Another Vision "Cure"

A veterinarian, Robert Dahlem, had a son with dyslexia.  Dahlem invented a type of prism lenses in an effort to help his son. "A father's intuition started Dahlem down this path."

The boy did have an opportunity for effective instruction.  There's little evidence the glasses work.

The son was enrolled at the dePaul school in Louisville, Kentucky.  However,

Watching children from the school, Dahlem noticed that many had asymmetrical faces, with the left eye closer to the midline. He said he later figured out that a dyslexic's right eye is dominant when looking at objects up to six inches away, but the left eye becomes dominant after that. When concentrating on reading, he said, the right eye has to turn to the left, creating a problem.

"Reading is a symphony," Dahlem said. "It's both eyes working together."

After full days as a veterinarian treating animals, Dahlem spent hours at home on dyslexia, building a large model of the eye and sketching out diagrams.

Dahlem's final version works like this: The prism lens is placed on the right side of a pair of clear plastic glasses. Through a system of tests, the appropriate strength of prism lens is found to deal with the person's dyslexia. Those who already need prescription glasses can use Dahlem's glasses in front of their prescription frames, or switch to contacts.

But the treatment has not been researched.

University of Louisville officials said a small study there was not encouraging. And Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a Yale University pediatrics professor and nationally recognized expert on dyslexia, said she's cautious, considering dyslexia is a complex problem rooted in the brain.

"It's not consistent with what we know helps and works," said Shaywitz, who has heard about Dahlem's idea but hasn't investigated it. "You can't go on testimonials."
[snip]

Shaywitz, the Yale expert, said she respects Dahlem's intentions. "What I would suggest he do is a double-blind study," Shaywitz said.

Dahlem has tried to do one, but efforts to spark academic studies at U of L and Bellarmine University have been derailed. U of L spokeswoman Ellen de Graffenreid said data from a small-scale study of 20 people didn't prove the lenses work, so researchers chose not to pursue a National Institutes of Health grant.

At least Dahlem isn't profiting from the screening or the lenses. 

As EoR says (relative to the Dore "treatment")

No: emotional pressure and claims of miracle cures is not force. Just deceptive.

Comments

[Cara Ferguson]

yah no proof unless you talk to the parents of the kids with glasses from Dahlem. They work, and I've seen it more then a few times.