Eye Issues and Dyslexia/ADHD

Clever Kids who Can’t Read

Dyslexic children are generally thought to be highly intelligent, at the upper end of the IQ scale. And yet despite obvious intelligence, these children do not cope well with traditional teaching methods of reading, writing and spelling. They also retain information in a different way to non-dyslexics. For dyslexics who fall through the net and don’t get the support they need, underachievement at school often goes hand in hand with disruptive behaviour and hyperactivity.

Reading and Visual Process

It may or may not come as a surprise to know that reading, writing, spelling and retaining information are skills that are closely linked to the visual process. All these skills require good eyesight, but this is only a small link in the chain of efficient vision. It is just as important for the eyes to function properly in how they see. Let me explain.

For a child to be able to read properly, there are several functions that need to take place. The eyes need to be able to converge together, aligning an image as a team while remaining clearly focused. This is important when our eyes move across a line while reading and tracking. But equally, when our eyes scan the sentences, they’re involved in something called the saccade jump, which allows small movements of refocusing.

As well as seeing a static target, our eyes need to be able to steadily fix on a moving target. (For example, the eyes and heads of Wimbledon tennis spectators usually move in unison, while maintaining steady fixation on the tennis ball.) And to add to all the already complex eye functions, the middle ear needs to constantly compensate for head movements, keeping our eyes steady on the image that we are seeing. If any one of these eye functions is out of sync, a child will not be able to see efficiently enough to read or write and will not be able to learn properly.

Visual Memory and Healthy Vision

The input of information to the visual memory requires efficient eye movements. (Visual memory is the ability to recall information that has been presented visually. For example, reading a book and being able to discuss it afterwards.) Visual memory takes place only while our eyes are in a still phase, of either stopping at a point while reading, or holding fixed attention on a moving point. Unsteady eyes that cannot converge or focus as they should, also don’t move and stop properly.

Eyes and Learning Issues

This link between eye movement and visual memory is so important to learning issues. We now know that
binocular instabilities (the collective heading of all the visual functions we have discussed above) are frequently linked to dyslexia and conditions like attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity.

All in all, it is very clear that the eyes play an important role in the development of a child’s learning skills. Optometrists with knowledge of binocular vision and learning skills can easily identify visual difficulties and improve the visual skills with therapy. This, in turn, helps a child to achieve his or her full potential.

Diagnosing Eye Problems

At our clinic, we see children on a daily basis who have been misdiagnosed as having perfect vision. Our computer-based technology provides an exact print-out of how the eyes are seeing and enables us to verify whether or not your children are seeing as they should be. The good news is most of the time the eyes can be re-trained. So if your child is disruptive at school or if you feel he or she is not fulfilling their potential, my advice would be to get their eyes properly checked.

Alexander Kobrin is owned by two Optometrists: Clyde Alexander and Brian Kobrin. Brian and Clyde studied together in Johannesburg and have been in practice for over 20 years. They offer extremely thorough and professional eye examinations using the most up-to-date technology and equipment available.

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