It might be good exercise short term, but long term, because reading is at close range and in relatively small print [historically, writing was written in one-inch font to begin with] it does weaken your eyesight. (According to doctors.) I read several books a week and I know my glasses keep getting stronger......

I think reading eventually strains the eyes; but does wonders for the brain.

According to Brainiac Science Abuse, reading cannot damage your eyes even in dim light! (It was Brainiac who gave this theory not me!)

i think reading when it's prolonged may make you sleepy and your eyes tired, but reading can increase your comprehension, and reading skills.

i hope not because i love reading. i think it does if you read in dim light though. i sometimes read a full book in a day

reading is good exercise for your brain not your eyes, your eyes are just the tools used to get the results

Not only is it healthy for your eyes and expand your visual capabilities but it also enhances your mind and learning skills.

I had eye surgery recently and just asked the doc the same question. He gave me a very short answer, but said yes, in some cases, doing reading or other close work while young may affect vision, but he finished the answer by saying that poor vision also has a very strong genetic component. This article says that reading can indeed damage young eyes: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/22/1019441223384.html And this short note, posted by a physician, says that the damage may continue to be done into a person's twenties -- in other words, all the way through college! http://www.docnotes.net/000699.html This doesn't mean young people shouldn't read. It's easier to fix bad eyes than an empty head. :) Just make sure to have good lighting, and take lots of breaks which don't involve looking at something closely (don't stop reading to do embroidery for ten minutes) or at something fixed (don't stop looking at a book or computer to stare at a television).

Whether one does a lot of reading or not, most of us will require eye correction in our lifetime. There might be bad habits which influence how bad our eyes get in time, but we've evolved over the years to accomodate these habits. Reading was once done from a chair, at a table, with proper posture and light. Now we're likely to read in any position, any place, in any light in the house or around the world. Not all ideal places for us to see and comprehend the written word. Most adults will suffer bad eyesight, from "old age," and begin to notice changes in their vision by the time they are 35 or 40 years old. Only a few with good genes, won't require glasses until late in their life, if at all. The orb shape of our eyeballs changes the more we read or watch television from a reclining position. I don't know if it's detremental to our eyesight, but it's present in most of us anymore, because we're all guilty of it! Once upon a time, it was considered very bad for our eyes to sit up close to the television, but now we've got extra large TV's that sit just a few feet away from where we sit for hours at a time. Certainly the transmission is different from how it used to be, but it still can't be good. Not to mention how we all sit within feet of our computer screens day in and day out! Whatever you're doing, look up from the book, the TV, or your computer screen, periodically, and around the room to stretch and exercise your eye muscles. This will alleviate the them feeling as tired and strained during long sessions. It's also bad to face a window (or a light) and your computer screen, because your pupils stay extra small for extended amounts of time and become more strained by the light.

To much reading can actually be harmful to your eyes. That's why you only read for so long, and then give your eyes a break.

Reading in proper conditions can actually work as good exercise for your eyes. However, reading in poor conditions (dim light, prolonged periods of time, when you're already tired) can, in fact, damage your sight.

Good answers. You should stop and rest those eyeballs or else thet may fall out!!!

i think it is good exercise for the eyes. I hardly ever get to read. So when i do i enjoy it. it helps me keep focused.

I really don't know anyone of any age who has 100% perfect vision. The eyes are the most vulnerable part of the human body, and most susceptible to problems. Reading is not an exercise for the eyes, and it can weaken them if done in a dim light or for long periods of time without a break. Eye strain can be avoided by using common sense. Read in good light and for short periods of time. If your eyes get tired, then stop and rest them. Have your eyes checked at least once a year. People over 45 usually get farsighted and have to have corrective lenses to see close up. That's my problem. Thankfully, I don't need to wear glasses all the time, but am now at the age when I need to watch for cataracts. Hardly anyone escapes those.

Reading neither strengthens or weakens the eyes. Weakening the eyes is one of the commonest myths around. See http://www.insider-guide-to-reading-glasses.com/reading-glasses-myths.html If you want to strengthen your eyes you could try convergence exercises also called Pen to Nose exercises. Here is how to do them: 1) Take a pen and bring it as close to your nose as possible, while keeping the pen single. Normal range, before single vision breaks down and the pen goes doubled, would be about 5cm to 10cm. As you do this you will find your eyes really "working". Compare this feeling to reading a book at 30 cm. There is no comparison. It's like going for a jog vs walking over to the frige to get a piece of cake.

Reading can damage eyes. Researchers have found children who spend a lot of time with their noses in books may be damaging their eyes. Focusing closely could stretch young eyeballs so that the lens did not focus light properly on the retina, thus causing myopia. The researchers found genetic factors were important. Heavy readers whose parents suffered from myopia were 10 times more likely than their peers to develop the disorder. Conclusion: You read more, you have a higher risk of myopia.

6-5-2017 Anthropologists have investigated thousands of tribes living in primitive conditions, and the people always had perfect vision. But after the children learned to read, they needed glasses.

Reading on this machine is harder on your eyes than books. Regardless, read. Read anything, read everything.

During reading books, distance the printed material between 14 and 18 inches away from your eyes. Go for healthy lighting in your reading spaces to avoid eye strains. Read this: https://www.bebrilli.com/blogs/brilli/productive-home-office