Abeye unveils the Lexilens monitor: A computer display that reduces neurovisual crowding to help dyslexics read better

Dyslexics have physical differences in their visual system that create mirror images of text and other visual artifacts that prevent them from properly tracking lines of text and reading words. One of the notable differences is their Maxwell’s centroids, the blue photoreceptor-free area of the fovea located in the retina, where the sharpest vision occurs. In normal humans, the centroid for the dominant eye has a circular shape, while the non-dominant eye has an oval shape.

Although not well understood, the differences in Maxwell's centroids allow the human brain to properly recognize text seen by the left and right eyes since their afterimages differ, but for those who have dyslexia, mirror images of text appear. In addition, eye fixation is relatively linear and steady among normal subjects, but quite scattered among those with dyslexia when reading lines of text, increasing the time needed to read and comprehend each sentence.

Additionally, ambient noise levels greatly affect the ability to concentrate on text while reading, while scattering eye fixation. Although normal subjects are affected by noise, those with dyslexia are affected significantly more. Even a relatively quiet 52 dB ambient noise level can fully disrupt the ability of a dyslexic to understand any text, according to one study.

The Abeye Lexilens leverages pulse-width modulation of the LCD display backlight to disrupt the mirroring of text, resetting the visual system roughly as Panasonic HDTVs with Motion Flow technology do, by displaying a black, blank screen between each video frame. Although further research is required to understand the exact mechanisms by which pulsed displays work, the Abeye Lexilens monitor can make reading digital text easier for dyslexics, even in noisy environments, says Abeye.