The Visual Skills You Can’t See — But Make All the Difference in Reading

Fixation, saccades, and tracking: the hidden eye movements that impact reading fluency and confidence.

Reading shouldn’t feel like a battle.

But for one kindergarten student I worked with, just looking at a page could trigger frustration, shutdown, and big emotions.

It wasn’t about effort. It wasn’t about intelligence. It wasn’t even about phonics.

It was about how his eyes were working.

What others saw as behavior… I saw as a visual system that wasn’t supporting him.

The Part No One Talks About: Your Eyes Do More Work Than You Think

Each eye has 6 muscles — 12 total — that must work together in perfect coordination just to keep words clear, stable, and moving smoothly across a page.

If even a few of those muscles aren’t coordinating well?

Reading can feel:

• Exhausting

• Frustrating

• Overwhelming

And for many… impossible.

Reading shouldn’t feel impossible. But for one young kindergarten student I worked with, even seeing words on a page could trigger frustration, big feelings, and sometimes acting out. It wasn’t a lack of effort — it was how his eyes were working.

From the start, big feelings got in the way of learning. Reading or even having words in front of him triggered strong reactions. Others saw behaviors; I saw a deeper challenge: his visual system wasn’t supporting reading.

When the Eyes Don’t Work with the Brain

During my work with him, I noticed:

• He couldn’t keep his eyes on the page long enough to take in words

• He couldn't "see" the words in front of him to make sense of them.

• He would be emotional dysregulated when presented with academic work.

We started small: just keeping his eyes on the page.

Through simple, playful fixation activities paired with movement, we helped his eyes learn to:

• Land on a word

• Stay there

• Actually see it

He practiced consistently, celebrated every small success, and added new steps gradually.

Over time, there were subtle but meaningful changes:

• He was able to engage with visual tasks for longer periods

• His eyes appeared more stable when looking at targets

• His overwhelming behavior when presented with work became less and less

It’s important to note—many factors influence behavior and classroom performance. But these shifts suggested his visual system was beginning to support him differently.

And that matters.

How Reading Really Works (The Missing Piece)

Before a word can be sounded out or understood, the eyes need to:

• Find the word

• Hold still long enough to see it clearly

• Move efficiently to the next word

• Stay organized from line to line

That’s where three foundational visual skills come in:

Fixation. Saccades. Tracking.

Fixation: The Skill of Actually Seeing

Fixation is the ability to land on a word and hold your eyes there long enough for the brain to process it.

Without it, children may not be fully or accurately taking in visual information.

You might notice:

• Skipping small words

• Words can look blurry

• Heavy reliance on guessing

👉 Fixation allows the brain to access the word.

Eye-tracking research shows that readers with difficulties often make more and longer fixations, reflecting the extra effort their eyes need to take in text (PubMed, 2023).

Saccades: The Jumps That Make Reading Flow

Saccades are the quick, precise eye movements from one word to the next.

When they’re strong, reading feels smooth.

When they’re not?

You’ll see:

• Skipped words

• Rereading lines

• Choppy, effortful reading

👉 Saccades are what keep reading moving forward.

Research shows saccades are not random — they are closely linked to word recognition and comprehension.

Tracking: Moving Smoothly Across Lines

Tracking allows the eyes to move smoothly across a line and shift down to the next. Smooth tracking helps the brain focus on comprehension, not just following text.

Without it, reading becomes disorganized fast.

You might notice:

• Losing place

• Skipping or repeating lines

• Mental fatigue after just a few minutes

👉 Tracking keeps everything on track—literally.

Why These Skills Matter Together

When fixation, saccades, and tracking work together:

✔ Reading requires less effort

✔ Visual attention is more stable

✔ Cognitive energy can shift toward comprehension

And here’s the key:

This doesn’t replace reading instruction.

It helps remove a barrier that often goes unnoticed.

What the Research Shows

Eye-tracking research shows that students with reading difficulties often demonstrate:

• Increased and prolonged fixations

• Less efficient eye movement patterns (specifically they have more saccadic movements as compared to typical readers)  (PubMed, 2023).

• Greater visual effort during reading tasks

  
  

In other words…

👉 Their brains are working harder because their eyes aren’t working efficiently.

The Takeaway Parents & Educators Need to Hear

If a child:

• Avoids reading

• Becomes frustrated quickly

• Struggles despite strong instruction

It’s worth asking:

👉 What are their eyes doing during reading?

Because sometimes…

The challenge isn’t understanding. It’s accessing the information in the first place.

What Comes Next

In upcoming posts, I’ll share simple, practical ways to support:

• Fixation (seeing clearly)

• Saccades (moving efficiently)

• Tracking (staying on track and organized)

Small, consistent practice can help reduce effort and support more efficient reading.

RESOURCE: Fella, A., Loizou, M., Christoforou, C., & Papadopoulos, T. C. (2023). Eye movement evidence for simultaneous cognitive processing in reading. Children, 10(12), 1855. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121855