Disconjugate Eye Movements in Dyslexic Adolescents While Viewing Op Art: A Creative Handicap?

Op art was created, in part, to produce illusions of movement. Given that dyslexics have been shown to have impaired visuo-postural axis deficits, it may be possible that dyslexics see illusions different than their non-dyslexic peers. To test this theory, we measured eye movement and posture in 47 dyslexic (18 female, 29 male; mean age 15.4) and 44 non dyslexic (22 female, 22 male; mean age 14.8) adolescents while they viewed three works of art by Op artist Bridget Riley. They then responded to a questionnaire about how they felt while viewing the artworks. Dyslexics demonstrated significantly slower saccades in terms of average velocity that was particularly disturbed in paintings that manipulated depth. Subjectively, dyslexics felt much more destabilized compared to their peers; however, there was not a significant difference in objective postural measurements between the two groups. The sensation of destabilization was positively correlated with appreciation in non-dyslexic adolescents. These subjective results suggest that dyslexics may be more sensitive to movement in depth, which could be related to the instability in vergence movements. Whereas this instability represents a hinderance in relation to reading, it could be an advantage while viewing paintings such as these.