[angelo225544]

I am nearsighted enough to require prescription lenses to drive. I have never and would never want to wear glasses when looking through binoculars (or my cameras). It not only puts more glare prone glass in the optical path, but it also makes it more difficult to stabilize the eyecup against your face. It has also led to the ever increasing and I think excessive eye relief of most modern binoculars (I just sold my Nikon SE's for exactly this reason). Yet I can see from various posts that there are many eyeglass wearers who wear their glasses when birding. I am hoping someone will explain why this is. I am also wondering, if the issue is that many binoculars will not allow infinity focus without glasses, would we not be better off trading some near focus for a little extra "beyond infinity focus". My Zeiss Classic 7x42's have a generous amount of "beyond infinity focus" so I know it is possible. Thank you in advance for your insight.

[Jos Stratford]

Originally Posted by angelo225544

Yet I can see from various posts that there are many eyeglass wearers who wear their glasses when birding. I am hoping someone will explain why this is.

Why they wear glasses when birding or just when using binoculars?! Answer to first is obvious - so they see birds rather than walking into trees :)
However, I guess the question meant when using binoculars - simple, it is a split second to get bins up to the eyes and be on a bird, why make it longer by going through hassle of removing glasses first?

[IanF]

I'm short sighted as well - I can see the bird wearing glasses and simply lift the binos staying fixed on the bird - dead easy to spot and very quick.

If I remove the glasses first my vision drops to around 4' and then you have to struggle to locate the bird through the binos. I dare say it's not so hard to do with a large bright bird stood in the open - but one sat in a bush or flying is more difficult.

Certainly it's more preferable not to have to wear the glasses but for me at least it's not as practical.

Same thing applies using the camera and the spotting scope.

[Dave Adshead]

Originally Posted by IanF

I'm short sighted as well - I can see the bird wearing glasses and simply lift the binos staying fixed on the bird - dead easy to spot and very quick.

If I remove the glasses first my vision drops to around 4' and then you have to struggle to locate the bird through the binos. I dare say it's not so hard to do with a large bright bird stood in the open - but one sat in a bush or flying is more difficult.

Certainly it's more preferable not to have to wear the glasses but for me at least it's not as practical.

Same thing applies using the camera and the spotting scope.

Yes, I wear specs for short sighted vision and I agree with what you say, without them I wouldn't see anything. For me bins and specs go together.

[birdman]

Half-way-house for me.

As a rule, I wear glasses, for the obvious reason, but if I'm going anywhere "special" birding, I wear disposable contacts, entirely to combat the issues Angelo mentions.

After about three days though, I have to give my eyes a rst and wear specs for a day.

[Pinewood]

Angelo,

For those of us with astigmatism, wearing specs is the only way to guarantee a sharp image, especially when the light is poor. There are times when I do not wear my eyeglasses, in broad daylight, when my pupil is small, the astigmatism in minimised but only a few binoculars provide enough diopter adjustment to compensate for my extreme myopia.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

[alfredotod]

I wear glasses because I have astigmatism. By focusing the binoculars I can correct near-sightdness, but not astigmatism; the image always remains a bit fuzzy. Only with glasses can I see a perfectly focused image.

[StuartReeves]

I wear glasses all the time, including when using bins for the reason that Jos mentions. I don't have problems with glare or stabilising the eyecups but I wonder how much of this is due to the details of the spectacle frames and lenses in use. Mine are relatively lightweight frames, with thin, high-index, plastic lenses with anti-reflective coatings. This aspect of my birding optics is at least as important as my bins, hence the similar attention to detail.

Stuart

[Alexis Powell]

As others have pointed out, if one has astigmatism (as I do in both eyes), wearing glasses is essential for a sharp view. Just as important is speed--when watching wood warblers in the trees or sparrows in brush or grass, I not uncommonly switch between looking with my eyes and looking through binoculars several times a minute for hours at a time. I don't find that wearing glasses compromises my view with respect to either lateral light or stability. Lateral light is easily subdued with a wide-brimmed hat (which I ALWAYS wear when birding), even in the deserts of north Africa and the arabian peninsula, where I have done plenty of birding. As for stability, my modified (lenses are a bit smaller and fit closer to my eyes) aviator-style glasses frames are rock solid (very rigid, unlike the wispy, flexible titanium frames that are the current style) and provide firm support--I press the oculars against my glasses, which in turn press against my brow around the bridge of my nose. In contrast, I find that eyecups often fit into my eye sockets uncomfortably--the soft tissue around the eye does not provide firm support, and that eyecups (especially on pocket binos) can press against tissues around the eyeball, distorting one's vision. Other benefits of wearing glasses? No eyelash marks on the oculars! Fewer issues with watery eyes in windy weather!
--AP

[Sailcat]

Echoing the sentiments of the other posts prior to mine, for those of us with astigmatism, eyeglasses...or some other form of corrective lenses...are essential for clear vision. It is a sight defect that binoculars cannot simply focus away. That is why generous eye relief is necessary for those of with this affliction. Personally, I dream of what it must be like to live without the curse of wearing spectacles!

[ceasar]

Angelo,
I'm curious. Have you tried your Zeiss 7 x 42 ClassiC's while wearing your glasses? You should have no problem using them while wearing glasses. Their Eye Relief has to be longer than the Nikon SE which is 17.4mm. My old model Leica Trinovid 7 x 42's have an ER of at least 22mm. A friend of mine had your Zeiss model and it had an ER at least that long. I wore glasses till I had cataract surgery and I had no problem with glare while using the Leica's. The fold down eyecups worked perfectly and in fact they helped stabilize the bin when pressed against my glasses. I think I was able to get a steadier view when I wore glasses than now when I don't. Another thing; if you are nearsighted, you need 20/20 vision to scan the sky when you are looking for raptors and also for looking through brush for warblers and such, so you have to keep your glasses on. It's more convenient and much faster to keep them on when you want a closer look through the bins
Bob

[Curtis Croulet]

I have presbyopia. Since I need glasses for all other daytime activities, I don't want to be taking them on and off and figuring out where to stash them to look through the bins. By that time, the bird is going to be in the next county. If I try looking through bins without glasses, I can never get them as sharp as they are with the bins. That wasn't always the case, but it is now. When I'm doing astronomy, I look through the telescope without glasses, and I do go through the on-off-on-off routine, which is a real nuisance. I can't get a satisfactory view through telescope eyepieces while wearing glasses, and few eyepieces have enough eye-relief to allow it.

[trashbird]

When I birdwatch, I always use my eyes and ears first -- no binoculars. Without glasses I can't see clearly beyond a few feet, and now that I am in my 40s I have presbyopia -- age-related close-vision problems. So basically, I need glasses to simply function anywhere and to see clearly. When I hear a bird, I try to see it with my eyes (with glasses) and only then bring the binoculars up to my glasses. Or I first see a bird -- some tiny movement in the branches, and then I bring the binoculars up to my glasses. With small active birds you have less than a second to get the bird in the binocular view -- some birds will sit still longer, but the act of hearing-seeing-binocular viewing should be instantaneous and instinctive. I can't take off my glasses and get the binocs up to my eyes in a short enough time.

I have a friend who grew up birding in the 70s with modest binoculars with limited eye-relief. He learned how to push his glasses up with the eyepieces of his binocs and put them to his eyes in one quick movement. And that's the way he is comfortable doing it now. It must have taken a long time to aquire that ability.

Also, I have never worn contacts. I tried once but had some problems wearing them. So until I can afford laser surgery, long eye-relief will always be a necessity on a binocular for me.

I know, however, that too much eye relief can sometimes be a problem as well, even for eyeglasses wearers. The new eye cups that rotate out with several stops along the way make it possible to reduce the eye relief a few millimeters, which some glasses wearers need.

[angelo225544]

Thank you all for the clarification. I was not implying that we abandon out eyeglasses, but rather remove them to look through binoculars. I have a tether on my eyeglasses and as I bring my binoculars or camera to my eye I simultaneously flick off my glasses. They simply fall to my chest until I'm ready to switch back. I want to better understand astigmatism though as that does sound like a real obstacle. Can someone explain what astigmatism is and how it affects what the eye sees. Thank you all for your help.

[solentbirder]

Originally Posted by angelo225544

Can someone explain what astigmatism is and how it affects what the eye sees. Thank you all for your help.

Have a look at this (no pun intended !):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditio...gmatism2.shtml

The practical effect is that you can't focus light from the vertical plane and the horizontal plane at the same point. Depending on the curvature causing the astigmatism the person will see either horizontal lines or vertical lines better. In my case I see horizontal lines more strongly. My glasses can correct this completely so I wear them when using binoculars.

[Swedpat]

Angelo,

I wear eyeglasses and use binoculars for as well astronomy and birding/naturestudies. Some years ago I decided to only have binoculars suitable for eyeglasses and sold my binoculars who couldn't provide this benefit. I have discovered it's necesserary for as well effective astronomy and birdwatching to have the possibility to instantly change from naked eye vision to the binocular and back again. This because of as well the time and position loss you get in the action to take off the eyeglasses. When using a spottingscope or an astronomical telescope it's another thing because they are mounted and you mostly don't use them for (fast) moving objects, but this is my experience for handheld binoculars.

Regards, Patric

[Issie]

Originally Posted by IanF

I'm short sighted as well - I can see the bird wearing glasses and simply lift the binos staying fixed on the bird - dead easy to spot and very quick.

If I remove the glasses first my vision drops to around 4' and then you have to struggle to locate the bird through the binos. I dare say it's not so hard to do with a large bright bird stood in the open - but one sat in a bush or flying is more difficult.

Certainly it's more preferable not to have to wear the glasses but for me at least it's not as practical.

Same thing applies using the camera and the spotting scope.

Same for me - I can't see more than a couple of feet without my glasses and it takes too much time to locate the bird, remove glasses and then locate the bird with bins - also very hit and miss approach - the bird has usually gone. I am also so short sighted that bins only just compensate for my poor vision when I am looking at something more than 15 feet away - anything further than that and I can't see a thing.

[Andy Bright]

I thought the official advise from the birding optics companies was to use your glasses, primarily because your optician has gone to all the trouble of corrrecting your vision and therefore it's a backward step to take them off and rely upon the bino to do as good a job.
cheers,
Andy

[Lewie]

I am another person who must wear glasses. I often get asked why I do not get contacts, and I reply that I am perfectly happy with glasses, and do not want the hassle of contacts.

In years past I have had to find the bird, then take off my glasses to use the bins. Then put the glasses back on to find other birds. I absolutely hated doing the glasses & bins shuffle. It took all the enjoyment out of birdwatchimg. Now when I look for new bins or scopes the first thing I consider is eye relief, since it does not matter how good the optics are if the optics are virtually unusable to the person. Just my opinion.

Lew

[Keith Dickinson]

Hi Curtis
Like you I am presbyopic but I can use a scope wearing my specs.
I have varifocal lenses in my birdwatching spectacles with the lenses set 1.5 mm lower than normal. This means I don't get quite as good a level of near vision but my distance vision area is larger. Using the scope is then easy. If I use my normal varifocals then I find it difficult to use my scope. Amazing how much difference that 1.5 mm makes.
Also try not to have a spectacle frame that is too large, this can cause problems with eye relief.

Originally Posted by Curtis Croulet

I have presbyopia. Since I need glasses for all other daytime activities, I don't want to be taking them on and off and figuring out where to stash them to look through the bins. By that time, the bird is going to be in the next county. If I try looking through bins without glasses, I can never get them as sharp as they are with the bins. That wasn't always the case, but it is now. When I'm doing astronomy, I look through the telescope without glasses, and I do go through the on-off-on-off routine, which is a real nuisance. I can't get a satisfactory view through telescope eyepieces while wearing glasses, and few eyepieces have enough eye-relief to allow it.

[Lee Rogers]

As many of the other replies have pointed out sometimes it's a case of no option, I have very poor vision; chronic myopia, astigmatism, and different focal lengths, right eye 6" approx, left eye 8" approx. Bins just can't compensate for that sort of difference. It is frankly impossible in the field to see a tree as anything other than a blur, passerines on it.........forget it, it's a good job they sing!

[michaelboustead]

Eyeglasses are pain when it rains, smear up all the time and fog up and freeze solid when it gets really cold- none of it really good. Without my glasses I cannot see the tree the bird is in. I can't even make out the big "E" in the eye chart.

I live and bird mostly in the Eastern US. When I bird I listen and look primarily for motion and in the case of a perched bird a silhouette (lucky). When I see something I don't take my eyes off it. I would never fumble with my glasses.

Binoculars work fine with eyeglasses (not ideal) if there is enough eye relief. There are plenty of good binoculars to choose from which meet this requirement.

[Swedpat]

Lewie,

I have seriously considered to get contact lenses. There are still many great binoculars with great optical quality with the only drawback of too short eye relief. Some examples are Swarovskis porroprism serie, Swift Audubon 8,5x44 BWCF and the most 8x30/32 models.

Patric

[jedku]

I find having the best naked eye vision while birding is almost more important than bins. I have eye glasses which I prefer for birding. I also have contact lenses. I test 20/20 in the contacts, but they don't correct a very slight astigmatism, blurring small contrasty things in the far distance.
Unless there is a weather issue, as mentioned above, I prefer the glasses. I find alot more birds to raise my bins to with perfect naked eye vision. I think sharp eyes and good ears are very important while birding. But most important, most IDs are made naked eye -- common species that one may not wish to spend limited time observing at that moment. Excellent eyesight helps with the sorting process.
I also agree with what has been said, I don't want to waste time taking off my glasses and risk losing an interesting bird. Also, glasses do make a stable anchor to hold the bins to and they prevent fogging of the ocular lenses due to body heat/steam in cold weather.....
Marc

[Tero]

I mostly don't wear the glasses. But if there is a lot of field guide use, then I do. I like the Nikon Action EX porros the most with the glasses. The regular Nikon Actions, no EX, have just rubber eye cups, not any good.

The other thing I do need, though, is a glasses case. I do drive with glasses at all times, so in the car, the Nikon porros are handy for me. Good wide field even with glasses.