What’s VISION Got to Do with It?

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and the perfect time to bust some myths about dyslexia. One of the most persistent myths about dyslexia is that it's connected to vision. Some people think that dyslexics see double or backwards, or that special products or fonts can remediate dyslexia. Let's make this clear: dyslexia will not be fixed by colored lenses, special fonts, or eye therapy. While these treatments may help in making text clearer or reading less visually taxing, they will do nothing to remediate dyslexia.

But that's changed only recently, right? Sorry, but no. In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Council on Children with Disabilities, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology issued a collective position statement which summarizes, "Vision problems can interfere with the process of learning; however, vision problems are not the cause of primary dyslexia or learning disabilities. Scientific evidence does not support the efficacy of eye exercises, behavioral vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses for improving the long-term educational performance in these complex pediatric neurocognitive conditions. Diagnostic and treatment approaches that lack scientific evidence of efficacy, including eye exercises, behavioral vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses, are not endorsed and should not be recommended."

So Why Does This Myth Persist?

Historical Roots in Early Theories

Early descriptions of dyslexia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries used terms like “word blindness.” Researchers and physicians thought children with dyslexia literally couldn’t see words correctly, so the condition was assumed to be visual. Even though modern neuroscience has shown dyslexia is about how the brain processes sounds in language (phonological processing), that early framing stuck.

Observable “Visual” Behaviors

People with dyslexia sometimes say that words “move,” “blur,” or “jump” on the page. These experiences are real, but they’re typically due to cognitive overload, visual crowding, or fatigue—not problems with the eyes or vision.

Appealing Simplicity

A vision-based explanation feels more concrete and solvable. Glasses, colored overlays, and eye exercises seem like straightforward fixes compared to complex instruction in phonemic awareness and decoding. Many commercial programs have capitalized on this by marketing “vision therapy” or “colored lenses” as cures for dyslexia, further perpetuating the myth. To observers, these difficulties look visual, which reinforces the misconception.

From the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus: “Children with dyslexia often lose their place while reading because they have a hard time understanding a letter or word combination and/or because they don’t know what they are reading. These reading problems in children with dyslexia are not because of an “eye tracking” issue.”

Widespread Misinformation

Online content, media portrayals, and even well-meaning educators sometimes repeat visual explanations without realizing the scientific inaccuracy. Because the myth has emotional and intuitive appeal, it spreads easily and is hard to correct.

Overlap with Genuine Visual or Attention Issues

Some children with dyslexia also have unrelated vision or attention challenges. When those co-occur, it’s easy to assume the visual issues cause the reading problems, when in fact they just exist alongside them.

In Summary

In short, the vision myth persists because it’s historically rooted, visually intuitive, emotionally appealing, and commercially reinforced—even though the scientific consensus is clear: Dyslexia stems from differences in phonological processing and how the brain links sounds to symbols, not from how the eyes see words.

Understanding what dyslexia is not helps us focus on what truly makes a difference. Dyslexia is a language-based difference, not a vision problem—and the most effective interventions target phonological awareness, decoding, and structured literacy instruction. When we move beyond myths and toward science, we open the door to meaningful progress for students with dyslexia. This October, let’s honor Dyslexia Awareness Month not with tinted lenses or quick fixes, but with knowledge, empathy, and evidence-based teaching that empowers every reader.