First, disclaimer are my eyes are naturally very sensitive. I had lasik 5 years ago in case that’s a factor and before that had really terrible eyesight (like could not clearly see a face right in front of me, or anything further).
For the first third of the year, i was reading libby e-books on my phone which 😅 as you can imagine caused huge eye strain.
I got a kindle colorsoft from a friend in April and that helped immensely at first, but eye strain is back now and to the point where im barely looking at my phone to type this because it’s so aggravating.
I noticed my eyes did better when I wouldn’t read the colorsoft in total darkness at night, but even if i read during the day on it they’re very sore now.
Physical books the tiny font now causes eye strain as well. I do audiobooks too which obviously don’t cause this issue, but if im reading something with beautiful prose I prefer reading it physically or at the very least e-book. There is something about seeing it that makes me appreciate it better.
I’m reading east of Eden right now and would like to continue but my eyes hurt sooooo bad I cannot bring myself to. Usually the books I read are much shorter and I think the length of this one also caused me to take less breaks than usual.
by Admirable-Love75
21 Comments
Have you looked into large print books? If the tiny font on paper books is the issue that may help.
I think this one may be specific to you, or at least specific to the person. I read news on my phone/a physical book every day for hours and have never experienced eye strain. I’ve been doing this for years. I do wear glasses, but it’s not a strong prescription and I can function without them. You may need additional support, and I would visit an optometrist.
You may need reading glasses, my Dad had Lasik and a few years in he had to start wearing them. It would be worth going to your eye dr and getting a check up and mentioning this to them
Increase font size and margins to be comfortable. I don’t read this much but being able to change those settings makes the ereader my preferred method of reading. Also maybe try a different font.
I have never had lasik but I read 300-400 (mostly trashy) books a year.
Do you have readers? Even with lasik, magnifying readers might make a huge difference, speaking as an old person. As an alternative consider upping the font size on your kindle. It’s not about the smallest text you CAN read, just what’s comfortable.
I read everything on dark mode (white ink on black background) unless I’m in bright sun. I think it’s easier on the eyes.
I don’t read 100 a year but I imagine it would help to read on a Kindle with a higher font and with that night mode on, forgot what it’s called, makes the screen slightly yellow
honestly, i don’t think ive ever had this issue and i read primarily on my phone. but i do use multifocal contacts. have you seen your optometrist lately? you might need reading glasses
and when you’re reading on your kindle or phone, have you tried taking a break every twenty or so minutes to look at something far away? that can help
Try reading glasses.
I do most of my reading on my iPad mini or on my second computer monitor (a 16″ portable), with a really large font. Dark mode at night, sepia during the day.
You’ve basically described what it feels like when you need glasses.
If you are in pain you should consult your ophthalmologist.
This is probably more of a question for people who have eye sensitivity. This sub is probably too general.
A lot of folks get complications from that procedure, I’m sure there must be a sub here with useful advice for people who’ve had lasik.
I mostly use audiobooks these days, but for physical reading I use an iPad.
It’s crucial to keep the brightness down (in my experience most people keep their screen brightness **WAY** too high in general and then wonder why their eyes hurt), and I use larger fonts with more beige backgrounds, never use stark black-on-white or white-on-black.
rest breaks every 30 min
My mom’s lasik only lasted about a year until she needed reading glasses and glasses to drive in the evening. It honestly sounds like you need some form of corrective lens again
I use a Kobo e-reader with KOReader installed, white words, black background. Also audiobooks when I need to rest my eyes.
Have you been checked for Binocular Vision Dysfunction? It’s really common. It’s an issue where your eyes don’t converge properly. So for me, my eyes converge too much when looking at stuff less than 15 inches from my face. So I end up either closing an eye or my brain filters out the vision input from one eye. As a result, I’m more vulnerable to eye strain when reading/ working. My optometrist gave me progressive contact lenses to reduce eye strain and my sibling (it’s genetic) has prism glasses.
It is one of those diagnoses popular on TikTok, so take what you read online with a grain of salt. But it is very common (like 1 in 4), and optometrists can diagnose it fairly easy.
I’ve shifted to ebooks years and years ago, largely out of convenience. It’s nice to travel without half a dozen novels to keep me company. Also, as I’ve gotten older my eyes have gotten a lot more sensitive, I’m especially sensitive to light in the evening, so I dunno if my eye strain is the same as yours, but I’ll offer my tips anyways.
A kindle, or any e-ink ereader helps a ton, as you’ve already noticed. Two other things have helped me a lot: first I use a reading light in my room for long reading even if I’ve got a backlight. That single point of light kinda makes my eyes hurt. I use one of those stupid ‘smart’ bulbs in my room, so I’ve got it solid red and very dim – but having the rest of my room a little bit visible helps my eyes a lot. Similarly, I’ve found that watching TV in a fully dark room hurts my eyes too.
The other thing nice about ereaders is the ability to adjust font size. People get pretentious about it, but I tend to make it about as big as the device allows while still having a reasonable number of words on a page. I get some crap about it sometimes, but who really cares? As long as I’m not reading smut in public I don’t care if people read over my shoulder, and that’s the only real downside.
Adjusting the font can potentially help too – most devices have a dyslexia-friendly font, and those can make reading easier even if you don’t have dyslexia. They’ll feel weird at first because they’re vaguely similar to comic sans, but once you get used to it it’ll help.
Consider getting yellow glasses if you sit at a computer for a long time every day, and also consider getting a tinted screen protector for your phone. Cutting down on the LED blue light in your face helps.
And finally, I know you had Lasik, but it might be worth seeing an optometrist. Lasik isn’t always 100%, and eyes can still change over time. You may have picked up some astigmatism since your surgery, and even if you didn’t an eye doctor could have some more direct tips for dealing with eye strain.
I discovered I needed progressive lenses 🙂 it’s not terrible but my eye doctor wanted to start them now to help ease into them since they take time getting used to.
I think you need a paperwhite or the basic. The light on the colorsoft is still light and if your eyes are sensitive then it’ll bother you. You can also make the font large. Or get one of the scribes. Maybe like a first gen, second hand so that the pocket doesn’t burn. Digital looks will be your friend because physical books have a small font and we can’t enlarge them; unless there’s something I don’t know about. Take care of the eyes! They’re precious.
Paper books and an e-ink reader (PocketBook InkPad 4). Color e-ink readers have somewhat worse contrast.
This sounds like you could benefit from seeing a ophthalmologist.
(I don’t read 100 books a year, though!)