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Data support consensus that dyslexia is not primarily a vision problem
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The majority of children with dyslexia achieved normal results for all ophthalmic tests — supporting the consensus that dyslexia is not primarily a vision problem and vision-based therapies are not justified or likely to help, according to study results.
While clinical studies suggest that dyslexia is not caused by vision abnormalities, interventions and therapies directed at eye-related functions are still available.
Alexandra L. Creavin, MBChB, of the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol, Clifton in the UK, and colleagues sought to assess the associations between dyslexia and ophthalmic abnormalities in 5,822 children aged 7 to 9 years included in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. There were 172 children who met criteria for severe reading impairment; 479 had moderate reading impairment.
No associations were found between severe reading impairment and amblyopia, convergence, contrast sensitivity strabismus, motor fusion, sensory fusion at a distance or refractive error. The majority of children with reading impairment were male, of low birth weight, preterm birth and of families whose parents were from socioeconomic groups III and VI.
Normal ophthalmic function was found in more than 80% of children with severe reading impairment. Children with severe reading impairment had mildly higher abnormalities in sensory fusion at near when compared with their peers (1 in 6 vs. 1 in 10; P=.08). Children with stereoacuity worse than 60 seconds/arc also had higher abnormalities in sensory fusion at near when compared with their peers (1 in 6 vs. 1 in 10; P=.001).
“To our knowledge this is the first large study to assess such a broad spectrum of ophthalmic abnormalities in a population-based cohort of children,” Creavin and colleagues wrote. “We suggest a detailed synthesis of the evidence and guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on managing specific learning difficulties including severe reading impairment, to optimize outcomes for affected children and their families without raising hopes and expectations regarding treatment outcomes.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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