A review of literature indicates that many so-called reading miscues could well be the result of ocular defects rather than learning disabilities, and that there is a need for adequate screening programs at the earliest possible age so that these defects may be treated when they exist. The question is raised as to how many children designated as having learning or reading problems, or considered as having maturational lags on the basis of their performance on tests or in class, are actually suffering from some visual problem left undetected by the screening devices employed by most educational institutions today. If one considers that reading levels are the lowest in the most deprived segments of the population, where there is also the least amount of professional health care, it might be inferred that sociolinguistic factors are not the only reasons for the inferior reading performance. Certainly, it would be well if federal monies for remedial reading also included funding for professional vision screening, particularly in the preschool and primary years. It also seems incumbent upon the reading profession to ascertain whether a child has command of all mental, auditory, and visual faculties before referring the child to special instruction. (An update of visual screening techniques is appended.) (RL)