Since childhood, many of us have been told by our parents that reading in dim light can damage our eyesight. But some people still read in the dim light of a night lamp or in poorly lit vehicles. How exactly does dim light affect vision? Can reading in dim light harm your eyes? Find answers in this article.

Does vision deteriorate if you read in poor lighting?

Many of us are firmly convinced that regular reading in dim light damages our eyesight. However, a few years ago, a study appeared that stated that reading in poor lighting does not affect visual acuity and does not lead to myopia. The authors of the study, having studied a number of sources on this topic, came to the conclusion that there is not a single experimental evidence of the long-term negative impact of dim lighting on the state of human vision. The researchers noted that when reading in dim light, a person may experience temporary discomfort and pain in the eyes, but they are reversible and not permanent. That is, after a person closes the book and gives his eyes a rest, all unpleasant symptoms will disappear without affecting the general state of visual function.

How does reading in low light affect our eyes?

The pupil is designed in such a way that it adapts to lighting conditions. If the room is too brightly lit, the pupil narrows, allowing a limited amount of light rays to pass through. If, on the contrary, there is not enough light in the room, the pupil dilates, thereby increasing the amount of light entering the retina of the eye. That is, adaptive mechanisms allow the eyes to easily adapt to reading under any lighting conditions. At the same time, vision does not deteriorate in dim light. Its sharpness is not affected by poor lighting, but only by the condition of the retina and internal structures of the eye.

Why shouldn't you read in poor lighting?

When you read by the light of a night light or a weak lamp, the muscles of accommodation experience extreme stress. The weaker the lighting, the more the eye muscles tense. Such tension leads to eye fatigue, painful sensations, and can cause headaches. With such symptoms, reading will cause discomfort; you will not be able to relax and enjoy your favorite book.

Eye strain, as ophthalmologists note, can also lead to increased intraocular pressure. And this condition is very dangerous and poses a threat to the development of glaucoma - a serious ophthalmological disease that can lead to complete irreversible blindness.

Glaucoma develops in people who have persistently high pressure inside the eyes. Because of this condition, the cells of the retina are gradually destroyed and the optic nerve atrophies. First, a person’s field of vision narrows, dark spots appear before the eyes, and eventually, when the damaged optic nerve finally stops transmitting visual signals to the brain, complete blindness may occur.

Thus, overstrain of the eye muscles when reading in the dark indirectly affects vision, because it can provoke an increase in intraocular pressure and increase the risk of developing glaucoma.

Also, in poor lighting, the eyes suffer from dryness. Trying to look at small print in the twilight, a person blinks less often. As a result, the eyes are poorly moistened, the tear film is not renewed, and a burning sensation and discomfort arises.

Even if your vision is not affected in poor lighting, there are other reasons to avoid dim lamps.

Not long ago, scientists proved that frequent exposure to poor lighting conditions slows down brain function and negatively affects the functions of memory, attention, and brain activity. The most pronounced effect of dim light is on children's brains, reducing their ability to learn. Also, working in a poorly lit room reduces the productivity of any activity and can lead to the development of depressive symptoms.

Thus, despite the lack of direct evidence of the relationship between reading in the dark and poor vision, it is better to play it safe and read in good light conditions. This will avoid unnecessary strain, eye fatigue, and ensure high performance and good health.

What lighting is considered optimal for reading?

Ophthalmologists have such a concept as “reading hygiene.” It involves observing conditions under which reading will be as safe and comfortable for the eyes as possible. This includes proper lighting, body position, distance from the eyes to the book, and other factors.

Parents should instill reading hygiene in their child from an early age, which will help subsequently maintain his ophthalmological health.

We list the basic rules that are important to follow when reading.

• The place where you plan to read should be in the brightest part of the room. The ideal option is a table opposite the window and natural, uniform lighting without shadows. With this light, the eye muscles do not strain, the eyes do not get tired, and you can read comfortably for a long time.
• If you read in the dark, it is important to choose the right artificial lighting. It should be bright enough, but at the same time uniform. The ideal option would be soft, diffused light that does not dazzle the eyes. In the evening, in addition to the main lighting, you will need a table or bedside lamp that will provide local light directly above the book.
• The uniformity of lighting when reading plays an important role. As ophthalmologists note, the fewer differences between the light intensity in the room, the more comfortable this lighting is for the eyes. It is for this reason that it is not recommended to use only a local light source, because in this case, when moving from narrow to wide fields of view, the brightness contrast will be clearly felt and the eyes will experience discomfort.
• When reading, the local light source should be located to your right. In the horizontal plane it should be at a distance of 30-40 cm from the book, and in the vertical plane it should rise above it by about 25-30 cm.
• Make sure that there are no objects in the room that create glare or can reflect light. Otherwise, these glares will blind your eyes and interfere with normal reading. For the same reason, it is recommended to use lamps with frosted glass lampshades, diffusers, and reflectors.
• It is better to place too bright direct light sources as high as possible.

In addition to proper lighting, it is important for eye health to read while sitting at a table and holding the book at a distance of about 40 cm from the eyes. You should not read lying down or reclining, because in this case it is difficult to maintain the indicated distance. Depending on age, the duration of continuous reading can vary from several minutes to several hours. Reading e-books or materials on a computer deserves a separate discussion. In this case, breaks should be taken more often than when reading a regular book, and the lighting source should not create glare on the screen.

Light or darkness - about the dangers of reading in the dark

Is it beneficial or harmful for children to read in the evening, type at the computer, play games and watch TV without light, with a lamp or with candles?
Many people don’t ask this question at all. Although it still remains relevant. This is especially true for married couples with small children. Reading itself with a lamp or candles does not pose a danger to our and children’s vision, precisely because the book does not hit the eyes with bright light. When the computer monitor or TV screen is turned off, it has a very strong negative impact on vision.

Of course, it’s possible that even those who know about the dangers of a bright screen may simply not realize that their child, for the sake of a fun and interesting game, can pick up a tablet while no one is looking. Make yourself more comfortable in a room without light, pretending to be asleep and under the blanket of midnight in silence enjoy the game, or communicate on the phone or the Internet.

The older generation, for the most part, loves muted tones and enjoys watching TV series with lamps, and many without any light at all. And children repeat after adults, they incredibly love to imitate and be like their parents, grandparents. It is very bad when a child sits in a room without light and watches cartoons. There are many examples where a person loses vision over several years, seemingly in completely normal health. And there are cases where blindness occurred completely. During examinations, it turns out that the reason is irradiation of the retina and a huge load on vision.
Now let’s imagine what happens to our eyes if we already spend most of our time looking at the monitor, and without light, this is a triple load!

There is a fairly simple experiment that everyone can do; to do this, you need to turn off the light and close one eye with your hand. Then turn on the monitor screen, you can use a tablet, phone or regular PC. Work, play, or type for about ten minutes. Then close your eye and cover it with your hand. You will see flashes of light, and the eye will come to its senses for some time, it will ache after you open both eyes, the second one will not hurt at all. Thus, we checked what happens to the eyes after the light is off and the monitor turns off.

The risk, as you can see, is very high, wearing lenses at best. Particular attention should be paid to children; they are so attached to the fashion of games and the Internet that parents simply do not know how to stop them from sitting in front of the monitor. In this case, only rigor, the best argument, and conviction, explanation. Children love to listen, but they believe facts even more. Give a few examples, and it will become a special conversation that anyone will understand, even without words, the main thing in this case is to see! Images that show the sad results of mistreating ourselves!

Naturally, children can sometimes not know the limits, and parents can hardly resist persuasion and requests. But everything must be in moderation; when a child knows how to stop, he will be able to avoid many difficulties in the future. And most importantly, health.

We are definitely not talking about two or three days spent with the lights turned off in front of a bright screen, but about several years, perhaps more. And about those cases and children when this happens constantly, for many hours at night or in the evening. No exceptions should be made, take care of your eyesight, and sleep is very important for the body.

Sometimes we don’t notice the most basic things in the rush for success and bustle. Difficult everyday life and a lot of work take away your strength, but you should be more careful and monitor the little things that sometimes grow into a serious problem.
Source of SHOCK-Info

“The eyes are not responsible for what the mind shows”

- Publilius Syrus

It is important to be able to separate fact from fiction, especially when it comes to vision. A lot has been speculated on this issue without any factual basis. If you use such information, you can cause harm to yourself or your loved ones.

Knowing how to take care of your vision is the first step to maintaining your vision throughout your life. To do this, here is real information about some myths about vision:

Myth #1: “If you sit too close to the TV, you damage your eyesight.”

There is no evidence that sitting close to the TV damages a person’s eyesight. Sits where you feel most comfortable to sit. Sitting close to the TV for long periods of time can cause eye fatigue if the room is poorly lit or if the image on the screen is unclear.

Myth No. 2 “Reading in the dark ruins your eyesight”

Just like sitting close to the TV, reading in the dark may cause eye strain, but it may not harm your overall vision.

Myth #3 “Some eye exercises can improve your vision”

In order to keep your eye muscles toned, you just need to be alive and look at the world. All other additional efforts are a transfer of time that will not be beneficial. This myth has helped many people get rich, but rolling your eyes has no effect on your vision.

Myth #4: “You can ruin your eyes if you use them too much.”

Eyes are not light bulbs. You can't lose your vision by using it a lot. In fact, if your eyes are healthy, they will last you a lifetime. Reducing your reading time or cutting back on work won't help, but it won't harm your vision either.

Myth No. 5: “In old age, vision improves due to a decrease in presbyopia”

A decrease in presbyopia is an age-related change that leads to a person beginning to see better, especially at close range. The reason for this “improvement” in vision is a change in the optical power of the lens in the early stages of cataract development. Thus, a decrease in presbyopia is a sign of developing cataracts.

Myth #6: “Too much sex, especially masturbation, can lead to blindness.”

Myth No. 7 “Wearing poorly fitting glasses harms your eyesight”

In fact, for good vision you need to have the right glasses. But incorrectly chosen glasses do not make your vision worse.

Myth #8 “Blind people have a sixth sense or psychic abilities”

Most people with normal vision do not pay attention to other senses. Blind people are forced to develop other sensory abilities to compensate for lost vision. It's not a sixth sense. It's hard work and practice.

Myth #9: “You shouldn’t have your eyes tested until you’re 40 years old.”

Everyone should take care of their eye health, which includes getting their vision tested, regardless of whether there are any visible problems with it. There are eye diseases that need to be treated; one such disease is glaucoma. It can appear before the age of forty.

Myth No. 10 “Doctors know how to transplant eyes”

It is not possible to transplant an entire eye. The eye is connected to the brain by a small nerve called the optic nerve. It is impossible to cut this nerve and remove the eye and replace it with another one. Once scientists learn how to transplant an entire brain, they will be able to transplant eyes in one.

Myth No. 11 “Scientists have created a bionic eye”

Scientists are working to create a microchip that can be inserted into retinal cells and thereby improve human vision. Other scientists are trying to find a way to link the camera directly to the brain. But the eye and brain don't work the way a camera and a computer do. Even having invented a bionic eye, scientists still do not know how to attach it to the brain using nerves. At the moment, scientists have created only a device that can perceive some particles of light.

Myth No. 12 “If you wear sunglasses, you can look at the sun without harming your eyesight.”

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun's rays will still get into your eyes, damaging the cornea, lens and retina. So, staring at the sun can not only cause headaches and temporary eye pain, but can also cause serious eye damage. Never view a solar eclipse. Direct sunlight can blind a person in less than a minute.

Myth #13: “Nothing can be done to prevent vision loss.”

Regular eye exams and sun protection with sunglasses will help protect your vision. Additionally, at the first sign of vision loss, such as blurred vision or flashes of light in your eyes, you should see a doctor immediately. Depending on the disease, if it is caught early and treated correctly, vision loss can be slowed or stopped altogether.

Myth No. 14 “Even though you can see better with glasses, they worsen your vision over time.”

Wearing glasses will never harm your eyes. Once you start wearing glasses, you will finally see the world that was so blurry before. But until this time, you perceived this fuzziness as the norm. After your vision was corrected with glasses, you began to see more clearly. But if you stop wearing glasses after a few months, everything around you will become as blurry as it was before. And it will seem to you that before you could see everything without glasses, but now you cannot do without them. In fact, your visual perception has simply changed.

Myth No. 15 “Eating carrots improves vision”

It is true that carrots contain large quantities of vitamin A, which is necessary for good vision. But it should be consumed in moderation because consuming large amounts of vitamin A or other vitamins can be very harmful.
Think you know more? Just remember that no one wants to be a fool, not on April 1st or any other day when it comes to health.