Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation at Excel est. 2004
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“There are many potential dysfunctions that can affect vision and in turn make learning and academics or work more challenging. Assessing the visual system in its entirety is important to discover any visual deficits that are hindering potential. Assessing the patient based on an evidence-based, behavioral, and developmental aspect, GLVR can help with providing more potential by removing the visual hurdles.” ​

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Reading involves various skills, with visual skills a crucial part of the process. When an individual reads, they need to track their eyes across and from line to line, maintain clear print through accommodation, align their eyes as a team through convergence, and visually process letters, words, and numbers for comprehension. While comprehension is a separate neurological component, the visual system is essential in relaying information to the brain. Simply looking at printed text is merely viewing a combination of characters—letters, numbers, and words—that the reader must visually process for the brain to interpret. 

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Suppose someone struggles with basic visual skills necessary for reading. In that case, they may experience symptoms such as blurred vision, words moving on the page, skipping lines, losing their place while reading, fatigue, headaches, aversion to reading, and a general lack of confidence. The English language presents unique challenges for the reading process. An example of a complex word to process visually and phonetically is "ocean." Phonetically, it might seem to be spelled "o-SHUN," but an individual must see the -cean and recall from memory that it makes the "shun" sound. 

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Considering the complexities of reading and vision, the doctors and therapists at Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation (GLVR) assess the necessary visual skills for gathering visual information and how this information is processed. At GLVR, the doctors and therapists focus on assessing the skills needed to efficiently read and process information after gathering it. Many diagnoses, including but not limited to ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, and traumatic brain injuries, can cause reading difficulties. These conditions may mimic actual visual problems or exist alongside reading challenges. If you suspect that your visual system is contributing to your problems or if you have been diagnosed with a learning disability, traumatic brain injury, dyslexia, or ADD/ADHD, it's important to rule out any additional visual dysfunctions that may be affecting your reading.

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Additionally, understanding the relationship between the sensory system and developmental processes is crucial since reading and learning involve multiple sensory modalities. 

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Please note that GLVR does not diagnose or treat learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, or similar conditions. Our clinic focuses on improving the visual system to alleviate the challenges associated with the visual skills required for reading and learning. Many patients have also seen improvements in spelling, writing, and math when enhancing their visual skills.

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PLEASE CALL OUR CLINIC TODAY AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ONE OF OUR DOCTORS TO GET AN IN-DEPTH ASSESSMENT OF HOW YOUR VISUAL SYSTEM MAY BE CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR CHALLENGES IN LEARNING, READING, SPELLING, AND MORE. 

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There is evidence supporting the existence of visual abnormalities and their associations with various diagnoses. Below is a list of references and recommended readings that may help address questions related to vision, reading, and learning. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.

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*Click: Association between ADHD and Vision Problems

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*HOT OFF THE PRESS: Reading and Vision Therapy Research (click to page 13 to read more!)

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Additional Resources: ​

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1.    Review of Intervention Strategies for Patients with Learning Problems  

2.    The Link Between Vision and Language 

3.    Learning to See = Seeing to Learn: Vision, Learning & Behavior in Children (available on Amazon) 

4.    Bellato A, Perna J, Ganapathy PS, et. Al. Association between ADHD and vision problems. A systematic      review and meta-analysis. Nature. 2022;28;410-22.

5.    Hussaindeen JR, Shah P, Ramani KK, et. Al. Efficacy of vision therapy in children with learning disability and associated binocular vision anomalies. J Optom. 2018;11(1);40-8. 

6. The American Academy of Optometry's Position: Optometric Care of the Struggling Student

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