Light your reading area. Regardless of the type of reading you're doing, it's important to be able to see. One of the requirements for comfortable reading is adequate and well-placed light. The lighting that causes the least eye strain is still the good old incandescent bulb. The light should be positioned directly above and behind your head. In order to make reading easier, there shouldn't be any other light sources in the room. If you want the room to be lit, turn on a light in an adjoining room.
Get your eyes checked. The next step in understanding your reading material is an adequate pair of reading glasses. If you have been prescribed glasses for reading, be sure to wear them when you read. If your reading prescription is more than two years old, make an appointment with your ophthalmologist. If you have never had your eyes checked but find you are squinting at the page or quickly losing interest in what you read, make an appointment with your ophthalmologist. You might just need a simple pair of reading glasses.
Read in a quiet place. Perhaps your TV is going while you read, or your kids, spouse or dogs are making noise of their own. If you want to improve your reading comprehension, go to a quiet place to read. Turn off the TV or go into another room. Not only does noise make reading comprehension more difficult, interruptions such as TV or a phone cause you to lose your train of thought. This makes understanding what you're reading more difficult. You may find yourself reading something two or three times just to get the meaning into your head.
Take notes. In order to better understand what you're reading, keep a notepad and pen handy. This step is especially helpful when you're studying or trying to understand instructions or complex concepts. Make notes that will help you remember what you've read or how ideas relate to one another. Use sticky notes or bookmarks to mark pages you'd like to return to, and keep track of which note corresponds to which marker by numbering the markers and the notes in your notepad.
Learn definitions of unfamiliar terms. A very effective step is to keep a dictionary close at hand. If you're reading online, you can use an online dictionary. No matter how good your vocabulary is, there may be words that are new to you or have meanings that you haven't explored. In order to better understand what you're reading, use the dictionary any time you're not sure of a word's definition. This step is one of the most important in improving reading comprehension.
Read aloud. The final step to better reading comprehension as an adult is reading aloud. You can read aloud to yourself, or you can read with a reading partner or reading group. Although most of us think of reading as only a sight-oriented skill, both the senses of touch and hearing help improve reading comprehension.