Have you heard of visual dyslexia yet? I just started doing research on this because my daughter, who suffered from a brain injury, has a lot of visual processing issues. The visual processing issues impact her reading fluency. She came home from school the other day saying that she wanted to be checked for eye glasses. I already knew she had 20/20 vision and optometrists usually give her a clean bill of health. Neuro-opthamologists usually acknowledge the VP challenges but don't offer a solution, per se.
I decided to take my daughter to my optometrist who offers a service where they can photograph (like xray) the eye itself. This would give us an inside look on my daughter's visual connection to the brain, if you will. I was anxious to see if we would see any damage in nerves since we anticipated brain injury impact. We saw nothing. In fact, her eyes looked better than mine. Hmm? So if the damage is still deep in her brain – cerebellum/brain stem – how can we help her at the eye level?
The doc had my daughter read small print close up and since my daughter can't read well yet – i told her just read the "letters" that make up the word. She really struggled. Heavy Sigh. The doc turned and said I can't do anything as she has 20/20 vision. Ugh.
I sort of begged the doc to please think and try what he thought might be helpful – he did. He placed two lenses, similar to when the docs switch lenses in front of your eyes until you say the print looks good. I thought she was getting glasses. Nope. The lenses were reading glasses! Really!
I asked the doc to explain and he told me the magnification of the print has been known to help seniors process visual input easier. Hmmm? I wonder ……. So, off I went to do a bunch of research on how this might be able to help a child with VP issues and those with VP issues as a Dyslexic.
I was surprised to find that there is what is called Visual Dyslexia. Now I've done a ton of research of the magnocellular theory of dyslexia where basically the cells in the brain that help with stabilization and mechanics of VP and brain are damaged. So I knew why Dyslexics could have VP issues lending to reading fluency issues. Also, in our case, my daughter's autoimmune specifically targets perkinje cells in the brain which are also discussed in the magnocellular theory as the targeted cells – I could easily relate and make my hypothesis of Shannon's VP issues and their cause.
Now, though, I went to research on reading glasses, specifically, magnification helping the brain process what is taken in visually. Yes, I found some research from true research articles. They gave the explanation and how the magnification helps. No solution though.
I wanted to post here that I found a site on the internet that may be of help to those who have VP issues. I took the following from a site that I have given as a resource to my clients with these issues.
Below are some of the more common problems.
Visual problems involving motion
- Seeing words as if behind a waterfall or in snowing conditions.
- Seeing letters as if they jitter (such as bouncing or moving back or forth).
- Seeing words as if they seem to move below or above the page where only a few are in focus at any one time.
Visual problems involving missing information
- Letters missing at the beginning or end of words.
- Letters missing in the middle of words.
- Parts of letters missing in an horizontal manner such as all letters missing their top, middle or bottom.
Transpositions and reversals
- Letters are present but not in their proper order.
- Letters appear as their mirror image.
Visual stress causing a physical response
- Headaches
- Clenched teeth
- Tightness in different locations
- Sleepy feeling
The above came from the following site http://www.dyslexiaglasses.com/visual_dyslexia_symptoms_help.html
Although the children's glasses are $220 a pair, they come with a 60 day guarantee. Trust me, when my daughter put on basic reading glasses she knew the difference immediately. I don't no all the details yet folks on the site. For instance, how do you get the glasses sized to fit your child appropriately.
This url goes to the description and theory on why/how the glasses work http://www.dyslexiaglasses.com/how_dyslexia_glasses_work.html the theory is based on autofluorescene theory that certain proteins in the eye are not functioning properly and cause all the "noise" that gives dyslexics the vp poblems they have while looking at the world.
My daugther told the optometrist she often sees "white dots" getting in the way of her vision. To which he replied "Huh?" So…. I am going to look into these glasses a bit more but do share and comment if you have them and what success you have with them. These glasses could be used to allow brain trainer's to provide the intense brain training to rewire the dyslexic's brain and allow them to read just like a non-dyslexic (research proves this, too – new discussion coming on this one).
Likely yes
Always nice to see someone reading my site. During my research I did interview a Viet Nam vet that did acquire visual dyslexia from a brain injury that was helped by my glasses. It was very puzzling at the time. It really didn't seem to agree with my autofluorscent mechanism for why my glasses worked. Originally I thought the most likely autofluorscent factor was the absolute amount of autofluorscence. At the time there had been very little research into the idea that visual dyslexia and indeed dyslexia may have a still undetermined brain process of filtering extraneous information that makes the processing of information difficult.
Research in the last few years has been leaning towards evidence that filtering problems in the brain is a major contributing factor in dyslexia. Another way to look at it is to consider it as a high sensitivity to extraneous auditory or visual noise.
I've always understood that the cause of the autofluorscent generated visual problems could be caused by either larger amounts of autofluorscence or a higher sensitivity to auto fluorscence or both. . Which situation is actually correct in the end matters little because my glasses address both cases.
I suspect that the reason that the studies don't get more exposure is because the researchers feel a little uncomfortable suggesting the brain has a filtering process when they can't locate it or image it with MRI. There hasn't been a good explanation that fits the current dyslexia model of why dyslexics have difficulty understanding someone across a crowded room or difficulties with certain visual tasks that involve visual noise or discrimination.
I keep waiting for a good definitive study of higher sensitivity to visual noise or else for poor filtering capabilities of visual noise in dyslexics before I rewrite my website to indicate that.
Sometimes it is the exception that proves the rule. I do sometimes think back to that brain injured Vietnam vet that had no visual reading problems prior to his injury and could only read after using my glasses to remove his visual problems.
As you say, I have a money back guarantee, no explanation is necessary and I usually process refunds the day I get returned glasses.
I really don't feel comfortable with the idea that my glasses would help retrain the brain. People that buy prescription glasses have come back a couple years later with new prescriptions and some people that purchased child sized glasses come back later to buy adult sized ones.
It is possible a brain injury caused damage to the brain's filtering area causing higher sensitivity to visual noise( in which my glasses may help) or there may be some damage along the pathway to the visual centers of the brain causing some random firing which my glasses wouldn't help.
Feel free to contact me at anytime.