New evidence linking sight and dyslexia has been found by two scientists from the University of Rennes in France.
During their investigations into the formation of the Maxwell spot, Guy Ropars and Albert le Floch noticed that the cone cells of those with the condition were arranged in a circular shape in both eyes. Whereas, in non-dyslexic people, the light-receptor cells were arranged in an asymmetrical pattern.
According to the research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the ‘lack of asymmetry’ could be ‘the biological and anatomical basis of reading and spelling disabilities’.
‘This is a really interesting study, particularly as it highlights visual aspects of dyslexia which tend to be ignored nowadays,’ Prof John Stein from the British Dyslexia Association told Optician. ‘In 90% of their dyslexics, the Maxwell spot on both sides was circular leading to lack of dominance and a greater tendency to mirror image confusions.’