Does anyone experience 'visual dyslexia'?

Post Reply New Topic

For as long as I can remember I've had what I can only describe as a kind of visual dyslexia. It's only as bad as annoying rather than reaching the level of a learning disability, but I am curious to know if anyone else experiences it and if it has an official name.

A couple of examples. You know those diagrams on stoves that identify which knob turns on which ring? I will look at the diagram and be convinced I've identified the right ring, only to come back 10 minutes later and find the water in the pot is still cold and another ring is heating nothing. Or I'll look at the charger connector on my mobile phone, which is not horizontally symmetrical, and think, "Ah, yeah, it goes that way," - and I'll still get it wrong.

I can also transpose numbers - so if the number is 2478, I'll read it or write it as 2748. This has never been a huge problem for me, although I need to slow down when I'm doing maths to make sure I don't mess up.

I've never had issues with actual dyslexia, although as I kid I mixed up the letters 'g' and 'j'. Once during a class competition I spelt 'engine' as e-n-j-i-n-e. I knew it was a 'g' rather than a 'j', and I was convinced at the time that I said 'g'. The teacher adjudicated that I'd said 'j', and when I replayed the incident in my head I had to agree with her.

Can anyone else relate?

Sometimes, I transpose numbers, too.

At times, when I'm searching for something, the item is right on front of me. Yet, I cannot see it until it's pointed out to me.

Thanks for the reply, Kraftiekortie. Yes, I sometimes miss seeing the thing I'm looking for when it's right in front of my face. I've been carrying the lost item sometimes. Once I couldn't find my glasses. I felt like a right idiot when I discovered I was wearing them (and also figured it was probably time to update my prescription). I don't think that counts as visual dyslexia, though - ditzy and scatterbrained come to mind!

I feel what you've described is sort of a form of visual dyslexia, combined with a sort of dyslexia where one has difficulty determining one's exact place in the physical plane, known as proprioceptive perceptual difficulties.

Wow...Learned a lot just in this already.

OK...so, I have many of the same symptoms described above. However I do believe everybody has lost their glasses at one time or another and they were:
1) on the face,
2) on the head
3) on a stringer around their neck

LOL

However, the most illuminating thing was Kraftie's visual plane dyslexia. I have very real depth perception problems. Stairs drive me nuts. And certain paint jobs on the stairs can really just make me swoon (ok,. only word I could think of) but, it's dizzying and it will flatten out things to where I can't tell if a step is above or below another.

I can stand at a urinal (that is the most consistent place this happens, but it can happen anywhere if the pattern and distance are correct) I can see certain tile patterns and I can't tell if it's 100 feet away or 2-3 feet away (where it should be standing at proper distance) I have to use my finger and trace it's path from body to wall just to find the distance. I can't find it with the visual markers there, such as the porcelain or the metal pipes.

That has always puzzled me. Thanks to Kraftie, I now have a place to look.

Thanks!!

Yes my husband has the same experience at the stove!