According to a recent study by Lenstore, Britain is a nation of readers, as a staggering 92% of the population enjoy or love reading in their free time. Lockdown restrictions gave us more time than ever for this hobby, with a quarter (26%) of Brits reading more books during the pandemic.
However, this much-loved pastime is difficult for 1.6 million Brits who struggle to read due to poor eyesight. If you count yourself among this number, there are areas of your eye health that could be improved or treated so that you can continue to enjoy your favourite books.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia happens when eyes age and have trouble focusing on close objects, for example, while reading or writing. Unfortunately, everyone develops presbyopia at some point as they age regardless of eye health, usually after the age of 40.
The condition is caused by the slow stiffening of our eye’s lens. When we are young, our eye’s lenses are flexible, allowing us to easily switch between viewing near and far objects. As it stiffens, it becomes more difficult for us to focus on close-up objects. Because of this, presbyopia is usually most noticeable when reading.
If you find yourself holding your book further away from your face, it may be due to presbyopia. However, it’s completely normal and shouldn’t cause you to worry. You can correct presbyopia with glasses or contact lenses. So, if you are struggling to focus on the words on a page, it may be time to schedule an eye check-up.
Eye strain
If you focus on a book, your phone, or a screen with small font for too long, your eyes can strain which can cause blurry vision. This is especially a risk if you’re in a dark setting, looking at a page that isn’t well lit enough or reading from a screen that is too bright. If you’re suffering from eye strain, you may also experience double vision, headaches or even migraines.
If your vision gets fuzzy during a long reading session, try to take regular breaks, focusing on objects that are at least twenty feet away.
More serious issues
While presbyopia is benign and age-related, and eye strain is caused by your day-to-day activity, there are more serious eye health issues that can cause blurry vision and impact your ability to read.
- Optic neuritis: this is the inflammation of the optic nerve. If you are suffering from this, your vision may be dimmer with reduced contracts and colours. While optic neuritis tends to go away over time, it does need further investigation from your optometrist.
- Cataracts: A cataract is a build-up of protein in the lens of your eye which can cloud your vision. They can be removed through surgery, which normally fully restores your vision.
How to look after your eyes while reading
While your vision inevitably deteriorates with age and some eye health issues aren’t preventable, there are things you can do to keep your eyes healthy while reading,
Your eyes may strain to read if there is insufficient lighting, or if the font is too small to focus on. Try and position a light source behind you that will illuminate your book’s pages as you read. You may want to consider buying books with larger fonts if you struggle to read smaller text.
If you are using an e-reader device, make sure you adjust your brightness settings often so that the screen is comfortable to look at.
If you are prescribed glasses or contact lenses, ensure that you wear them to avoid unnecessary eye strain. You should also schedule routine eye tests to ensure that any eye health issues are caught early.
