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Side-effects of reading e-books
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Sangar
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Sep 04, 2015 01:19PM
Do you think reading in general and reading e-books especially can have bad effects on our eyes? What precautions do you take while reading to protect your eyes? It's been a year since I started reading English e-books and I think that in addition to eye fatigue (which is a certain side-effect of reading) my eyes are not as sharp as they used to be (which i'm not sure is it real or I worry too much)
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sort of that's why I wear my glasses
I haven't really experienced any side effects. At first, my eyes would be tired fairly quickly. After I turned down my brightness, things corrected themselves. I have noticed my speed has increased.I do bounce back and forth between my e-reader and a physical book, so maybe that helps as well.
Actually, I think reading ebooks is good for my eyes, not bad. That's because on my Kindle I can change the font size and choose a bigger font if my eyes are fatigued... Obviously that would be much different if one reads on the iPad or similar devices, which I don't do (also because I don't have a tablet).
It's good for size of font, but the screen and electronic reading can slowly hurt the eyes. Not as bad as computer screens at least.
Derek wrote: "I haven't really experienced any side effects. At first, my eyes would be tired fairly quickly. After I turned down my brightness, things corrected themselves. I have noticed my speed has increased..." I tried also to change the theme to a better one in addition to adjusting brightness.
Marina wrote: "Actually, I think reading ebooks is good for my eyes, not bad. That's because on my Kindle I can change the font size and choose a bigger font if my eyes are fatigued... Obviously that would be muc..."But the screen light can still tire eyes more than a physical book can do. And I have read some things about the effects of blue ray from the screen on sleeping( I don't know what is it actually)
Erin (Paperback stash) *is juggle-reading* wrote: "It's good for size of font, but the screen and electronic reading can slowly hurt the eyes. Not as bad as computer screens at least."Even if we don't read ebooks We still spend a considerable time using computers & phones, and if we could devote some of it to reading its bad effects would not be considered a problem then.
Gabrielle wrote: "sort of that's why I wear my glasses"I may acquire that which is said to block blue rays
Sangar wrote: "Erin (Paperback stash) *is juggle-reading* wrote: "It's good for size of font, but the screen and electronic reading can slowly hurt the eyes. Not as bad as computer screens at least."Even if we ..."
I agree - I have a kindle but 95% of my reading is through books. I like taking a break from the screen myself. I'm on the computer all day at work, a lot at home for hobbies, and then there's the phone and TV....it's a soothing relief psychologically and eye wise.
I will say the biggest benefit for ereaders is those with vision issues who like larger font and can change it. For me this has been hit and miss though because most of the e-books I read are from First to Read program with Penguin or Netgalley. A lot of those cannot be sent to the kindle and have to use Adobe Digital Editions and be transferred as a PDF. Kindle does not read PDF, so Alkido is used on Kindle to do so. You can adjust the page size, but not the font, for those books - and it's soooo annoying I don't even bother because it only lasts each page. So to turn the page you have to keep shrinking the one page again and again, and it's just not worth it. *annoyed just thinking about it*
95% of your 1660 books, that would be 1577. I want to read thousands of books like you but I hate keeping them. That is why I read ebooks.
I have to be careful that I don't read too much on my Nook, because I get migraines.
Janessa wrote: "I have to be careful that I don't read too much on my Nook, because I get migraines."This might also be due to the blue light emitted from the screen.
Sangar wrote: "95% of your 1660 books, that would be 1577. I want to read thousands of books like you but I hate keeping them. That is why I read ebooks."That's my to be read, which includes books and e-books
The owned books is a little over 2500 (on my owned bookshelf) We must be the opposite as I love collecting books. The bibliophile in me I guess :) I do get rid of some as I read them if they're not favorite or are certain genres
We might be, but I may change in the future. Good luck with collecting books!
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Apart from the eye-issue, there's no side-effect to reading ebooks. It's actually way more easy to carry, you can read it in any light, you can make notes, highlight, change font, bookmark etc. But then reading ebooks isn't much of an option for people who are addicted to collecting books, is it?
"Too much of something is not good" that is what Jackie Chan said! I agree , that is why I limited e-book reading to only one hour a day and decided to read paper books more. I also changed the font to a bigger one so that I could position my mobile more distant from my eyes. It won't be much of an option for bibliophile people like Erin.
Ruchi wrote: "I don;t think there is any particular side-effect of reading e-books. Some may raise the issue of damage to eyes, but damage occurs only when you over-use ebooks. And that's kind of fits everything..."I agree people shouldn't worry about the eye issue unless they overdid it - likewise, the same is for computer and TV use really. I do get eye strains/headaches if I stay on an e-reader too long, but I don't think it's causing damage.
Since I read paperbacks mainly, I don't find an e-reader different or lighter to carry. It's funny, but when in bed I can't use my e-reader because I like to read sideways, can't lean it on something without moving because the annoying screen keeps thinking I'm wanting it to switch views and it will flip the view all.the.time. I find it harder on the wrist having to hold it up so it won't do that. Can't find a way to switch that off. Because of that I mainly just read books in bed, and for the ereader when I'm sitting. Also I definitely keep my e-reader out of the bath, too risky!
Basically whatever works for the reader - we all have our habits and different reading spots.
Sangar wrote: ""Too much of something is not good" that is what Jackie Chan said! I agree , that is why I limited e-book reading to only one hour a day and decided to read paper books more. I also changed the fo..."That's one of the best features of an e-reader is adjusting the font. Most of the ebooks I read are arcs though, from netgalley and first to read, and if it's in the Adobe Digital format they use to protect DRM and make the book expire, you can't change the font size :( I'm having trouble with the ARC The Hours Count because the font is way too small! Don't know why they do that, especially if it's in digital format anyway and they don't have to worry about printing it.
I've been using an e-reader for the past 4 years and it hasn't damaged my eyes. I wear glasses but I don't wear them when l'm reading. L'm in my late 30's and went to the eye doctor in April and he was suprised that my eyes got better. For me I do like the ereader because I read a lot of big books nd it saves me space and when l'm done with a book and l'm still not home< I can just choose another one easily.I do read paperbacks or hardcover when I get books as gifts or I win them.
I'll set my mind at ease then ( If I don't overuse them) :) .
I'm not too sure about damage. I'm sure if you overuse it a huge amount, but I think the average person is safe. Using them at night is shown to make falling asleep harder (because of the light). So if you read before bed it may not be helping you fall asleep. I have a Kindle Paperwhite and like reading it much more than my ipad. The light isn't as harsh
I have a paper white Kindle, it doesn't strain my eyes. My tablet is on the lowest brightness setting and when I read in the dark I tend to take longer breaks in between page turns. My eyes get tired faster when I used my tablet to read but that might also be because I am in bed! When I think about it though I tend to read more of a physical book at night if my light is on.
