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In two studies, the first in a school in Peterborough and the second in a school in Norwich, more than 233 children aged 8–12 years received either an orthoptic examination, or an optometric examination, together with an examination using coloured overlays and a test of reading fluency. In both studies more than one‐third of the children reported visual symptoms. More than one‐third of the children chose to use an overlay, and they read more quickly with it than without. The colour of the overlay chosen was weakly related to the binocular amplitude of accommodation: overlays reflecting greater energy at long wavelengths were chosen more frequently by children with a higher amplitude of accommodation. Although the visual symptoms were strongly related to the use of an overlay, in neither study was the benefit from an overlay strongly related to the orthoptic or optometric findings. Nevertheless, children who …