I’m frustrated by my wife and daughter reading in essentially what I call the dark. I was taught years ago that a sure way to compromise your eyesight was by reading without adequate light. They claim that I’m full of it.
Did someone forget to give me the memo?
Reading in low light levels doesn’t harm your eyes at all. It DOES make it more difficult to read the text, though, since the part of the retina where vision is sharpest isn’t well-adapted to low light levels.
It can lead to eye fatigue, but that is not harmful. I think of it as iris-stretches.
check the SD archive. I pretty sure that Cecil did a whole report thing on this very question…I think… don’t get mad at me if its not there 
Indeed the master spoke on this very topic: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_105.html
Around the age of forty or so it is common for the eyes to start to loose the ability to capture light, this can affect some people mor than others. It is quite possible that your wife and daughter have all the light that they need, but you are the one that needs more light.
I can read very well in the dark as well, in fact I find too much light aggravating.