Behavioural Optometrists are in a unique position, given our rich heritage in helping patients with visual processing problems.
Visual processing skills have been shown to be highly correlated with reading ability in the early school years.
Behavioural Optometrists have done much to help patients with visually-based reading problems.
One key goal however is to separate those struggling readers who have visually factors from those with language-based factors.
To do that we need to maintain a good definition of language-based factors.
Dyslexia can be defined as "a single-word coding problem for reading and/or spelling"
At VisionLink, our approach to Dyslexia is a Phonetic-Eidetic Coding (PEC) model.
Under this model Dyslexia can be diagnosed as one of three subtypes;
* Dyseidesia (Visual Dyslexia)
* Dysphonesia (Auditory Dyslexia)
* Dysphoneidesia (Auditory-Visual Dyslexia)
This approach allows us to diagnose, or rule-out, Dyslexia. With this clarity, we can progress to therapy options.
Note carefully however, that Vision Therapy does not "cure" Dyslexia.
Vision Therapy, however, has been shown to remediate many problems of visual processing and Phonetic-Eidetic coding.
At VisionLink we use many research-based therapies to find the breakthrough gain for many children.
We believe that all allied professions need to be part of a multi-disciplinary team to help our mutual patients with Dyslexia.
We acknowledge the great contribution to optometric knowledge and diagnosis achieved by Dr John R. Griffin, MOpt, OD, MSEd, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University'
Christenson G, Griffin J. Optometric Management of Dyslexia: Resolving the Controversy Revisited. Optom Vis Dev2005;36(1):23-33.
