Amblyopic dyslexia: A little investigated reading disorder

Abstract

We present a case of a little investigated reading disorder we call ‘amblyopic dyslexia’. The reading impairment in this patient resulted from a left extrastriate and white matter lesion causing a scotomatic area of partial deficit within the right visual field. The visual deficit was consistent with cerebral amblyopia, that is, reduced form, colour, and light sensitivity without a complete loss of vision. The patient's reading deficit was characterized by accurate single letter naming and almost accurate but effortful single word reading, with no letter-by-letter strategy. The criteria for distinguishing amblyopic dyslexia from other reading disorders and the most appropriate treatment are discussed.

Keywords:

• Dyslexia
• Visual field defect
• Intracerebral hemorrhage
• Cerebral amblyopia

The authors would like to thank Dr Concetta di Lorenzo for making the visual field assessment and Dr Sabrina Ronca for making the neuropsychological language assessment and administering the reading training.

Notes

¹Although two of these cases (Castro-Caldas & Salgado, 1984; Charnallet et al., 1988) did not explicitly refer to CA, the characteristics of the visual deficit and the lesion site are consistent with CA.