Reading while lying down: what is the effect on eye health?

The majority of parents would often remind us not to read while lying down, accompanied by a warning, "It can damage your eyes." Investigate it, what our parents said was true, you know. Although not directly harmful, reading while lying down does have side effects. What are the side effects? Then, what should the correct reading position look like?

Why can't you read while lying down?

The habit of reading lying down, whether on the bed or the sofa, often feels more comfortable to do. However, it is not uncommon for us to hear advice not to read while lying down because it has the potential to interfere with eye health, such as the risk of developing nearsightedness. Actually, does reading position really affect eye health?

Quoted from the book The 101 Health Myth Controversy , the reading position while lying down can indeed damage the eyes, but it does not necessarily cause nearsightedness. If you have a family that mostly suffers from nearsightedness, you are still at risk even if you don't read lying down.

However, the position to read while lying down is not recommended because the reading distance is not ideal.

So, when we lie on our back while reading a book, our eyes will be fixed at an unusual angle. In addition, you also tend to read at a very close distance when you are lying down.

In fact, the ideal reading distance should be around 15 inches or 30 cm from our eyes. The best angle for holding books or reading material should also be located 60 degrees from our eyes. Now, the best distance and angle will not be achieved if we read while lying down.

Therefore, to get the ideal distance and angle, you cannot read while lying down. When doing so, you have to sacrifice the ideal distance or viewing angle, whether it's reading closer or not caring what the angle of our eyes is.

The result of reading at a distance and angle that is not ideal

In fact, what are the risks of reading incorrectly at the distance and position? The effect is on the muscles around your eyes. If we hold reading material in an incorrect position, it can cause the muscles around the eyes to tense up. This condition can cause eye fatigue, aka astenopia.

This condition is usually a sign that your eyes are tired from being forced to read in an uncomfortable position. You can feel it when your eyes start having trouble moving from one sentence to another while you are reading.

You don't need to worry because it is likely that tired eyes will not have a permanent impact on your eye health. However, keep in mind that reading while lying down will also cause uncomfortable symptoms. Here are the symptoms:

• The eye feels uncomfortable or hurts
• Blurred or double vision
• Headache or dizziness
• Sensitive to light
• Dry or watery eyes
• Neck, shoulders, and back pain

If these symptoms appear after you read too much while lying down, you should try to consult about the condition with your doctor.

Good reading tips for eye health

Ideally, a good reading position is sitting and the distance between the eyes and the reading is up to 30 cm. However, of course it doesn't feel as comfortable as reading while lying down.

If it is difficult for you not to lie down while reading, there are several ways you can work around this, such as:

• Change the position when reading while lying down, provide a cushion or anything that can provide support for reading in a more comfortable angle
• Try not to read in too bright or dim lighting
• Limit reading time. Reading while lying down for hours may not be felt, but if you continue, tired eye symptoms can appear.
• Consult a doctor if the eye condition is uncomfortable to read.

How to treat discomfort caused by reading while lying down?

If you are in a position where you are most comfortable reading and it is easier to understand lying down, then you should be prepared to deal with symptoms that will make you uncomfortable.

So, if these symptoms continue to haunt you, here are tips for dealing with eye pain caused by lying down while reading.

• Try to get 8 hours of sleep. This can help relieve fatigue in your eyes.
• Increase the consumption of foods that are good for eye health, such as fish with high omega-3s.
• After hours of reading, try to close your eyes briefly as this will relax the eye muscle tension.
• Avoid reading on if you are tired or sleepy. Forcing yourself to read too much when you are sleepy actually makes you tend to bring your eyes closer to the reading, so the visibility is getting closer.

Even if it's comfortable, in fact reading while lying down is more risky to your eye health than the ideal position it should be. The best reading position turns out to be sitting in the correct posture. This way, you can get the most ideal viewing distance and reading angle, and avoid the risk of eye fatigue.