Jenson and Ledingham
23 Belmont Street
Aberdeen AB10 1JS

Tel 01224 643557

Any parent looking for help for their child with learning difficulties should ensure that they have checked out the possibility of vision problems at an early stage.
Recent studies have suggested that up to 80% of dyslexic children have unresolved visual problems contributing to their reading and spelling difficulties even though they may see well and pass the simple eyesight tests which are carried out in schools.
If a student has failed to benefit from modern teaching strategies then it is time to examine the neurological equipment of the child.

• It is estimated that >80% of all learning is via the visual system.
• 70% of all sensory fibres that reach the brain come from the two retinae of our eyes.
• 2/3 of all neural activity is involved in processing visual information.

This is an illustration of the significant influence that our visual system has on us as functioning individuals. When the visual system is operating more efficiently more information can be received, processed and understood.

For example:

• Convergence - when there is a weakness in eye teaming it is not unusual to tire quickly.
• Concentration span will be poor and they often daydream whilst attempting to read.
• Accommodation (Focusing Ability) - a deficiency may increase the time necessary to copy from the board, induce fatigue and result in reduced reading comprehension. Occasionally the child will simply avoid close work. Rapid automatic focus adjustment is essential to efficient visual function. This skill also relates to the ease with which visual attention may be sustained.

Recently there has been work carried out on the development of coloured spectacles and contact lenses to try and stabilise print when people are reading. However, these systems would appear to work by relieving the symptoms and not by changing any underlying mechanism. A full Optometric assessment would show how much visual information is being used, processed and how it is comprehended. We will also look at the interactions between vision, our vestibular (balance) and our directional awareness mechanism. Children with these associated complications are often the ones who get easily lost in new surroundings, have difficulty learning to tell time on an old fashioned clock and have poor organisational skills.

Also see: Vision Therapy