Discovered What Was Wrong With All My Telescopes

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by raymo

It's a shame you went to OPSM, it's free at Specsavers.
raymo

Really! Very interesting, thanks very much.
Regards,
Renato

[Steffen]

A question for those who had cataract surgery, are the replacement lenses fixed focus, or are they attached to the ciliary muscle and change shape for focusing?

If they are fixed focus, are they set for infinity (meaning you need glasses for anything closer than a metre or so)? If they are set for infinity, how good is that infinity focus, e.g. when looking up at the night sky?

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Hi Renato, I have had both eyes fitted with new lenses. No pain, no strain! My lenses are fixed focus set to a mid-range working distance. I wear glasses all the time because I also have astigmatism, particularly in the right eye, but I find I can focus my scopes to accommodate my vision and use my left eye. My eyes were done a bit over 10 years ago and have not given me any trouble. I do understand that there may be new technology which allow for muscular control of focus, but don't know details. I'm sure your optometrist will know.
No fun getting old, but this op. will definitely work. Do it!
Robert

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by Robert9

Hi Renato, I have had both eyes fitted with new lenses. No pain, no strain! My lenses are fixed focus set to a mid-range working distance. I wear glasses all the time because I also have astigmatism, particularly in the right eye, but I find I can focus my scopes to accommodate my vision and use my left eye. My eyes were done a bit over 10 years ago and have not given me any trouble. I do understand that there may be new technology which allow for muscular control of focus, but don't know details. I'm sure your optometrist will know.
No fun getting old, but this op. will definitely work. Do it!
Robert

Thanks Robert,
I must say I hadn't thought about the focus aspect. I have astigmatism too, but despite having lenses made by various manufacturers, I've never been able to use my glasses to read a book or a star atlas at the telescope. or even just for general wear because they make me feel 3 foot tall and they distort everything (tables look the food is about to roll off, doors look like rhombuses). So I only use them for looking at stars or driving at 100kph in dark places at night. They did make me a less strong pair of glasses for use on the computer or reading books - but I still found them annoying at those tasks, and it distorted the night sky a lot too.

So when you look at the night sky with eyeglasses, do you still see relatively good star points and crisp views of say the Eta Carina region? Are the eyeglasses set to compensate for the mid range working distance of the eye lenses? Or would one need on set of eyeglasses for the night sky, and one for more general use?

Thanks for any info you can give me.
Cheers,
Renato

[raymo]

Steffen, As far as I know, they are still fixed focus. You can opt for close focus for reading etc: and need to wear glasses for everything else, or infinity focus and only need glasses for close up use. Some people opt for one of each. I simulated that, and found it an unpleasant sensation, so went with infinity for both eyes. I can just read my car instruments, so only need glasses for reading. The moon is pin sharp for me. Of course
some people will have pre-existing eye problems that will not be
corrected by lenses.
raymo

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Hi Renato,
I have to say that I have just no problems with my glasses. I am surprised that you do. On one occasion the lens maker made a mistake with the astigmatism correction and the vision made me feel very unstable. But that was easily fixed when the new lenses were fitted. I do seem to recall in the now distant past when I was but a lad, that my first pair of glasses with astigmatism correction took a little time to get used to, but since then no problems.
Nowadays, with progressive focus lenses in your specs. there are no problems moving your vision from distant (ie infinity) to close-up for reading. So, skies are beautiful (when Melbourne weather allows) and I can read a book with no discomfort. I do have a second pair of specs. specifically for when I'm reading music (I play clarinet in a couple of orchestras). These also have progressive focus lenses but are designed to give me a larger region of focus at the distance my music is from my face. But I still see clearly at a variable distance and can drive the car without problems while wearing them. The design of lenses nowadays is such that they can match virtually any requirement you might have.
I would suggest that if you do a lot of work in say a workshop, where distant vision is not critical, that you have another pair made which will accommodate your requirements.
When I'm at the scope just viewing, I can comfortably remove my glasses and just observe using my left eye directly at the eyepiece. The focus adjustment of the scope seems to be adequate to compensate for any inadequacy of my eye. ( so I don't especially need a large eye-relief e.p. )
But before any of this glasses bit comes the op. My eyes were done one at a time and a fortnight apart. I haven't looked back.
Incidentally, you can also get a photo-chromic coating on the lenses which allow them to darken when outside in the bright light, so you don't need sunglasses. (although you may still need them - or fit-overs - if driving your car as the windscreen filters out the UV.
Anything more you would like to know of my experiences, I'll always be happy to answer.
Don't worry, do it!
Robert

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by Robert9

Hi Renato,
I have to say that I have just no problems with my glasses. I am surprised that you do. On one occasion the lens maker made a mistake with the astigmatism correction and the vision made me feel very unstable. But that was easily fixed when the new lenses were fitted. I do seem to recall in the now distant past when I was but a lad, that my first pair of glasses with astigmatism correction took a little time to get used to, but since then no problems.
Nowadays, with progressive focus lenses in your specs. there are no problems moving your vision from distant (ie infinity) to close-up for reading. So, skies are beautiful (when Melbourne weather allows) and I can read a book with no discomfort. I do have a second pair of specs. specifically for when I'm reading music (I play clarinet in a couple of orchestras). These also have progressive focus lenses but are designed to give me a larger region of focus at the distance my music is from my face. But I still see clearly at a variable distance and can drive the car without problems while wearing them. The design of lenses nowadays is such that they can match virtually any requirement you might have.
I would suggest that if you do a lot of work in say a workshop, where distant vision is not critical, that you have another pair made which will accommodate your requirements.
When I'm at the scope just viewing, I can comfortably remove my glasses and just observe using my left eye directly at the eyepiece. The focus adjustment of the scope seems to be adequate to compensate for any inadequacy of my eye. ( so I don't especially need a large eye-relief e.p. )
But before any of this glasses bit comes the op. My eyes were done one at a time and a fortnight apart. I haven't looked back.
Incidentally, you can also get a photo-chromic coating on the lenses which allow them to darken when outside in the bright light, so you don't need sunglasses. (although you may still need them - or fit-overs - if driving your car as the windscreen filters out the UV.
Anything more you would like to know of my experiences, I'll always be happy to answer.
Don't worry, do it!
Robert

Thanks Robert,
Your experience is extremely interesting to one such as me - who has had about 14 pairs of eyeglasses from four different manufacturers in the last 35 years, since discovering this problem - and who has never had any luck using them the way that you have. There is no way that my brain can compress the image of a door that is twice as wide at the top to what it is at the bottom, into something that resembles a regular door.

Strangely, other than on the internet, I don't recollect ever actually meeting anyone else with astigmatism with whom to compare notes. Apparently, my vision is somewhat unusual - which may explain why I have the difficulty with eyeglasses. My optometerist from four years ago said to me that technically, given my scrip, I should be wearing eyeglasses all the time when driving. But that in practice, I was outperforming my scrip significantly when doing the test of reading the letters on her chart.

Which makes me wonder if in practice, given my odd vision, I will get as great and smooth a result as you are obviously enjoying. Hopefully I will, and I will eventually find out.
Cheers,
Renato

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Renato, you certainly do seem to have quite a severe astigmatism problem. In your situation I would be seeking advice from an opthamologist before doing anything more. I have not had it done, but I understand that laser surgery on the cornea can correct astigmatism. I would think one would have this done prior to having cataract surgery, but an opthomologist - not optometrist, would be my choice of action before cataract surgery. Your optometrist should be able to give you give you a referral.
Robert

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by Robert9

Renato, you certainly do seem to have quite a severe astigmatism problem. In your situation I would be seeking advice from an opthamologist before doing anything more. I have not had it done, but I understand that laser surgery on the cornea can correct astigmatism. I would think one would have this done prior to having cataract surgery, but an opthomologist - not optometrist, would be my choice of action before cataract surgery. Your optometrist should be able to give you give you a referral.
Robert

Thanks Robert,
I never knew such a thing as an opthamologist existed or might be of any use to me.
Cheers,
Renato

[PCH (Paul)]

Pretty sure you both mean Opthalmologist

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmology

...just in case you were going to google it.

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Oh dear. Back to school.

[Steffen]

Originally Posted by PCH

Pretty sure you both mean Opthalmologist

I'm sure the three of you mean ophthalmologist.

Originally Posted by Robert9

Oh dear. Back to school.

Well, we might as well settle on o*logist. There is a reason words are the way they are.

[Robert9 (Robert)]

I guess what I really mean is "Go and get specialist advice."
Robert ( looking at primary school vacancies )