Stuff I can't believe behavioral optometrists say

We are doing our best, Caroline! Thanks for the encouragement 😊

The claim Did you know being left-eye dominant (LED) can contribute to reading difficulty? https://eyesontrack.com/ Dr Kristy Remick, OD, FCOVD, FAAO Book available to purchase from OEPF The facts As for the debate on the role of eye dominance in reading, the present results showed no relationship between reading performance and dominance stability, regardless of the kind of test and scoring method used. Zeri, F. , De Luca, M. , Spinelli, D. & Zoccolotti, P. (2011). Ocular Dominance Stability and Reading Skill: A Controversial Relationship. Optom Vis Sci, 88 (11), 1353-1362. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0b013e318229635a.

The claim A study by an optometrist, Dr Kaplan, in New York in conjunction with a psychiatry clinic showed that some schizophrenics were cured after receiving vision therapy. Others were helped in conjunction with other treatment. What would Jesus see? A developmental optometrist’s journey through vision care with an eye on the Bible by Dr Bill Henshaw. Available to purchase on ACBO website. The facts To be clear, Henshaw is claiming that vision therapy can cure some people with schizophrenia. The “science” on which this claim rests is, at best, flimsy. The claim is about as valid as claiming “my mate showed that eating baked beans made several of his kids get better at football”. If only schizophrenia was not such a serious illness. Why is the science flimsy at best? See the next card.

This claim is based on two papers co-authored by Kaplan, in 1983 and 1992. In 1983, Flach and Kaplan found that 66% of 57 patients with psychiatric illness had eye movement and/or visual perceptual dysfunction, and included one case report of one patient who improved following vision therapy, and an unverifiable (because no data was presented) claim that “a number of the subjects in our study were treated by means of visual training and/or yoke prisms and subsequently showed a significant improvement in overall social and occupational function.” In 1992, Flach, Kaplan et al. found that patients with schizophrenia or affective disorders had significantly worse visual perceptual test scores compared to controls. There is no mention of vision therapy. Nor are there any papers in the references that support the claim that vision therapy can cure some people with schizophrenia. If any support for the claim existed, one would imagine it would have been included in the pair of literature reviews published by Elizabeth Muller on the topic in the OEPF/ACBO journal in 2017-2018. Nope, no support there either. Flach FF and Kaplan M 1983 https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-440X(83)90058-5 Flach FF, Kaplan M et al. 1992 https://doi.org/10.1176/jnp.4.4.422 Muller 2018 https://www.ovpjournal.org/uploads/2/3/8/9/23898265/ovp6-1_article_muller_web.pdf Muller 2017 https://www.ovpjournal.org/uploads/2/3/8/9/23898265/ovp5-6_article_muller_web.pdf

The claim. I can assure the reader that lack of visual skills is one of the primary causes, if not THE primary cause, of learning difficulties in children who appear to be otherwise normal. Eldon Rosenow OD FCOVD In Eyes on Track: A Manual to Improve Vision Processing By Dr Kristy Remick Available on OEPF website The facts Dyslexia and learning disabilities are complex problems without simple solutions and there is no evidence to suggest that visual interventions remediate them. However, through early detection and language-based individualized instruction that is systematic, explicit, and cumulative, children can develop appropriate word reading skills. The Southport CoLab and Florida Center for Reading Research https://dyslexiaida.org/do-vision-problems-cause-dyslexia/

The claim Vision is involved with a lot of childhood development. Even areas we wouldn’t typically think of as being involved with vision…so things like communication, you’d think that is mostly an auditory development. Well, eighty percent of communication is body language. What do we need to be able to understand body language? Vision. https://emergent.teachable.com/courses/vt101/lectures/4336914 The facts This claim likely originates from work done in the 1960s, where someone read a neutral word to an audience, varying the way that they said it to convey positive, neutral or negative feeling towards the (imaginary) addressee. The researchers asked the audience to say how they worked out how the speaker felt towards the addressee. The actual figures are: 55% used facial communication, 38% used tone of voice, and 7% used actual words spoken The study outcomes don’t support the statement that 80% of communication is body language. A fairer statement would be that body language contributes 55% of how people work out how the speaker feels towards the addressee. https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/beyond-words/201109/is-nonverbal-communication-a-numbers-game Mehrabian, A and Ferris S. (1967) 31(3) J Consult Psychol 248

Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim Although there may be other ways to reach our goals in life, vision therapy / vision enhancement is the most efficient way to achieve the goal of becoming better human beings and living a better quality of life. Albert Shankman OD, Psycho-Behavioral Vision Enhancement, Optometric Extension Program Foundation 2005 available to order from OEPF and ACBO The facts. Pseudoscience in health care: “Every disease has a single cause and they’ve got the cure-all.” Vision therapy is not going to make you a better human being. quote from Jonathan Jarry, MSc. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/general-science-quackery/correactologyr-or-how-identify-pseudoscience

The claim. Nature’s Electromagnetic Spectrum <a list which includes> 172 Hz (~ 2 meters) the dominant harmonic frequency of nature known in ancient China and Tibet, rediscovered independently by the author. 10^0 Hz (10^5 miles) heat beat (EKG); distance to the moon; heart/love resonance with our Mother/Wisdom 10^-3 Hz (10^8 miles) distance to the sun; resonance with the Christ Jamming Nature’s Spectrum: Technology Frequencies <a list which includes> 10^10 Hz (1 inch) SHF: microwave radio, ovens: when a neighbour cooks by microwave, you are exposed via resonance over the power lines. Electromagnetic Pollution Solutions: What You Can Do To Keep Your Home & Workplace Safe by Dr Glen Swartwout. Available to purchase from ACBO The facts. ACBO claims to follow evidence-based practice. These ideas are clearly alternative, and not science: having a specific “resonance with our Mother/Wisdom” having a specific “resonance with the Christ” being exposed to resonance due to your neighbour’s use of a microwave oven. Can you trust anything ACBO says? https://www.acbo.org.au/images/Membership/Evidence_Based_Practice_Policy_Feb_2024_Final.pdf

The claim. Using Eastern methods of analysis, Ayurvedic medicine, and my own experience with the South African natavistic rituals, I began viewing the left eye as the “feminine channel” and the right as the “masculine channel”. The Power Behind Your Eyes: Improving Your Eyesight with Integrated Vision Therapy by R.Kaplan OD. Available to purchase from OEPF. The facts. Um what…? Seriously we have nothing to say about this. We think it speaks for itself.

The claim. Over 80% of learning occurs through the visual system, which means that even subtle issues can have a major impact on your efficiency and performance. https://babo.co.uk/ The facts. We think the original reference for this statement is this: Report of Learning Process Project, by the Industrial Audiovisual Association, 1962 which we can’t access anywhere. However, this report is referenced and appears to be quoted both of these places: Gosnell, D. J. (1978). T squared = L: Theory and Technology Combine for Learning. J Educ Tech Sys 7(2), 133-141. http://lettres-anglais.ac-amiens.fr/IMG/pdf/12 LyceeGT_Ressource_AP_Developper-memoire-technique-memorisation_sequence1.pdf The report apparently said that we “learn 85% (or 83% depending on which source is right) through sight”. This Claim is based on a report prepared by an audiovisual industry association in 1962. Such science.

The claim. For children with learning disabilities, cerebral palsy on the autism spectrum, traumatic brain injuries, and other neurological conditions, we also use Quantum Reflex Integration, QRIⓇ, a method in which acu-reflex points linked to primitive reflexes are stimulated by the QRI Harmonic cold laser and sound system. Low level laser therapy works at the cellular level to repair nerve cells and stimulate the integration of the reflexes often bringing significant results. The Symphony of Reflexes: Interventions for Human Development, Autism, ADHD, CP, and Other Neurological Disorders by Bonnie Brandes. Available for sale on OEPF. The facts. The various reflex integration therapies are based on speculative ideas about retained primitive reflexes. We can’t know whether any of them are effective, because they haven’t been scientifically tested. Harriet Hall, MD. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/reflex-integration-therapy/

The claim. Each eye condition is representative of a mind’s-eye perception. Each condition is a gift, offering a specific lesson. The following guide may help you to discover your particular gift. Corneal conditions. Mind’s eye perception = blocking of power, fear of loss of power, seeing pain. Gift or lesson = Reclaim personal power or vision. Seeing Without Glasses A Step-by-Step Approach to Improving Eyesight Naturally By Roberto Kaplan Available for sale on OEPF. The facts. There is no evidence that corneal conditions are a “gift” intended to teach a person to reclaim their personal power or vision, nor is there any evidence that people develop corneal conditions due to a “fear of loss of power”.

So this claim is based on a report prepared by an audiovisual industry association in 1962.

The claim. ​​This study <The impact of vergence and accommodative therapy on reading eye movements and reading speed. Gallaway M and Boas MB. Optom Vis Dev 2007;38(3):115-120.> establishes that accommodative and vergence therapy can result in improved reading speed and eye movements even in the absence of ocular motility therapy. This is documented through objective computerized tools for monitoring changes in eye movements, thereby assisting in understanding the effects of vision therapy on reading efficiency. Ida Chung, OD, FCOVD, FAAO, President the College of Optometrists in Vision Development https://openjournals.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjo/article/view/511/366 The facts. “Establishes” is a pretty strong word to describe a study of six people aged 11 to 24, with no control group and no masking, that the authors themselves describe as “providing preliminary data”.

The claim. ...no published study to date has established causality between phonological awareness and a reading disorder. Ida Chung, OD, FCOVD, FAAO, President the College of Optometrists in Vision Development https://openjournals.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjo/article/view/511/366 The facts. “The evidence in these areas suggests that, in most cases, phonological skills deficiencies associated with phonological coding deficits are the probable causes of the disorder rather than visual, semantic, or syntactic deficits, although reading difficulties in some children may be associated with general language deficits.” Vellutino, F. R., Fletcher, J. M., Snowling, M. J., & Scanlon, D. M. (2004). Specific reading disability (dyslexia): What have we learned in the past four decades?. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 45(1), 2-40.

The claim. When used in very small amounts, lenses, prisms, and binasal occluders can have an effect which is analogous to the effects of internally taken homeopathic medicines. Homeopathic medicine is designed to stimulate the body’s own mechanisms for healing. It uses what is typically considered to be a very small amount of a substance which, when introduced into the body, stimulates learning by the immune system. This enables the system to respond more effectively in similar future situations. This is unlike immunization which uses significant amounts of a substance to trigger an actual response to the toxin. This can cause an actual illness from the exposure, and does so, in a some instances. A Variation on the Use of Binasal Occlusion by Steven Gallop OD https://vision-therapy-pa.com/published-articles/binasal-occlusion The facts. We can’t decide if it is ironic or just plain sad that this peculiar-to-behavioral-optometry technique of binasal occlusion is being compared positively to homeopathy by a behavioral optometrist. Homeopathy is an example of how a lack of understanding of how science and the scientific method work contributes to beliefs that can have drastic consequences for patients. Grams N. (2019). Homeopathy-where is the science? A current inventory on a pre-scientific artifact. EMBO reports, 20(3), e47761. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201947761. See also: Mukerji, N., Ernst, E. Why homoeopathy is pseudoscience. Synthese 200, 394 (2022). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11229-022-03882-w

The claim. “One example of a potentially harmful vision therapy is the use of nasal occlusion filters (a form of opaque tape), prescribed by optometrists in the treatment of esotropia (crossed eyes). This tape is placed on the medial aspect of spectacles worn by a child and is known as binasal occlusion.” Here Dr Press is quoting from this paper https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/12/1873 and then states The problem with this statement of course is that no study has ever shown any harm from the use of binasal occlusion in esotropia. https://visionhelp.wordpress.com/2022/12/15/yet-another-vision-therapy-hatchet-job/ The facts. Has Dr Press read the referenced paper? In the same paragraph, the authors describe the harm: We have seen multiple children lose valuable time (in some cases, up to a year lost) in the treatment of their strabismus. This time cannot be made up, as there are critical phases in visual development [ 7 ]. These children may lose both visual acuity and binocularity, known as stereopsis. There is no study to show this because none would ever be approved by an ethics board. Wang, B., & Kuwera, E. (2022). Children, 9(12), 1873. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121873

The claim. How Do I Know If a Child Needs Vision Therapy? The list below may signal that a patient may need vision therapy: Mixing similar words, such as ‘was’ and ‘saw’ Confusing the letters b, d, p and q https://www.visiontherapycanada.com/vision-therapy/what-is-vision-therapy/ The facts. For the most part children's confusion of mirror image letters is not caused by perceptual deficits but relates to the fact that they are unfamiliar with this type of discrimination task. The ability to successfully discriminate between such letters can be learned easily by most children before first grade when they are instructed properly... reversals are appropriately regarded as relatively trivial and easily corrected errors, not as indicators of ... serious reading problems that must be remediated with special perceptual training materials. The most beneficial teacher response to such errors is to plan a suitable instructional program for the child. Moyer, S. B., & Newcomer, P. L. (1977). Reversals in reading: Diagnosis and remediation. Exceptional children, 43(7), 424-429. This is not new information and is considered a settled fact by reading researchers.

The claim. As mentioned in a previous post, the National Eye Institute (NEI) has funded a 5 year $8 million study called the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial–Attention and Reading Study (CITT-ART)!! This clinical trial is designed to study the effectiveness of vision therapy (VT) for improving reading and attention after treatment of convergence insufficiency (CI) in children for 9 to <14 years of age. This is a call to help recruit for a placebo-controlled VT trial in 2014, sent out on the COVD blog here: https://covdblog.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/action-action-we-want-action-citt-art/ The facts. When the study outcomes were published a few years later, they showed that VT was no better than placebo for improving a child’s reading score. The link below is a 41 page reaction published in the COVD journal, complaining about everything from the CITT-ART authors not using “suggest, may or might” in the abstract, to the placebo used not really being a placebo, to a claim that VT is actually psychotherapy and so you can’t do a placebo-controlled trial of it, and of course that the investigators were biased. Or maybe you could just accept the science? https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.covd.org/resource/resmgr/vdr/vdr_9_2/vdr9-2_article_cook_web.pdf

Photograph of a field at dawn. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim Visual field loss has been found to be negatively correlated with return to work in a follow up study over 15 years of Vietnam Veterans. Reference given: GroswasserZ, Cohen M, Blankstein E. Polytrauma associated with traumatic brain injury: incidence, nature and impact on rehabilitation rehabilitation outcome outcome. Brain Inj 1990;4:161 1990;4:161. Source of this claim: https://www.oepf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Steve-Leslie.pdf The facts. The relationship between visual field loss and return to work was actually not significant in this paper. just another example of playing fast and loose with the truth

Pink and green floral background. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim A case is presented of a four and a half year old child. VA reported OD 20/50 OS 20/20 Retinoscopy reported OD +3.25 OS +2.75 “Refraction” reported OD +1.50 20/40 OS +0.75 20/20 Conclusion: His broken collarbone restricted his arm movement and probably his eye movement. Intentional control of large muscles was difficult, so at this stage, lenses (for central eyesight) would not be the first choice. Treatment given: NON-Conscious ambient visual processing. Passive alteration of visual environment to nonconsciously modify habitual peripheral visual processing. Activities prescribed: shoulder stimulation games, passive peripheral eyesight stimulation , Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex activity, ball bouncing , wheelbarrow moving head, arm and shoulder activity. At 2nd visit (3 weeks later), +0.62 sphere eyeglasses were prescribed to be worn 4 hours per day. Patch left eye with 0.4 Bangerter filter 20 minutes per day. A Novel Contribution to the Optometric Rehabilitation of Optometric Rehabilitation of Amblyopia ICBO 2010 Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The Mind-Eye Connection https://www.oepf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deborah-Zelinsky.pdf The facts. This workup and management is so far from the standard of care according to the evidence. Was cycloplegic retinoscopy done? (probs not) How did you “refract” a 4.5 year old? (and why do you think refraction in an amblyopic 4 year old is reliable?) How does a broken collarbone a year ago cause eye movement problems? (it doesn’t) How do shoulder activities affect vision? (they don’t) What is your rationale for +0.62 spectacles? (there isn’t a justifiable one) And why did you patch for 20 minutes per day? (evidence says 2 hours per day) Chen, A. M., & Cotter, S. A. (2016). The Amblyopia Treatment Studies: Implications for Clinical Practice.

Royal blue background with colorful starbursts. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim Does vision therapy (VT) work? We get it. You've probably never heard of VT before. How long has this been around? How do I know if I'm receiving evidence-based care? Here are just a few of many research endeavors which have been completed in the last several decades outlining why optometric VT is a respected, highly effective method for improving eye teaming ability. (followed by a list of dozens of references). https://www.lumen.vision/does-vt-work The facts. In the section on visual perception and information processing, there are 41 references. 20 are textbooks or textbook chapters. 7 are papers supporting VT for visual perception 13 are papers that do not “outline why optometric VT is ...highly effective”. The next image has details. Our favorite is a review which concludes: “As the relationship of visual perception to school learning is,at best, minimal, the time and expense currently devoted to visual training in the schools should be reevaluated if the purpose of such training is to improve academic achievement.” Larsen, Stephen C and Donald D Hammill, ‘The Relationship of Selected Visual- Perceptual Abilities to School Learning’ (1975) 9(3) The Journal of special education 281-291 Arrow to next page.

Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The details. In the section on visual perception and information processing, of the 41 references: 9 are OEPF/ACBO-published textbooks 11 are chapters or textbooks, including two manuals of therapy activities and one described as a treatise in one review (covdblog) 7 are papers that support VT for visual perception 13 are other papers that do not “outline why optometric VT is ...highly effective” for reasons including: 5 papers that are simply descriptions of perceptual testing. 1 prevalence study. A paper that describes a series of conditions and to whom such patients should be referred. A paper supportive of monocular occlusion for people with dyslexia. A paper exhorting optometrists to consider that a child’s behaviour may cause poor performance on visual perceptual testing. Two papers showing no differences in visual perception test results between those with and without dyslexia. A high-level paper discussing the relationship between eye movements and reading, but no mention of VT in the paper. And our favorite as quoted on the previous page. Such science. Arrow to previous page.

New age looking image (planets, star bursts) on purple background. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim [if you read Luminous Light by Liberman] you will be rewarded with some new concepts that could influence your thinking and [help you] treat your patients more effectively. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.covd.org/resource/resmgr/vdr/vdr_4_1/berne.pdf The SICBBOS team just read most of the Luminous Light preview on Google Books...it covers topics such as: Prahlad Jani the breatharian monk who claimed to live without water or food for decades, and whose “extraordinary state of health was not just related to the fact that he did not eat or drink. He also received great health benefits from sunbathing.” use of “color homeopathy” to enable one to “embrace colors that had previously caused reactions” the author being “elected president of the International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine” in 2010 The facts no references, just...breatharianism, color homeopathy and energy medicine are all alternative medicine and not science

Abstract paint smudges in green and orange. Screenshot from referenced website: an eye made to look like a pie chart, with vision 83%, hearing 11%, touch 3.5%, smell 1.5%, taste 1%. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim We are built to learn visually. It’s simply the most effective of the five senses when it comes to learning, and it’s the sense that most successful students rely upon. In fact, over 80% of brain function incorporates the visual system. https://minnesotavisiontherapy.com/visual-learning The facts. We think the original reference for this statement is this: Report of Learning Process Project, by the Industrial Audiovisual Association, 1962 which we can’t access anywhere. However, this report is referenced and appears to be quoted both of these places: Gosnell, D. J. (1978). T squared = L: Theory and Technology Combine for Learning. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 7(2), 133-141. http://lettres-anglais.ac-amiens.fr/IMG/pdf/12 LyceeGT_Ressource_AP_Developper-memoire-technique-memorisation_sequence1.pdf The report apparently actually said that we “learn 85% (or 83% depending which source is right). Not that over 80% of brain function incorporates the visual system. So the Claim is based on a report prepared by an industry association in 1962, and even then is not quoted accurately. Arrow (next page)

Abstract paint smudges in green and orange. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? Here at SICBBOS, we’ve been trying for ages to work out where this huge and common claim about “80% of what we learn comes through sight” comes from… Here are just a few places where this statistic is rolled out by behavioral optometry. https://www.clarendonvision.com/help-child-learn-80-child-learns-school-presented-visually/ https://www.oepf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/22-220Zaba1-1.pdf https://www.icarevision.com/eye-tests/why-learning-relies-on-healthy-eyesight/ https://www.canterburyeyecare.com.au/eye-health-news/80-of-a-childs-learning-in-school-is-through-their-vision/ https://www.bouldervt.com/the-power-of-visualization-unveiling-the-80-of-learning/ https://eyesbydesign.com.au/services/childrens-vision-clinic https://www.theeyesite.com.au/your-vision/vision-and-learning https://www.covd.org/page/symptoms https://www.babo.co.uk/ Turns out the origin of the claim is a report prepared by an audiovisual industry association in 1962. Yep, that’s the level of science we are dealing with here. Arrow (previous page)

Abstract orange squiggle and a drawing of a person looking confused with question marks. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim. From an exemplar case report published by COVD Unaided VA: OD 20/20, OS 20/25-3 At near (reduced Snellen) OD 20/20 OS 20/30 The OS VA through a 2.2xTelescope was 20/20+1 …Near phorias (with+ 2.50 sph OU): intermittent diplopia with unstable fusion at 10^ BO OS …Wirt Rings with +2.00 sph. OU, patient perceived ring #1 correctly https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.covd.org/resource/resmgr/certification/2019_2020_Fellowship_Guide_F.pdf, P.35-38 The facts. Ok, so we have some questions. For example:... Of course VA is better when you get the patient to read the letter chart through a TELESCOPE: why did you include that? You can’t measure a phoria when there is a constant tropia. So is the tropia constant or did you write the wrong word? Yes, even a monocular person can see the first Wirt ring: this doesn’t mean anything. So why include it? And most importantly, it seems you consider this patient cured based on symptoms, since clinical findings after 13 weeks of weekly in-office vision therapy and home activities did not improve. The patient was wearing plus for near concurrently (an accepted treatment for esotropia). Is it possible her symptoms improved due to the plus lenses? What is the point of the time and expense committed to vision therapy if clinical findings don’t improve?

This is from a document describing how to attain fellowship of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development in 2019-2020.

Bright orange background with two photographs of children’s toys. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim. Vision Therapy for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Incorporation of the DIR model/Floortime approach in which the presenters promote and support the use of Floortime™ in the management of autism. Rachel A “Stacey” Coulter, OD Maria Mandese, OD, Mehrnaz Azimi Green, OD https://www.oepf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Stacey-Coulter.pdf Currently, DIR/Floortime simply does not meet the basic standards of care for use as a treatment intervention. Specifically,there is little to no objective evidence of effectiveness. Ross, Harrison and Zane. https://asatonline.org/for-parents/becoming-a-savvy-consumer/is-there-science-behind-that-dir-floortime/

Yellow gingham background. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim. Reversals are a manifestation of a developmental lag in the process of orientation. They are indicative of an underlying problem in the integration of the vestibular and visual systems in the brain. College of Optometrists in Vision Development: Reversals white paper https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.covd.org/resource/resmgr/white_papers/5-_reversals.pdf The facts For the most part children's confusion of mirror image letters is not caused by perceptual deficits but relates to the fact that they are unfamiliar with this type of discrimination task. The ability to successfully discriminate between such letters can be learned easily by most children before first grade when they are instructed properly... reversals are appropriately regarded as relatively trivial and easily corrected errors, not as indicators of ... serious reading problems that must be remediated with special perceptual training materials. The most beneficial teacher response to such errors is to plan a suitable instructional program for the child. Moyer, S. B., & Newcomer, P. L. (1977). Reversals in reading: Diagnosis and remediation. Exceptional children, 43(7), 424-429.This is not new information and is considered a settled fact by reading researchers.

Person reading in an armchair with books on a table. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim. Because of inadequacy in visual form perception and also in the ability to match visual and verbal symbols, sight reading techniques are ineffective with dyslexics and phonic approaches to the teaching of reading also failed to produce fully satisfactory results. P.98, Selected Works of Nathan Flax Volume 1, Optometric Extension Program Foundation, 2007, for sale on both OEPF and ACBO websites The facts “Impaired phonemic awareness is the most common precursor to dyslexia, and interventions that target phonemic awareness skills have been shown to be the most effective treatment” Jason D. Yeatman, Ph.D. Copyright © 2016 International Dyslexia Association (IDA). Link https://dyslexiaida.org/how-to-counter-vision-based-claims-about-dyslexia-cures/

Green blue and yellow abstract watercolor background. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim. My opinion is that there are many causes to the behavioral characteristics of autism, including genetic predispositions and environmental triggers, including vaccines. I personally know of hundreds of children that have had the same reaction that my son had to their vaccinations that led to serious gastrointestinal and immune dysfunction and autism. https://vtworks.org/2014/05/23/a-sit-down-with-dr-susan-daniel/ The facts. There is no link between vaccines and autism. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center. Link https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-safety/vaccines-and-other-conditions/autism

Green background with electrical power boards with plants growing from them. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim James Oschman, in his book The Scientific Basis of Energy Medicine, has shown the existence of a liquid crystal matrix consisting of collagen, peri-vascular, and connective tissue that communicates electromagnetic energy throughout the body at superconductive speed. Wallace LB. The theory and practice of syntonic phototherapy: a review. Optom Vis Dev 2009;40(2):73-81. The facts. Energy is a mathematical property of stuff, not a glowing orb—and because of our intuitions and wishful thinking, it’s a concept that lends itself well to pseudoscience. Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pseudoscience/energy-wasnt-there

Pink background with flower illustration. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim In commenting on a blog about dyslexia, behavioral optometrist George Sahely quotes 28 studies that apparently support his view that “optometry can be of help to children who present with learning difficulties (again WITHOUT TREATING ANY DYSLEXIA OR LD ITSELF)”. https://www.spelfabet.com.au/2021/10/dyslexia-is-not-a-visual-problem-or-a-gift/ The facts Of these 28 studies: 1 is a consensus guideline (#27) 1 is a policy statement (#26) 2 are irrelevant to learning difficulties (#19 and #20) 1 is a description of a theory (#4) 1 is a textbook (#1) 2 are non-systematic reviews (#10 and unnumbered Nearchou) 2 support prescribing for refractive error (#12 and #24) 16 “support” his view but 13 of them have serious issues including low numbers of participants, no control group, simulation studies in adults, poor control of confounding factors and 2 actually support the opposite view, that eye exercises “remain controversial” except for very limited circumstances. (#2 and #13)

Child having eyes examined with a microscope. Sticker: Can you believe they said this? The claim. A typical optometrist will look at your eyes, they’ll check your prescription, and they’ll check you for eye disease. But that’s literally all they do. They treat you like a pair of eyeballs. Dr Nicholas Altuneg, Eyes by Design on TikTok https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSME4uCd7/ The facts. Under Australian guidelines, all optometrists are obliged to diagnose, assess and manage (including referral if out of their own scope) problems of binocular vision, amblyopia, strabismus and other issues that are not “prescription” or “eye disease” related. This claim breaks the Optometry Board of Australia code of conduct: not making unfair or inaccurate comparisons between the services of optometrists. https://www.optometry.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Professional_support/Guidelines/Final_Entry-level-Competency-Standard-for-Optometry-2022.pdf https://www.optometryboard.gov.au/documents/default.aspx?record=WD10%2F1313&dbid=AP&chksum=3DLsSdMZPBDHyZxbvSLtew%3D%3D