by SIMONE CAVE, Daily Mail

Scientists have proved that special glasses which have one lens covered can help dyslexic children to read. This remarkable finding could prove to be one of the most successful cures for dyslexia.

Up to 20pc of boys and 5pc of girls have great trouble learning to read, despite being perfectly bright in other ways. In other words, they have dyslexia.

This condition frequently occurs within families, and the latest evidence suggests that it is often associated with mild visual impairments and unstable eye control, resulting in 'wobbly eyes' when attempting to read.

If the two eyes do not point steadily at print, letters can seem to dance around and change their order, so the child becomes confused.

Reading with just one eye - by wearing glasses with a patched lens - can prevent the eyes' views of letters crossing over each other.

Eye specialist Dr Sue Fowler, from Oxford University, says that visual problems are usually overlooked because the majority of dyslexia experts believe that the cause is within the brain and its wiring system, rather than being a visual problem.

'It is very important that the visual problems of dyslexic children are investigated,' says Dr Fowler. 'At the moment this is often overlooked, and experts focus on language when trying to help a child.

'Yet in many cases, the child's reading still doesn't improve because the cause is an underlying visual problem.'

One child who was lucky enough to have his visual problem identified and corrected is 14-year-old Mark Gourley,

from Berkshire.

When Mark was seven, he was sent to see Sue Fowler after his teacher suspected he could be dyslexic. Although he was obviously an intelligent boy, his reading was lagging behind the others in his class.

'I had all sorts of tests and was given a pair of glasses with one lens covered over,' says Mark. 'I had to wear them for three months for school work and reading.

'I felt a bit self-conscious and it was strange trying to read with just one eye, but my mum made me wear them anyway. I don't remember anything dramatic happening, but I definitely became better at reading. I went from being one of the slowest readers in the class to one of the best.'

Despite the success of this treatment, it is only now that enough evidence has been gathered for it to stand a chance of being widely accepted by dyslexia experts.

Results of a study carried out by Dr Fowler and her colleagues, proving the effectiveness of patched glasses, have now been published in the journal Brain.

The trial looked at 144 severely dyslexic children, aged nine, who had reading ages of around seven.

For three months, half the children wore dummy glasses with yellow lenses, and the others wore dyslexia glasses which had one lens covered with tape.

Those wearing the dyslexia glasses showed a

marked improvement in eye control and reading. The average reading age increased to eight years old.

Professor John Stein, from Oxford University, who also led the study says: 'It is important to catch the problem while the child is still young.' 'The glasses won't be effective in older children whose eyes have settled, but they can be a lifesaver for younger ones, as they will enable them to lay down a robust representation of different words.'

The children in the study were found to have maintained their reading improvements after nine months, and it is thought that wearing the glasses for three months corrects the problem permanently.

But according to Roy Fielding, chairman of British Dyslexics, this research could give false hopes to parents.

'From the children that we see, I would estimate that less than 10 pc of those with dyslexia have eye problems,' he says.

'Although these dyslexia glasses will probably be very helpful for those with an unstable eye condition, this affects only a small proportion of children.'

FOR more information, please contact the Dyslexia Research Trust, tel. 0118 934 0580.