# Reading Without Adequate Light.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 4, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433 "2004-02-04T03:35:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433/1 "2004-02-04T03:35:37Z")

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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?

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**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433/2 "2004-02-04T03:39:44Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433/3 "2004-02-04T04:41:59Z")

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It can lead to eye _fatigue_, but that is not harmful. I think of it as iris-stretches.

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**Author:** ![Ice97531](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@Ice97531](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice97531)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433/4 "2004-02-04T04:46:49Z")

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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 😃

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**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433/5 "2004-02-04T05:57:23Z")

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Indeed the master spoke on this very topic: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_105.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_105.html)

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**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433/6 "2004-02-04T11:24:55Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![BlackPheonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BlackPheonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackPheonix)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-without-adequate-light/227433/7 "2004-02-04T17:07:13Z")

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I can read very well in the dark as well, in fact I find too much light aggravating.