Dyslexia Symptoms vs Eye Problems

Dyslexia has different symptoms depending on the age of the child. Early symptoms among preschool-aged children include:

• Difficulty learning common nursery rhymes
• Trouble remembering or recognizing the names of letters
• Difficulty in recognizing the letters in their name
• Persistently uses “baby talk” and mispronounces common words
• Does not recognize rhyming words, e.g. cat and hat

Among school-aged children, dyslexia is most often diagnosed when the child displays reading difficulties. For example, they may be unable to associate letters with sounds or connect written words on the page with what they describe. For example, they may say “kitty” when they see a picture of a cat, even if “cat” is written on the page.

Eye Problems and Dyslexia Symptoms

Certain vision issues can cause children to struggle with reading and writing. For example, visual acuity issues like myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness) can make reading difficult and cause children to make frequent errors. They may also avoid reading altogether.

Other potential eye problems that may mimic dyslexia symptoms include:

• Convergence insufficiency — This causes two eyes to not work well in unison, which can make reading difficult.
• Amblyopia (Lazy eye) — If one eye does not develop as much as the other, it can cause visual impairment and reading problems.
• Poor eye tracking — If children cannot track words or letters properly, they may struggle to write coherently or follow lines on a page.
• Visual-motor integration issues — If a child struggles to pair visual input with movement, this can negatively affect their writing, which may mimic the struggles of children with dyslexia.

Can My Child Have Eye Problems and Dyslexia?

Yes, both dyslexia and visual impairment or ocular disease can exist at the same time. However, it is important to rule out any eye conditions that could cause the symptoms of dyslexia to avoid misdiagnosis.

Please contact us at North Suburban Eye Associates at 781-245-5200 to schedule an eye exam for your child. You can also message us with any questions or to request your appointment.

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What Causes Eye Freckles?

Eye freckles, which are typically brown or yellow in color, are much like the freckles on your skin. The medical term for these is “nevi,” and in most cases they are nothing to worry about – they are simply a collection of melanin, which gives your eyes and skin their color. Nevi can appear on the surface of the eye, including the colored part of the eye, or in the back of the eye.

For some, nevi may run in the family, but nevi can also develop because of exposure to the sun, just like freckles on the skin do. If you have a light complexion and eyes with a light color, you may be more at risk for nevi.

What Can I Do About Eye Freckles?

Although it can be alarming when you notice a spot on your eye, in most cases nevi are harmless; they won’t affect your vision and they aren’t usually harmful to the eye. Because they really don’t hurt the eye, it may do more harm than good to have a nevi removed. However, you should see your eye doctor if you notice that your nevi changes size or shape.

Wearing sunglasses is always a good idea to protect your eyes from sunlight, and sunglasses can also help to prevent nevi from forming.

If you are concerned about your nevi, you should speak with your eye doctor about them. Nevi are yet another example of why you should plan on annual exams with your eye doctor – he or she will want to keep track of anything new concerning your eye health and your vision. Contact North Suburban Eye Associates, with offices in Waltham, Winchester, and Wakefield, Massachusetts. Call (781) 245-5200 for an appointment today!

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