{"id":52,"date":"2026-05-27T11:04:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T10:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/?p=52"},"modified":"2026-06-02T11:57:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:57:38","slug":"between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement","title":{"rendered":"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n

Did you know that people use the same part of their brain to recognise faces as they do to read words?<\/p>\n

This means that when you’re enjoying your favourite book or reading a message on your phone, your brain is actually seeing words as images. Those images then travel from your eyes to the “letterbox” region of your brain, where they’re converted into information about sounds and meanings.<\/p>\n

Fascinating, isn’t it? And it’s happening right now as you read this article.<\/p>\n

Now that you have the picture – or better yet, the images – let’s take a look at how eye movement plays a role in understanding words as images, learn about the patterns that help us read, and put some common myths about how reading affects our eyes to rest.<\/p>\n

The role of the eye in the science of reading<\/h2>\n

When our eyes scan text, our brain filters out the texture of the font. The shapes of characters along the space inside and around the letters send snapshots to our minds to form a mental image of what we’re looking at. While our eyes are busy distinguishing the curve of an S and the dot of an I, our brain begins to combine that information in context. By linking meaning and thought to those shapes, our brain’s letterbox quickly converts them into words we understand – making it second nature to read a restaurant menu or check an email confirmation that our contact lens order has arrived.<\/p>\n

While that may sound complex, it’s something we develop at an early age when we learn to read, and it eventually becomes automatic. When we encounter familiar words and characters again, we identify them instantly without having to piece them together – all powered by the movement of our eyes.<\/p>\n

Reading through eye movement<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The way we read isn’t always linear – our eyes prefer to visually explore their environment, and the same is true when we process text. By combining two movement patterns to distinguish the shapes of words, our vision works to scan text through saccades and fixations.<\/p>\n

What are saccades?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When reading, the rapid jumps our eyes make across lines of text are called saccadic movements. These ultra-fast movements allow our eyes to absorb a great deal of information in a short space of time – typically between 20 and 200 milliseconds. So fast, in fact, that you probably don’t even notice them.<\/p>\n

What are fixations?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fixations are the brief pauses our eyes take between saccadic movements to rest or focus more clearly on a segment of text. Lasting between 200 and 300 milliseconds, they’re still relatively quick – but they represent a healthy pause in the world of rapid eye movement.<\/p>\n

Finding the balance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The interplay between these two patterns speeds our eyes through chunks of text and allows the brain to make sense of what we’re reading. It also allows the retinas to focus on the words directly in front of them rather than trying to take in a whole page at once.<\/p>\n

Without saccadic movements or fixations, the eye would treat each word with equal weight and wouldn’t push our focal point forward to keep reading – limiting our visual acuity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Common myths about reading and eye care<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Does wearing glasses or contact lenses for reading make your eyes dependent on them?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While it may seem like your vision worsens when you take them off, using your glasses or contact lenses for reading does not negatively affect your sight in the long term.<\/p>\n

Is reading in the dark or in low light harmful to your eyes?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Reading in low light will not damage your eyes, but it may slow your blink rate and cause mild eye fatigue.<\/p>\n

Does reading small or printed text damage your eyes?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While reading small print may strain your eyes and tire them more quickly, there is no evidence of lasting damage.<\/p>\n

Does reading on a computer screen cause more damage to your eyes?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Using a computer will not harm your long-term eye health. However, it can contribute to eye strain and fatigue. Adjust your screen to reduce glare and modify the brightness setting to ease strain on your eyes. Take regular breaks using the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, rest your eyes for 20 seconds by looking at something 20 feet (about 6 metres) away.<\/p>\n

Is reading outdoors in the sun dangerous?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While enjoying a book on the beach or by the pool is wonderfully relaxing, UV rays can cause lasting damage. Always use adequate sun protection for both skin and eyes that blocks UV rays.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Ways to protect your eyes while reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Use these tips to keep your eyes healthy while reading and help turn the page on eye strain.<\/p>\n

• Position a light source behind you so the page receives direct illumination.<\/p>\n

• If you’ve been prescribed glasses or contact lenses for reading, make sure to wear them so your eyes don’t have to strain.<\/p>\n

• Increase on-screen text size if small fonts cause difficulty; buy large-print books if you struggle with small print.<\/p>\n

• Adjust screen brightness to a setting that feels comfortable for your eyes.<\/p>\n

• Practise the 20-20-20 rule and take regular reading breaks.<\/p>\n

• Try eye exercises and blink frequently to keep your eyes moist and prevent dryness.<\/p>\n

• Rest your eyes if you need to read large amounts of text on screen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that people use the same part of their brain to recognise faces […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":1496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosity-and-fun","category-eye-health"],"yoast_head":"\nBetween the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement - Lenstore<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement - Lenstore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that people use the same part of their brain to recognise faces […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lenstore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T10:04:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T10:57:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/09\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"770\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"matthewhadwen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"matthewhadwen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"matthewhadwen\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bd279f5a2d83991548987f26af65a636\"},\"headline\":\"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T10:04:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-02T10:57:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement\"},\"wordCount\":899,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Curiosity and Fun\",\"Eye Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement\",\"name\":\"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement - Lenstore\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T10:04:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-02T10:57:38+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg\",\"width\":770,\"height\":480},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/\",\"name\":\"Lenstore\",\"description\":\"Contact Lens Guide | Eye Health | Lifestyle\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Lenstore\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/png\\\/lenstore-logo.png\",\"image\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/png\\\/lenstore-logo.png\",\"companyRegistration\":\"51990\",\"contactPoint\":{\"@type\":\"ContactPoint\",\"contactType\":\"customer service\",\"email\":\"customerservices@lenstore.eu\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bd279f5a2d83991548987f26af65a636\",\"name\":\"matthewhadwen\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lenstore.ie\\\/eye-care\\\/author\\\/matthewhadwen\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement - Lenstore","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement - Lenstore","og_description":"Did you know that people use the same part of their brain to recognise faces […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement","og_site_name":"Lenstore","article_published_time":"2026-05-27T10:04:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-02T10:57:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":770,"height":480,"url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/09\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"matthewhadwen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"matthewhadwen","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement"},"author":{"name":"matthewhadwen","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/#\/schema\/person\/bd279f5a2d83991548987f26af65a636"},"headline":"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement","datePublished":"2026-05-27T10:04:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-02T10:57:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement"},"wordCount":899,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/09\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg","articleSection":["Curiosity and Fun","Eye Health"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement","url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement","name":"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement - Lenstore","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/09\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-27T10:04:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-02T10:57:38+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/09\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/09\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg","width":770,"height":480},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/between-the-lines-reading-and-eye-movement#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Between the Lines: Reading and Eye Movement"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/","name":"Lenstore","description":"Contact Lens Guide | Eye Health | Lifestyle","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/#organization","name":"Lenstore","url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie","logo":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/png\/lenstore-logo.png","image":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/png\/lenstore-logo.png","companyRegistration":"51990","contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer service","email":"customerservices@lenstore.eu"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/#\/schema\/person\/bd279f5a2d83991548987f26af65a636","name":"matthewhadwen","url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/author\/matthewhadwen"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/09\/770x480-man-reading-reading-book-on-sofa.jpg","order_on_store":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1587,"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions\/1587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lenstore.ie\/eye-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}