Tracking problems

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Tracking problems

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Tracking is a term used by optometrists. They are referring to the ability of the eyes to move and follow moving objects or following a line of written words. They often say that children with dyslexia are going to have a tracking problem because these kids seem to be intelligent, but they just can't read. So a logical jump would be, they can't track. They have poor tracking. But that's not true. If you look at children with dyslexia, they are bright, yes, but they can track. They play video games. They play sports. They can track really well, but when it gets to reading, they have a problem processing the information. There was a study at John Hopkins and they showed that children with dyslexia had perfectly normal tracking, but when they read words that they are not familiar with, they had jumpy eye movements. They took children who had normal vision and normal reading ability and, they also the same eye movements when they tried to read real difficult words or Chinese words. So it's not a tracking issue. In fact, it's not that they are dumb. Often children with dyslexia feel self-conscious about it, especially if they have to read out loud in school. It's just horrible for them because they feel bad about themselves and they feel that they are dumb. They are not dumb. Let me give you an example, Thomas Edison, ever hear of him? Yeah, he was dyslexic. General Patton, one of the best generals in World War II, dyslexic. Thomas Edison, General Patton, and even Albert Einstein. These guys are really bright, but they just don't have that knack to read.

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Kenneth Wright, MD

Pediatric Ophthalmologist

A caring physician, Dr. Kenneth Wright is devoted to the health of children’s eyes. He is an internationally respected pediatric ophthalmologist, and is included in “The Best Doctors in America” and “Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care.”  Dr. Wright is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Keck School of Medicine.  He has developed novel surgical techniques for pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.  Dr. Wright received his medical degree from Boston University and fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus at Johns-Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, and Children’s Hospital, Washington, DC.  Following his fellowships, he then accepted a full-time faculty member position at USC School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles where he served for 10 years.  He was later appointed Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, before returning home to Los Angeles to establish a pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus center of excellence.  

Dr. Wright has authored of over 100 published scientific papers, seven textbooks including his renowned textbook, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and has lectured worldwide.  He founded the non-profit Wright Foundation with a mission to reduce blindness and suffering in children with eye disorders through research, education, and clinical care. He has established a pediatric eye clinic for underprivileged children.  Important to the Wright Center is the principle that patient care always comes first.  

An interesting personal note is that Dr. Wright’s youngest son developed crossed eyes as an infant requiring surgery and Dr. Wright operated on his own son.  The outcome was excellent and years later his son served in the United States Marine Corps as a top marksman.

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