The Effects of Reading in Low Light

"Reading in dim light will damage your eyes." This is probably one of the many warnings that you have grown up hearing. Even today, scientists are working to find out the effects of reading in low light. Human eyes are so equipped that they can adjust to varying light conditions. However, such repeated adjustments can strain the eyes.

Short-Term Effects

• Reading in dim light for long hours causes headache and strain and pain in the eye. However, these are just temporary discomforts that go away once you sleep or take a break.

Long-Term Effects

• Douglas Frederick, associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, speculates that certain childhood habits like reading in dim light or holding a book very close to the eyes, may contribute to weakening eyesight. In his paper published in the British Medical Journal, Frederick quotes myopia or near-sightedness as being one of the most prevalent damage caused to the eyes.

Explanantion

• Human eyes collect light rays emanated from objects and converge them on the retina. This image is processed in the brain to enable us to see the object. The amount of light rays that enter the eyes needs to be adjusted depending upon the intensity of light around the object that is being viewed. In case of dim light, the iris muscles contract to make the pupil bigger so that the eyes can collect more light rays from the object. However, according to Howard Howland, a vision expert at the Cornell University, this alteration in the pupil forms a blurred image of the object on the retina. In order to get a clear image, the eye needs to grow longer. This causes a strain in the eye that may eventually lead to myopia.

Dispute

• According to news published in the New York Times, most ophthalmologists believe that while reading in dim light may cause some temporary discomfort, it will not lead to permanent damage to your eyes. Most ophthalmologists believe that there is a general decline in eyesight with age, and genetics also has a role to play. Some researchers are of the opinion that the only role reading in dim light may have on your sight is that the strain it causes may speed up the process of degeneration of eyesight as you become old.