Hello Peter,
I too got tired of wearing glasses while using binoculars. This was
about 15 years ago. I was doing a lot of snorkelling and a bit of scuba
diving at the time as well and went into contact lenses. I used them for
about 10 years and was quite happy with them- although they were a
nuisance in themselves when camping. Difficult to keep clean etc. I
would use them for a month or two before passing judgement- it can take
a while to get used to them.
However, five years ago I decided to take the plunge and have laser
surgery on my eyes. One of the best things I've done. I forget that I
ever had to bother with glasses and contact lenses in the past. I'm now
quick draw mcgraw with the binoculars, no shuffling glasses off my face
or re-arranging shifting contacts!
Cheers
Mick
_________________________________________________________________________________
Michael Todd
Wildlifing: Images of Nature: www.wildlifing.com
Latest Images: Shy Albatross, Buller's Albatross, Aust. Fur Seal
PhD Candidate- Tasmanian Masked Owl
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 05, Hobart, Tasmania 7001
Mobile: o41o 123715
Peter Shute wrote:
Does anyone here use contact lenses for birding? I'm interested in your
comments about them.
I wear glasses for short-sightedness. My binoculars have enough relief
to work with them, but it's still a pain for various reasons, including
glare coming in the sides, eyepieces never being in exactly the same
place in relation to my eyes, etc.
I also find that my off axis vision (not peripheral) is blurred enough
to make identification of birds flying from the side difficult until I
can turn my head towards them - often too late. This is because I'm
looking through the edges of my glasses, where such simple lenses have a
slightly different strength.
So I'm trialling contact lenses. My initial observations:
- Without binoculars, they're far superior to glasses, but erratic. A
blink can mean slightly blurry vision till the next blink. Off axis
vision is as good as on axis vision, and I'm much better at identifying
fast flying birds, and at spotting birds that aren't in front of me.
- With binoculars, the glare and inconsistent eyepiece placement is
eliminated, but I'm finding the image quality erratic. I can't put my
finger on what's wrong. I think at times I can see more clearly, but at
other times I'm searching for perfect focus and not finding it. I keep
fiddling with diopter settings, then setting it back how it was again.
Shutting one eye to set the diopter setting is pointless, as that upsets
the lens in that eye for when I change eyes - I've taken to doing it by
putting one hand over the objective instead. And do you think the birds
wait around while I do this?
Is this how it is for other contact lens wearers? If so, I'm not sure
that I'll persist with them, despite the advantages.
Perhaps I'm seeking a level of visual acuity that's not obtainable. My
optometrist says I have better than 20/20 vision with my glasses, and
much better than what's legally required for driving.
Peter Shute
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