays on visual parameters and reading ability, summarizing the main results of each article. Thirty-six articles were included, read in full, that used the Irlen Overlays or the Intuitive Overlays. The 1980s were characterized by the creation of the Irlen Overlays by psychologist Helen Irlen, as well as the initial researches and dissertations. The 1990s were marked by the creation of the Intuitive Overlays, the Rate of Reading Test and scientific studies with better methodological rigor. The 2000s were characterized by the consolidation of international studies on visual stress and the effect of overlays, especially in England and Australia. This summary of the first three decades of research on the use of overlays offers an important time frame of the studies that preceded the beginning of research in Brazil. The use of spectral overlays has support in the literature as an efficient intervention tool to reduce visual stress and improve reading. It is expected to contribute to the historical rescue of these researches so that future studies have designs that reproduce international studies and overcome inherent methodological limitations.