BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="trashbird" data-source="post: 561720" data-attributes="member: 35840">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.</blockquote>

Verification