As Reading Rates Dip, Could Rising Vision Issues Be The Culprit?

According to a recent report from the World Economic Forum, fewer people are reading for pleasure and in shorter spurts. Twenty years ago, when the average American spent an average of 30 minutes reading per day, this time has now dwindled to just 16 minutes.

Employed Americans reported reading even less, averaging just nine minutes per day.

This downward trend in regular reading is down to a variety of contemporary trends. Apart from the prominence of social media use and the decline of printed content, another norm influencing reading rates is the surge in vision issues. Recently, the National Health Survey determined that more than 50 million people in the US have some level of vision impairment. Because these directly affect the organs used for reading, many people are uncomfortable, unsatisfied, and discouraged.

How vision can impair reading

Difficulty seeing text clearly

One of the most common ways that vision problems manifest is via blurred vision at certain distances. In fact, up to 30% of all Americans are nearsighted, while up to 10% are farsighted. Depending on the severity of the condition, these can make reading nearly impossible. Should the text be particularly small or designed with serifs, this can make it even harder for the eyes to discern.

Wearing vision-assistive medical devices can help remedy this. In particular, prescription specs and reading glasses can help the eyes see better, thereby making it easier to read clearly without strain. Given that most people also read using different mediums, it helps to use eyewear such as progressive reading glasses. Because these are designed to offer three strengths in a single lens seamlessly, users can enjoy magnified clarity through various distances. This means you can wear the same glasses for near vision reading, intermediate vision computer work, and even distance vision interactions with signages or posters. These features are evident in the models from Foster Grant, ensuring that users can enjoy visual comfort without needing to swap between different glasses or contacts.

Inability to visually track

Visual tracking, or eye tracking, involves the eyes’ ability to work in tandem to follow moving objects. In reading, visual tracking is necessary to move from one word to the next correctly. Without this ocular synchronicity, it’s hard for people to make it through a line of text. Among the most common causes of inadequate eye tracking are muscular issues around the ocular region and incorrect eye alignment.

Unfortunately, eye tracking is hard to recognize without professional help as it can pass off as more negligible feelings, like dry eyes or eyelid twitching. This underscores the need for comprehensive eye tests. The American Optometric Association (AOA) explains that these tests can accurately recognize any vision problems, including those that have yet to manifest. Some doctors with optometry specializations can even run more precise exams, including pencil/paper tasks and visual memory testing. Since these are designed especially for learning-related concerns, they can help diagnose eye tracking problems. While these tests are usually available in local clinics, chain retailers such as Target also offer more standardized exams that are great for accessibility.

Poor reading comprehension and focus

Lackluster eye health naturally causes straining and fatigue as the body works extra hard to compensate. When this happens, comprehension and focus naturally take a hit. This is why many readers with poor eyesight often feel like it’s hard to understand what they’re reading, or else it takes more effort to concentrate on any material.

This link is supported by the fact that reading assessments among students have revealed disappointing results across the same period that a myopia epidemic has been reported among children. As a matter of fact, in 2018, only Florida showed improvements in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading and mathematics assessments. Specifically, 4th and 8th-grade students were found to have outpaced their peers in other states when it came to reading fluency and comprehension. Meanwhile, National Geographic reported that up to 42% of all American children were nearsighted in 2017. With this, it’s important to start implementing corrective and diagnostic strategies like those listed above, as early as possible.

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