source : the age
Parents are being cautioned against falling for the “myth” that eye exercises can treat children struggling with reading, as experts warn the unproven treatments are a waste of money that could harm students’ academic progress.
Eye and vision exercises, using coloured lenses, wearing weak glasses and even hopping on one leg towards a target are among the therapies advocated by a branch of optometry known as behavioural optometry, which links “eye tracking” issues to reading difficulties such as dyslexia.
Eye tracking problems have nothing to do with reading disorders, ophthalmologists say.
The claims have prompted the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists to warn that the unfounded theory could lead to a delay in accessing evidence-based treatments for children with dyslexia, and compromise their capacity to learn to read.
Sydney-based paediatric ophthalmologist Dr Maree Flaherty undertook a review of literature following concerns raised by college members that parents were receiving incorrect advice and that their children were participating in unproven treatments. Flaherty found the eye tracking theory was not supported by evidence.
“Tracking is a myth,” she said. “We don’t read with tracking movements.”
Instead, she said, reading is done with eye movements known as “saccades”, which are horizontal, high-velocity, small, jumping eye movements.
SPELD Victoria believes more than 100,000 students have significant learning and language difficulties across the state.Credit: Shutterstock
Flaherty said she was concerned the eye tracking theory had become entrenched, with some optometrists too quick to prescribe weak prescription glasses to children, while online advertising was also playing a part in promoting behavioural optometry treatments.
“The websites for some optometrists that say that, you know, if your child has a tracking disorder, they treat tracking disorders, and a lot of it is promotional,” she said.
Vision therapy at a specialist clinic can cost $1500 for 10 45-minute online sessions. An in-person 10-week vision learning program can cost the same.
“It costs a lot of money, and it delays the appropriate treatment,” Flaherty said.
Flaherty said children with dyslexia were prone to lose their place or skip lines when reading, which leads to difficulty decoding letters and words. She said this was the result of a reading disorder, rather than a tracking abnormality.
“All the reviews have said that [learning to read is] about teaching phonics, vocabulary, fluency comprehension,” she said. “It’s all in the language side.”
Teaching children to read by decoding words using sounds is the foundation of the systematic synthetic phonics teaching method, which the Victorian and NSW governments mandated last year. The approach teaches children the sounds of the English language and the letter combinations that make them.
Flaherty welcomed the move, which means all prep to year 2 students are taught using the explicit teaching model.
A new phonics-based test will also be introduced to government primary schools this year and will be mandatory in 2026.
Mandy Nayton, the chief executive of advocacy group SPELD Victoria, said dyslexia was primarily a difficulty at the word level, and the earlier students developed phonic knowledge, the less likely they were to struggle.
She said children with dyslexia needed early intervention and that there were no quick fixes.
“[These theories] tap into a strong desire on the part of parents to reduce the difficulties that their children are experiencing,” Nayton said.
“No parent wants to see their child struggling with something as important as reading.”
Nayton said there was no evidence to support the therapies associated with behavioural optometry.
“In carefully controlled studies, these approaches have been shown not to work,” she said.
According to SPELD Victoria, there are more than 100,000 students with significant learning and language difficulties in Victoria, but many children go undiagnosed.
Infancy and early childhood are critical phases for vision development and the most common time for diagnoses.
Dr Anu Mathew, the director of ophthalmology at the Royal Children’s Hospital, said problems should be addressed quickly to avoid lifelong repercussions. She said delays caused by children receiving ineffective, unproven therapies were unfair to families.
“They can give the parents false hope, cost quite a lot and most importantly, delay treatment for learning difficulties,” Mathew said.
She said learning difficulties were commonly picked up in the early years of primary school.
“You would hope that by years 3 or 4 that any issues would have been picked up and addressed so that they can keep up with their peers,” she said.
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