Flickering lenses enhance reading performance through placebo effect

A new study conducted by researchers from the Department of General Psychology at the University of Padua and the University of Bergamo, published in “Psychological Research”, demonstrated that the placebo effect—induced by inactive “flickering” glasses—significantly improves reading abilities in children with developmental dyslexia. The double-blind experimental design, which also included young adults with reading difficulties, showed that positive expectations increase reading speed and accuracy, with greater impact than traditional rehabilitation programs.
Positive expectations, the authors explain—including Sandro Franceschini, Giovanna Puccio, Sara Bertoni, and Andrea Facoetti—proved to be a powerful factor, capable of reducing reading errors in children and bringing the performance of university students with difficulties closer to that of typical readers.
These findings suggest that motivational and contextual components—such as positive expectations—should be carefully considered in the development of interventions for reading disorders and in the design of effective rehabilitation programs.
Franceschini, S., Puccio, G., Bertoni, S., Mascheretti, S., Cappellini, A., Gori, S. & Facoetti, A., Flickering lenses enhance reading performance through placebo effect. Psychological Research 89, 120 (2025).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-025-02146-9