Review of ophthalmic factors in dyslexia

Dyslexia and the effect of visual problems on reading ability have long been subjects of controversy. This paper critically reviews the literature on the relationship between reading disability and visual acuity, refractive error, binocular vision anomalies, eye movements, ocular pathology and the transient and sustained visual systems. The limitations of much of the work in this field are described, with particular reference to the problems of subject selection and group matching. Tentative conclusions, with deference to the complex nature of dyslexia, are drawn and suggestions are made for future research.