Does Vision Therapy Help Dyslexia?
The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus advises: "Don't recommend vision therapy for patients with dyslexia." In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics and three eye-care bodies stated that vision problems do not cause dyslexia. None of the eye therapy or eye exercise trials we hold measured reading. Reading improves with reading instruction.
TL;DR
- The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus advises: "Don't recommend vision therapy for patients with dyslexia."
- In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics and three eye-care bodies stated that vision problems do not cause dyslexia.
- One trial tested clinic eye therapy in children chosen for an eye problem (the CITT study group, 2008). The therapy improved how well the eyes turned in together. That is a finding about groups of children. The children were not chosen for reading trouble. None of the eye therapy or eye exercise trials we hold measured reading.
- Tracking a line, holding the eyes steady on one point and shifting focus can be practiced. Practice improves them. Keep any such practice alongside reading instruction, not in place of it.
- Reading improves with reading instruction. Suppose a program promises better reading from an activity that is not reading. Check that claim.
Dyslexia is a name for a pattern of trouble reading words, spelling, or both. Struggling to read says nothing about how smart your child is.
”DyslexiaWhat have the professional bodies said?
In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics and three eye-care bodies stated that vision problems do not cause dyslexia. The American Academy of Ophthalmology was one of the three eye-care bodies. In 2009, pediatric and eye-care bodies said children with dyslexia have no more visual problems than others. The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus advises: "Don't recommend vision therapy for patients with dyslexia."
The trouble is in reading words or spelling them. It is not in the eyes.
What did the eye therapy trials we hold test?
One trial studied children whose eyes had trouble turning in together for close work (the CITT study group, 2008). It tested eye therapy given in a clinic. The children were chosen for that eye problem, not for reading trouble. The therapy improved how well the eyes turned in together. A later trial, CITT-ART, found the same for the eyes. In that trial, children's reported eye symptoms improved about as much with placebo therapy. For attention, the clinic therapy was no better than placebo therapy (CITT-ART Investigator Group, 2021). Those are findings about groups of children. We could read only the summaries of these trials. None of the eye therapy or eye exercise trials we hold measured reading.
Eye exercises and reading
We are not against eye care. The point is narrow. Tracking a line, holding the eyes steady on one point and shifting focus can be practiced. Practice improves them. Keep any such practice alongside reading instruction, not in place of it. Have the eyes checked because eyes should be checked. Do not buy a course of eye exercises as a way to fix reading.
One small study gave adults a single short session of eye exercises (Di Noto and colleagues, 2013). Afterward, they were more accurate at picking out letters in a fast-changing display. Their speed did not change. The study tested no reading, no children and no one with dyslexia. That is a finding about a small group of adults. In our view, eye exercises target finding and seeing letters, not reading.
To us, better eye skills and better reading are different claims. Ask which one a program has shown.
What helps the reading?
Reading improves with reading instruction. Suppose a program promises better reading from an activity that is not reading. Check that claim.
Our page on reading programs explains how to check a program's claims.
In our view, have the eyes checked. Then work out which job of reading is going wrong. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Reading well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about reading.
- Extreme upset about reading.
- Complete avoidance of reading.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
If asked about vision therapy, describe the reading you see, not the eyes.
Check for a missed step early. Teach it again, and see what the child does with it.
Two sentences for an email home: "In class, your child reads short words well but gets stuck on long ones. I thought you would want to know."
Key Takeaways
The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus advises: "Don't recommend vision therapy for patients with dyslexia."
In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics and three eye-care bodies stated that vision problems do not cause dyslexia.
None of the eye therapy or eye exercise trials we hold measured reading.
Tracking a line, holding the eyes steady on one point and shifting focus can be practiced. Practice improves them. Keep any such practice alongside reading instruction, not in place of it.
Reading improves with reading instruction. In our view, have the eyes checked. Then work out which job of reading is going wrong. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Were you offered vision therapy or eye exercises? Write down what the offer says it will change. Then ask one question: was reading measured? Next, listen to your child read a short page aloud. Note which words went wrong, and what your child did when stuck.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.
A short reading and spelling practice. Each word appears letter by letter. The picture comes only once the word is complete. So guessing from the image is not available. It includes writing words from memory. That practices the spelling and the writing of a word at the same time.
Common questions from parents
Does vision therapy help dyslexia?
The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus advises: "Don't recommend vision therapy for patients with dyslexia." In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics and three eye-care bodies stated that vision problems do not cause dyslexia. None of the eye therapy or eye exercise trials we hold measured reading. Reading improves with reading instruction.
What if an eye exam finds an eye problem?
If an exam finds an eye problem, that problem needs its own care. One trial studied children whose eyes had trouble turning in together for close work (the CITT study group, 2008). It tested eye therapy given in a clinic. The children were chosen for that eye problem, not for reading trouble. The therapy improved how well the eyes turned in together. In a later trial, the therapy again improved the eyes. Reported eye symptoms improved about as much with placebo therapy. Those are findings about groups of children. We could read only the trials' summaries. None of the eye therapy or eye exercise trials we hold measured reading. Reading improves with reading instruction.
Do eye exercises help reading?
One small study gave adults a single short session of eye exercises (Di Noto and colleagues, 2013). Afterward, they were more accurate at picking out letters in a fast-changing display. Their speed did not change. The study tested no reading, no children and no one with dyslexia. That is a finding about a small group of adults. To us, better eye skills and better reading are different claims. Ask which one a program has shown. Reading improves with reading instruction.
We already paid for vision therapy. What now?
Ask what it was meant to change, and whether reading was measured. In our view, the next step is to work out which job of reading is going wrong. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor. Reading improves with reading instruction.