Elk Grove Village, IL—(ENEWSPF)—May 26, 2015. Children with dyslexia often experience a lifelong struggle with reading and learning. This impairment affects 3 percent or more of children. In the past some practitioners and researchers have linked dyslexia with vision disorders although the scientific literature casts doubt on this.
A new study examines this link. The largest study of its kind to date, “Ophthalmic Abnormalities and Reading Impairment,” in the June 2015 Pediatrics (published online May 25), finds that dyslexia is not associated with vision problems. Data was collected on 172 children aged 7 to 9 years who met the criteria for having severe reading impairment and compared with data for 5,500 similar children without dyslexia. More than 80 percent of children with severe reading impairment had normal results for all ophthalmic tests, which included sensory and motor fusion, stereoacuity, and amblyopia, among others. Children with reading impairment were predominantly male, of low or preterm birth weight, had mothers who smoke, and had low socioeconomic status.
Study authors conclude that most children with dyslexia had perfect vision on a variety of vision tests in a large population survey. Although vision-based therapies and support are offered for children with dyslexia, the scientific basis for these is disputed and most studies are small, involving few children. This new analysis adds to the evidence that visual impairment is not a factor in dyslexia.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 62,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
Source: www.aap.org
