wide screen monitors

I’ve had these two 23″ widescreen dells (sku 320-7339) now for a little while now.
I’ve noticed that I used to read sites in full mode.  Now I’m reading sites with half the width.  My eyes get tired from reading such a long line.
I remember learning that newspapers, magazines, and such, realize that there are optimal easy reading widths.  IMHO wide screens are not optimal for reading.  Great for viewing videos.
How does productivity suffer from this?  I guess it’s all in how you use the tools you have.