Short attention span. Frustration with school work. A family history of speech and learning problems. Although the exact cause for an SLD such as dyslexia is unknown, it is likely that a delay in development of certain regions of the brain may be responsible. Since the eye simply presents the brain with visual information, this information is meaningless until the brain processes and interprets it.
Interpretation leads to meaning.
This is a complex process that relates visual information to past experiences and known facts. An SLD is a defect in these thought processes. Children who do have dyslexia have a no greater incidence of eye problems than their non-dyslexic peers. Nevertheless, it is the ophthalmologist who is usually called upon to initially evaluate these children. Thus, it is very important that a thorough eye exam be performed to rule out any treatable ocular problem.