Visual Deficits in Children with Dyslexia

Research indicates that the core cognitive deficit in dyslexia involves language (phonological) processing. Since reading is also a visual task, researchers explored the potential role of visual deficits in children with dyslexia.

In order to evaluate the frequency of visual deficits in children with dyslexia (vergence, accommodation, and ocular motor tracking) an observational study was performed with 29 children with dyslexia and 33 typically developing children. To determine visual deficits the following measures were used:

Vergence was assessed for amplitudes, fusional ranges, and facility
Accommodation was assessed for amplitude, facility, and accuracy
Ocular motor tracking was assessed with the Developmental Eye Movement test and Visagraph eye tracker

Results of the Study on Visual Deficits in Children with Dyslexia

The results of the study on visual deficits in children with dyslexia indicated the following:

accommodation deficits were more frequent in the dyslexia group.
for ocular motor tracking, 62% of the children with dyslexia scored in the impaired range (in the Developmental Eye Movement test, Visagraph, or both) compared to 15% in the typically developing group of children.
vergence deficits occurred in 34% of the children with dyslexia and 15% in the typically developing children.
overall 79% of the children with dyslexia and 33% of the typically developing children had deficits in 1 or more domain of visual function.

The researchers concluded that visual deficits in children with dyslexia are far more prevalent than in typically developing readers, but the possible cause and clinical relevance of these deficits are uncertain. Further study is necessary to examine how and if treating these deficits can improve visual symptoms and/or reading parameters.

Read the full-text article here.

Reference: Raghuram A, Gowrisankaran S, Swanson E, Zurakowski D, Hunter DG, Waber DP. Frequency of Visual Deficits in Children With Developmental Dyslexia. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online July 19, 2018. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2018.2797

Fine Motor Skills, Visual Function and Reading in Children

Orthographic Processing and Handwriting

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visual tracking
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visual motor skills

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