Written by Ashley Coley, COVT
OCVT was excited to host Rafael Scarnati from Learning Foundations who presented at our Westlake location in August on Dyslexia and the visual connection. I was so passionate around this presentation because many times individuals diagnosed with Dyslexia also have underlying visual issues that could be contributing to their struggles with reading fluency and comprehension.
Honestly, I had never realized this until I reviewed the common signs and symptoms reported by individuals with Dyslexia, and noticed that several of the symptoms were like those experienced by people who have eye tracking, eye teaming and eye focusing deficiencies.
The visual deficiencies discussed above (eye tracking, eye teaming and eye focusing) can be remediated through visual training called vision therapy.
Training the deficient visual skills doesn’t fix Dyslexia or reverse Dyslexia, but rather is working to eliminate some of the areas that are increasing their day to day struggle. I have worked with several patients that have been diagnosed with Dyslexia and it is truly amazing to witness the progress these patients make when we have remediated the underlying visual deficits.
In summary, if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Dyslexia, I would recommend they schedule an appointment with a Developmental Optometrist to ensure that reduced eye teaming, eye tracking and eye focusing are not further contributing to their struggle to track and read fluently.
