At what point did you know?

[Hans Tucker]

Probably a real dumb question but to readers that had to get glasses later in life at what point did you know that you need them and what effect/changes did you have to make to viewing in regards to observational Astronomy.

[ballaratdragons]

There is no such thing as dumb questions in here.
Some people may give dumb answers though :P

Later in life?
I realised I needed glasses in my mid 30's.
I knew I needed them when stars were turning into blurry blobs, and street signs were getting impossible to read when driving.

As far as Astronomy, I don't wear glasses. The focuser focuses the image so I can see it.
That's what is good about focusers, you can take your glasses off if they annoy you when looking into EP's.

[PCH]

Hi Hans,

about 45 here, and like Ken, I let the focuser take up the slack. It's a real fag having to keep putting the blasted things back on and off though as I flit from book etc to ep. Dam - hate getting older :help:

[erick]

Not later in life - year 10 for me. My mother suddenly realised that I was having trouble seeing detail on the TV screen and had my eyes tested. I've required distance ever since. About 7-8 years ago (since late 40's), I needed glasses for reading.

Just experiment yourself. Most probably both eyes are different so try reading, then seeing distant signs, one eye at a time and see if your eyes are different. But best you see the experts. One bulk-billed visit and you will know.

I don't use glasses through the eyepiece (thanks to focussers), but I need them to see the sky, unfortunately. I have to wear my distance glasses when I want to see the sky. Where this intersects with equipment is when I 1) use binoculars and 2) use a finderscope. In both cases I either have one eye on the sky directly (finderscope) or want to move back and forward (binoculars).

Gets really difficult then when I want to read a chart at the same time - I need different glasses for that! Yes, I have tried multifocals, but I find them too annoying because there is just one magic spot that you can look through them to see close and one more spot to see far! (I use multifocals solely for driving.)

[mithrandir]

Since I'm short sighted I've almost always had to wear glasses for driving. The first time I had any was about year 9 at school so I could read the blackboard.

For close work like reading, using a computer or looking through an eyepiece I take the glasses off like Ken does.

For several years whenever I have got new glasses the strength has been going down. At some point I won't need them to drive but, with the usual corneal hardening with age, by then will probably need them to read.

Andrew

[Terry B]

Last year for me age 46. I found that I needed a bright light to focus on sheet music and I was having trouble reading in dim light.
Now I have reading glasses that I use in those circumstances.
I don't use them at all for astronomy.

[marki]

Last week for me :). Like Terry I was having problems reading small text and in dim light. I had to hold books away from me to read them properly but I only need them to read so I don't have to use them when looking through an EP.

Mark

[Ric]

I realised I needed reading glasses at 49 when then small print got to hard to read, it should have been earlier but there was a bit of self denial going on.

Distance glasses came about a year later and took the soft edge off everything and makes riding the bike a more easier.

I don't need them for viewing through the scope but I have to put the readers on to read a chart or use the goto.

Cheers

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi
I passed a full flying medical in 1955. In 1957 when TV started I noticed that I needed to sit closer to the TV to stop blurring. I diagnosed slight myopic condition and had my eyes tested. Glasses fixed the problem.

By 50 I noticed that there was a shift in my vision and glasses were no longer necessary for long distance under good lighting conditions. I had my drivers licence so endorsed. This is a vision shift I already knew was a common result of myopia.

By 55 I found I needed glasses for close work and had my eyes tested again where glasses were again prescribed for reading. This also fixed the problem of difference in the focal range of each eye.

At 76 I now need glasses for close work (reading etc) and distance for night driving. (if I remember to bring them). I don't use glasses for normal vision or with a telescope.

As a couple of side issues. a friend of mine (about 40 years ago) had trouble parking his car near the curb and other close objects. Being a smart arse I diagnosed astigmatism and suggested that he have his eyes tested. He did, got correcting glasses and now has excellent depth perception. The other point is I went to a 3D movie yesterday (The Green hornet) and with the polaroid? glasses I had great 3D effect.

Barry

[erick]

Test for close vision - can you read the street directory at night under the dome light or do you need to shine a bright torch on it! :sadeyes:

There had better be wisdom with old age, to make up for all this other annoying stuff that happens! :mad2:

[snowyskiesau]

About 54 for me. I noticed that subtitles on TV were difficult to read. Glasses fixed this for medium distance and also made a difference for long distance.
After 18 months, found the glasses were no longer needed for medium distance and made less of a difference to long distance.
I now however have a slight problems with reading in low light conditions and have glasses for this - when I remember to wear them.

[Saturnine]

Like Marki and Terry B, I realised that I was having difficulty reading fine print in dim lighting, eg Street Directory and Star Atlas' at night, so relented and at aga 60 had my eyes tested and now have reading glasses. My distance vision probably isn't perfect either but the telescope focuser allows a lot of leeway, besides, who wants to see into the distance anyway, the future is always bleak !

Jeff

[Exfso]

This eyesight thing is very insidious or is it insideous, don't matter, it sneaks up on you. I was 23 when I did my Flight Service course in Melbourne and was sitting at the back of the class when the instructor asked me a question about an item he had just put up on the blackboard. I said what item!!, he thought I was taking the mick out of him and got quite irate. A fellow sitting next to me jokingly said, "here try my glasses and you will see what he means". I put them on and all of a sudden I could see a whole new world. Had no idea before that, that my eyesight was going to shortsight. It really just crept up on me.:rolleyes:

[Hans Tucker]

Yep, this is what I am experiencing. Newspapers and magazines are ok but smaller font becomes a real issue in particular the contrast of the background and the colour of the print. Black writing on white background is not a problem but grey print on white starts to blur.

Thanks for all the replies...it has been insightful.

[Mariposa]

In my mid 20's I realised I had a problem when playing with a work colleague's glasses, I could see so well in the distance...for the first time in years!. Before that I wasn't aware I had a problem, went to the optometrist and since them had to wear glasses (but never got used to it, tried contact lenses as well but my eyes were always very dry).

A couple of years ago I decided to enquire about laser surgery and decided to go for it, it cost a lot but since then I don't need any type of seeing aid. The only side effect is that the eyes are very dry, I will need drops for the rest of my life, but the surgery in many ways was the best decision I made.

[casstony]

I needed reading glasses in my 30's after finding that my eyes were sore after reading.

Interesting thread regarding preservation of distance vision: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=239432

Also, I recall reading that laser surgery is not good for night vision since they only correct a 4mm diameter which leaves you with dual focus points if using an exit pupli greater than 4mm? Does anyone know what diameter is corrected with laser surgery?

[OICURMT]

Because I just can't focus up close anymore, I am forced to use reading glasses when looking at my laptop under dark skies. I use contact lenses for normal distance vision.

for Astronomy, I ordered a stronger set of contact lenses specifically for the hobby. I normally use a -2.25 in each eye. For Astronomy, I use a -2.75, which allows really sharp focus of the night sky.

[ballaratdragons]

Hans, what brought on your eye problems?

Mine was from 'fixed focus'.
As a Tattoo Artist I was looking at a fixed distance of around 14 inches for up to 12 hours a day, with only very brief moments at looking further (looking up to see who walked into the Studio etc). I worked like this for 16+ years!
(people working on computers all day run the same risk if they don't attempt to focus on things in the distance every few minutes while working)

The muscles in my eyes pretty much froze in that position making it hard to focus on anything further out.
My close-up focus was amazing.
On the old $5 and $10 notes were some fine print (almost micro-print) which was good for testing eyes. I could read both easily.

But know, probably through age, I am starting to lose my close focus too. I find myself moving things away from me to focus on them.
But I still need glasses to get sharp focus for anything further than about 1 metre.

So my original problem (no distant focus) was work based, my current problem (no close focus) is age.

[Octane]

I discovered I had issues while at university in my early 20s; sitting in the back row of tutorials I was unable to clearly read red or green texta writing on the whiteboard.

I was so upset when I was told I'd need glasses for distance. I had to console myself, somehow. Most normal people spend time looking for frames which suit their face, or style, etc. Me, I found the most expensive set of Giorgio Armani frames and said, "yes, this is me!"

I figure that my eyesight deteriorated most likely due to having extensively used computers since the age of 8. I spend all day in front of a screen (four screens, actually) and don't have windows to look out of to exercise my eyes, and, as a result, I think they're getting worse.

Sucks.

H

[Hans Tucker]

Hi Ken,

I never gave much thought to a cause as I was told that once you hit your 40's you are at a higer probability of needing glasses. Like H I spend hours in front of a computer screen and whilst they do suggest to take a break every hour it seems to slip my mind.

The only in depth eye test I have had was the typical Snellen Eye Chart test and that seemed not to raise any concerns with the medical section. So maybe a visit to Opthamologist/Optometrist is in order :sadeyes: Maybe I'll go Brains of Thunderbirds for style.

[rmcconachy]

Both of my eyes suffer from myopia and astigmatism. I can focus out the former when using binoculars or a telescope but not the later. I've worn glasses part time since I was about twelve years old. The tip off was trouble reading the blackboard. For years I resisted using spectacles when observing and put up with the astigmatism but I almost always use my glasses now. These days the only thing my eyes have going for them is a decent amount of focus accommodation and at forty years of age that might not last for long.

For those who suffer from myopia and wear spectacles (or might soon), Sky & Telescope ran an interesting article about night myopia in their September 2005 magazine. You can download a PDF version of the article here <http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/visualobserving/64352322.html>. I asked my eye specialist about night myopia when I last had a check-up and explained that I spent quite a bit of time outside at night observing or driving. In addition to a prescription for a new pair of normal spectacles (call them `day time glasses') he gave me a second prescription with an extra half a diopter of correction for night time use (call these `night glasses'). For me the extra correction does help. The difference isn't `hit you over the head huge' but I can see more detail at night, e.g., naked eye I see the Pleiades as a hazy blur, with my day time glasses I can pick out maybe five members, with my night glasses I can pick out seven.

For those who might be joining us `four eyes' there was also a thread here on IceInSpace a couple of years ago with general advice for things to look for in spectacles used for astronomical observing <http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=352838>.

[Jeffkop]

I work in Electronics ... thats many small things that are getting smaller and these small things have print on them which is obviously getting smaller. I lasted untill 50ish before succumming to glasses .. To focus I had to hold the part away at a distance which was too far to see the printing anyway :lol::lol::lol:

I read a lot too, mostly in bed, now I dont have to have the book resting on my navel to read it !!!!