Allergies to rubber eyecups (1 Viewer)

I recently began to exhibit an allergic reaction to the rubber eyecups on Leica Ultravid. This is manifest as an inflamed area under my eyebrows, where the eyecups contact my face, usually after one or more very long days of birding. I have never had such a reaction to either my older Leica 8x20 BCA or Nikon Superior E.

I sent an inquiry to Leica, and their response was to apply Armorall Protectant to the rubber, or to remove the rubber and let the plastic disks contact my face. I have used Armorall on my cars for about 20 years, but I'm not sure I want to use it on my face. I e-mailed Armorall about the safety of this procedure (they say the product is non-toxic), but they have not responded.

Does anybody have any experience-based solutions?

Hi Jonathan,

Somewhere at the back of my mind I remember either being told or reading that a very thin coating of baby oil can combat this (it's apparently not all that uncommon). Unless of course you are allergic to baby oil!

Tom

Jonathan B. said:

I recently began to exhibit an allergic reaction to the rubber eyecups on Leica Ultravid. This is manifest as an inflamed area under my eyebrows, where the eyecups contact my face, usually after one or more very long days of birding. I have never had such a reaction to either my older Leica 8x20 BCA or Nikon Superior E.

I sent an inquiry to Leica, and their response was to apply Armorall Protectant to the rubber, or to remove the rubber and let the plastic disks contact my face. I have used Armorall on my cars for about 20 years, but I'm not sure I want to use it on my face. I e-mailed Armorall about the safety of this procedure (they say the product is non-toxic), but they have not responded.

Does anybody have any experience-based solutions?

Click to expand...

Jonathan,

Armorall is OK on eyecups. I removed my SE eyecups, applied Armorall, let them dry, and then wiped them smooth. It worked great and there's no adverse reaction for my wife or me.

That skin under the eyelid is tender and soft tissue. You are probably getting a bacteria reaction of sweat in contact with tainted eyecups. I had the same problem with eyeglass bridges and the cure was to put a very thin coating of Neosporin on my nose. It worked like a charm in controlling the inevitable rash, itch, and subsequent pain.

Clean your eyecups and think about controlling the inevitable bacteria buildup on that soft tissue with a mild antibiotic.

John

PS
I sent a query to Leica via their web page, but I've yet to get a response. How long did Leica take to respond to you?

John,

Thanks for the ideas. I have used rubbing alcohol to clean the eyecups and my skin below the eyebrows prior to prolonged use, but still developed a rash. Your suggestion of Neosporin below the eyebrows sounds good and I will try it.

I heard back from the Armorall manufacturer today, and they said flat out that they would never recommend the product for binocular eyecups. I suspect they are being cautious, and your experiment with your SE eyecups seems to have worked without any side effects.

It took Leica about 48 hours to answer, and the person who wrote the response, Dave Elwell (with Leica USA), said I probably have an allergy to latex. This may be true, but this is the only rubber product that has ever affected my skin. I suspect there may be something in the specific formulation of the rubber in the eyecups that is bothering me.

I plan to e-mail Mr. Elwell and repeat what the Amorall folks said. Maybe he will have another suggestion.

John,

I forgot to ask:

How do you remove the eyecups from the SE?

Jonathan

Jonathan B. said:

John,

I forgot to ask:

How do you remove the eyecups from the SE?

Jonathan

Click to expand...

Jonathan,

If you look at the eyecup it appears that there is too much rubber covering the eyepiece to get them off very easily. In fact, the rubber eyecup is held in place by a recess around the ocular tube and it's not very deep.

I carefully worked the cup off one side and then worked it around until it came off. I'm patient about such things, I did 4 eyecups, and never once touched the lens.

Replacing the eyecup was a little trickier and, again, patience was essential. Coating the eyepieces with Armorall (while they were removed from the bin) made them pliable and relatively easy to replace. Replacement requires you to get one side in the groove and then work the remaining eyecup around the eyepiece until it's completely in the recess. Replacing the eyecups reminded me of replacing a bicycle tire!

A little dexterity, patience, and common sense are all you need!

John

PS
Do not leave any liquid armorall on the eyecups. Wipe it clean and let it dry for awhile before you replace it. Otherwise, you might end up with a lens problem! Again, simple common sense is in order.