Glasses advice...

[Solanum]

Apparently I am now quite old and have finally hit the point where the optician says I am longsighted enough to need glasses for close up stuff (distance vision still OK). The prescription is still only slight though.

My question is, when I get them, will I get better views with them on (most of my EPs have good eyerelief and twist up tops), or off? Can't say I fancy using glasses with the scope, but wondered what the best option is, in theory at least?

[glend]

You don't need your glasses to use your telescope. Your views will be as good as before. When you focus the eyepiece you are adjusting it for your vision. Unless you have a serious astigmatism you will not need your glasses to use the scope.

[Solanum]

Thanks, that's what I hoped, but thought I would check!

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

I agree. I need (bifocal) glasses for reading and for driving at night, but I don't use them at the eyepiece.

Cheers

[blink138]

hi solanum i am an optical dispenser and as a previous post rightly has said only if you have astigmatism, though it does not have to be severe to affect your vision / 0.75 dioptre will cause a noticeable lack of sharpness
pat

[glend]

Some high end eyepieces do offer dioptic correction, Televue is one.

[casstony]

Even with 0.25 astigmatism I get noticeable improvement in low power images with my reading glasses on. Stars are tiny crosses without the glasses.

[Wavytone]

As one who has always been very long sighted and with astigmatism, and worn specs for 53 years...

1. Casstony you have astigmatism, the OP does not.

2. OP, someone who is longsighted does not need specs at the telescope - merely racking the eyepiece out a tad will compensate for long sight (or in if you are short sighted).

If you're seeing stars as crosses you have astigmatism.

In my case I prefer to look through the scope without the specs - I can tolerate the astigmatism most of the time.

The real snag is the lack of ability to focus on an iphone, iPad or map up close - constantly putting specs on/off is a real pain.

[Fox]

I'm short sighted, so I can dial that out at the eyepiece. But I also have astigmatism in one eye, left, which also happens to be the preferred eye I like to observe with. Its a real bugger (!!!) I must say, when I look with my right, suddenly all the stars resolve into TINY pinpoints, but changing to my left leads to mash... :-(

I'm thinking about trying one of those TV rotating diopter things - is the improvement noticeable with daytime viewing in the store (or only with astro observing) ? Fox