Visual regression is a common problem amongst readers. It can decrease your reading speed while causing numerous comprehension problems. Many people have visual regression without realizing it. Fortunately, it is an easy problem to fix. This article will explain visual regression and its problems, and provide you with an easy solution you can immediately put into use.
While reading do you often have to repeat words to be able to understand what you are reading? This is visual regression. You are regressing or reading the same word or phrases repeatedly until your brain understands the meaning of the sentence. Let me give you a specific example.
Here is a very simple sentence: “the man sat on a bench while watching the baseball game.” People with visual regression would read this sentence differently. I will replicate what their brain’s are doing by breaking down each grouping they read on a separate line:
The
The man
The man sat
The man sat on
The man sat on a
The men sat on a bench
The men sat on a bench while
The men sat on a bench while watching
The men sat on a bench while watching a
The men sat on a bench while watching a baseball
The men sat on a bench while watching a baseball game.
You can see how an individual reading in this fashion would read at a dramatically slower pace. Not everyone repeats every single word as I did in my example. They may read a few words together, and then move on to another grouping, and then repeat both groupings. Regardless of the severity of your visual regression, you definitely want to eliminate it. Let me share a simple solution you can immediately begin to use.
One of the easiest ways to eliminate this troublesome problem is to use your hands while reading. As you move your hand across the page, have your eyes follow. This will cause your brain to view larger chunks of text as a unit. It will also enable you to continuously scan new information. As you move your hand, keep your eyes moving forward. Do not go back to read anything you have already viewed in the text. This simple action can completely eliminate any regression problems you are experiencing while reading. It is easy to do, and will also help you increase your reading speed. Give it a try, and I am certain you will find it helpful in solving your problem.