Home Remedies: Reading Problems

Since you’re reading the words on this page, you have the vision power that it takes, and maybe you can zip along just as fast as you did when you were in your twenties or thirties. But many of us have to slow down. And after awhile, almost without noticing, reading becomes more of a problem.

It helps to accept the fact that your eyesight is less than it was—and, therefore, reading adjustments have to be made. “Your ability to focus deteriorates in a straight line from birth to death, but most people don’t notice until their forties,” says Joseph Kubacki, M.D., professor and chairman of the ophthalmology department and assistant dean for medical affairs at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

You can do a number of things to make your reading environment as easy on your eyes as possible, whether you’re reading for pleasure, using your computer, or searching for signs and labels. Here are some ideas.

Try This First

Get a bright light. Aging eyes need more light on the page, which means that the light needs to be brighter, says Pamela R. Oliver, O.D., director of the low-vision rehabilitative service at the Eye Institute at Nova Southeastern University and chairwoman of the low-vision subcommittee of the Florida Optometric Association in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The amount of light needed depends on the type of lightbulb as well as on the wattage of the bulb. If you’ve been using 60-watt bulbs, you might want to continue to use the same wattage but select a different kind of bulb, suggests Eleanor E. Faye, M.D., ophthalmologic consultant to Lighthouse International, a vision rehabilitation organization, and ophthalmologist in New York City. Instead of buying “soft white” or similar bulbs that are for general lighting, look for the bulbs that are “indoor floodlights.” Such bulbs don’t use more electricity but they provide double the illumination, explains Dr. Faye.

Other Wise Ways

Play with positioning. You’ll get the most benefit from a bright light if it’s positioned so it shines directly on your page. And the closer the light is to what you’re reading, the easier it will be for you to see, says Dr. Oliver. Place your reading light over and behind your shoulder to eliminate shadows, she suggests. Then angle it so it shines directly onto your reading material.

Buy large print. The larger the print, the easier it is to read. In a large-print book, the type is this size rather than this size. You can get large-print versions of many books, ranging from cookbooks, dictionaries, and the Bible to the latest romance novel. For large-print versions, contact the following organizations: American Bible Society, New York City; American Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, Kentucky; Doubleday Large-Print Home Library, Indianapolis; G. K. Hall and Company, Thorndike, Maine; and the National Association for the Visually Handicapped, New York City.

Get help from cutouts. If you need to read line by line to follow the text, you can make a simple focusing device, suggests Dr. Faye. Cut a thin rectangle in a piece of black construction paper or cardboard. The rectangle should be just as wide and tall as a single line of type. As you’re reading, place this paper over the page, allowing just one line of text to show, moving it down line by line as you read.

Raise your computer font. Font refers to the type size. Every word-processing program has easy ways to make the font larger or smaller on the screen. If you use the computer frequently and would like larger-size type on the screen, check your manual or call the toll-free number listed in your manual to find out how to increase the font size. You’ll have an easier time reading electronic mail or using a word processing program if you make the font size at least 13 or 14, says Dr. Faye.

Managing Your Meds

Chances are, your reading problem is not related to any medications you’re taking. The following medications, however, may cause blurred vision, which can make reading difficult. It is important to keep in mind that most vision changes are transient, says W. Steven Pray, Ph.D., R.Ph., professor of nonprescription drug products at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

• Anti-arthritis medications such as acetaminophen
• Anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen
• Anti-depressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil)
• Ophthalmic drugs used to dilate the pupil of the eye, such as pilocarpine (Isopto Carpine)
• Antibacterial treatment for the eye, such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• Cortinsone-like drugs such as prednisone (Deltasone)
• Medicines that treat severe psoriasis, such as etretinate (Tegison)
• Antibiotics used to treat eye infections, such as norfloxacin (Chibroxin)
• Anticonvulsants such as phenytoin (Dilantin)

Consider a screen change. See if you can change the colors on the computer screen. For easiest reading, choose a black background with yellow or white letters, advises Dr. Faye.

Wear tinted glasses. When trying to read food packages at grocery stores or when trying to read road signs, lightly tinted lenses can eliminate some of the irritating glare, suggests Dr. Faye. These glasses are especially helpful if you have cataracts or another eye condition that makes sign-reading difficult. For the grocery store, choose light amber- or yellow-tinted lenses. For the outdoors, you want polarized gray- or amber-tinted lenses, Dr. Faye says.

Use a big black pen. Whenever you write a note to yourself—a phone number, address, recipe—use a black marker that makes a thick line. Dr. Faye recommends Sharpies, which are available at most hardware or art supply stores.

Mark your medications. Do you have trouble reading the labels on medicine bottles? That can be risky because you can easily get your pills mixed up if you can’t make out the small print on the labels. To avoid confusion, mark the bottles clearly with a black marker like a Sharpie, suggests Dr. Faye. For instance, put “BP” on blood pressure medication and “HR” on hormone replacement pills.