The rehabilitation of hemianopic dyslexia

Abstract

Hemianopic dyslexia is a frequent and disabling functional impairment following brain injury. This form of dyslexia is an acquired reading disorder whereby patients with homonymous visual field defects have persistent and severe reading difficulties, despite having intact language functions. Hemianopic dyslexia has received little attention from researchers and clinicians, and this article is the first to review the rehabilitation of patients with the condition. In light of advances in our knowledge about the nature and causes of hemianopic dyslexia, I critically examine the available treatment methods for visual field disorders and evaluate their efficiency in alleviating hemianopic dyslexia. On the basis of the reviewed evidence, I suggest that compensatory therapies, which attempt to reorganize eye-movement control, are superior to restorative therapies, which aim at visual field restitution. For the rehabilitation of hemianopic dyslexia, I recommend a treatment protocol that involves the systematic and repetitive practice of specific eye movements for reading. Despite increasing evidence for the effectiveness of this treatment protocol, which has clinically relevant long-term benefits, the underlying mechanism of the therapeutic effect is still unclear. Indeed, more research is required to further improve the efficiency of rehabilitation in patients with hemianopic dyslexia.