Reading difficulties can lead to a high risk of academic failure.

We are aware of the world around us through our senses and the brain's interpretation of the information it receives. Vision provides us with approximately 80% of the information that reaches the brain. Under normal conditions, it is the most important sense for the successful acquisition of reading and, therefore, for learning. Learning to read correctly depends on many neuropsychological aspects closely related to the visual system. For example, a child's visuospatial perception, body image, and the proper development of laterality and directionality allow for the beginning of reading and writing skills around the age of six. This is when the visual system completes its development, and visual acuity typically reaches 100%. From the age of six, the stage of visual maturity begins, in which the system is consolidated to meet academic demands. This does not mean that it cannot be trained; quite the contrary. Brain plasticity allows us to improve our visual system at any age.

One of the most influential aspects of reading is the movement of the eyes, i.e., ocular motility. When a child has motility difficulties, their academic performance is very likely to be poor. For example, to read correctly, at an appropriate pace, without omitting or substituting letters or words, and with good comprehension, the eyes must be able to work together, be able to make quick and precise changes in various directions, and have smooth and coordinated tracking movements. This way, the information reaching the brain will be efficiently processed.
When a child says they don't like reading, we should pay attention to how they do it, since this lack of interest may be due to some difficulty with their visual system. Studies that conducted evaluations such as those of the "Program to Help the Development of Intelligence" (ADI, 2005) concluded that 99% of children who had reading difficulties had ocular motility problems.

Eye movements, as well as the focusing (accommodation) and convergence systems, are essential for information to reach the retina correctly and be subsequently processed by the brain. Saccadic movements consist of small, precise jumps that the eyes make during reading. The eyes move from left to right and vice versa when reviewing or correcting a previously read passage. Slower readers require more of these movements than faster readers. Accommodation involves the ability to sharply focus on objects at different distances. This is also essential for reading. Imagine a child whose words constantly come in and out of focus, or who needs to get very close to the paper to see clearly. Finally, convergence is the joint movement of both eyes to shift from distant to near vision. Correct convergence and divergence require proper function of the extraocular muscles and accommodation; otherwise, double vision, eye fatigue, and tearing may occur, among other symptoms.

From infancy, whether at home or at school, we must be attentive to the reading style of children beginning this process. If we detect signs such as reluctance to read, excessively moving or tilting the head while reading, covering one eye, following the line with the finger, skipping words or lines; in addition to abnormal slowness, constant pauses, backtracking, substitutions or omissions of several words or letters, a highly variable rhythm, or poor reading comprehension, it is very likely that the functioning of their visual system is impaired in the areas we have already discussed.

The reader may also detect and report symptoms such as double vision, fatigue, headaches, "dancing letters," difficulty concentrating, or not quite understanding what is being explained in class.
All of these signs and symptoms warn of a possible vision problem that should be detected early, especially at the end of preschool, when the basics of reading are acquired. If you suspect this, a complete eye exam is highly recommended to prevent problems from arising when you move on to primary school.

In addition to the academic challenge, proper reading skills help improve concentration, foster imagination and empathy, develop language skills and new knowledge, and, of course, improve academic performance. The positive side is that if there is a reading problem associated with the visual system, it can be trained with various exercises that are easy to perform, even for the youngest children.