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Children with dyslexia have previously been demonstrated to perform more corrective saccades in sequential non-reading saccade tasks, having trouble with maintaining a stable fixation, as well as reduced performance in smooth pursuit tasks. The current study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of different eye movements (saccades, smooth pursuit eye movements and fixation stability) in children with and without reading difficulties who were tested by a validated reading performance test applied in the school environment. Altogether, 377 children (6–13 years old; 182 boys and 196 girls) were voluntarily involved in the study. Reading performance was determined by the Acadience® Reading literacy assessment tool. The Tobii Pro Fusion Eye-tracker was applied to determine oculomotor performance in children with and without reading difficulties. The results of saccadic eye movement, smooth pursuit eye movement, and fixation stability in a non-reading task did not reveal a statistically significant difference in oculomotor performance in children with and without reading difficulties. The results of the current study indicate that the oculomotor system in children with reading difficulties (not excluding dyslexia) is intact. The results propose that the observed differences with previous studies exploring eye movements in dyslexic children might be attributed to the participant selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncorrected refractive error and unsatisfactory performance on several clinical accommodation and binocular vision tests are more common in children who struggle with reading. The aim of the current study is to explore the prevalence of accommodative and binocular dysfunctions in children with and without reading difficulties. Reading performance was assessed with the Acadience Reading (formerly DIBELS Next) test adjusted and validated for the Latvian language. Children with (N = 39) and without (N = 43) reading difficulties underwent thorough assessment of their subjective refraction, as well as binocular and accommodation functions. The results demonstrate no difference in the prevalence of complaints between children with and without reading difficulties (26% and 23%, respectively). However, children with reading difficulties more frequently present with significant uncorrected refractive errors and/or accommodative and binocular dysfunctions than children without reading difficulties (69% and 47%, respectively). According to the findings, even in cases where a child does not exhibit any ocular or visual complaints, a comprehensive visual function evaluation should be required for any child who struggles with reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]