Objects in twilight more difficult when older ?

[skysurfer]

I notice that finding stars in twilight is getting more difficult (I think) with the naked eye. With telescope (even in full daylight) and / or at night I notice no difference with 20+ years ago.
I suspect that the autofocus mechanism in the eyes is slower for older people like me and peering into the blue void is behaving like a camera with AF on pointed on the blue void.
I remember that I found Sirius with the naked eye in full daylight along the scope when looking along the telescope which showed Sirius on a late March afternoon from Canberra in 1986 as a very faint point. Here in Holland I (barely) saw Arcturus in May 1982 at sunset with the NE.
Now I cannot see Arcturus at sunset even when looking along a scope.

Is this due to the slower AF of older eyes ?

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

My eyes have turned to rubbish as I've aged. I can no longer achieve sharp focus at infinity and I can't focus anywhere near as close. In fact they are virtually locked at computer monitor distance! I wonder how that happened? lol.

[Poita (Peter)]

What about during twilight when there is a crescent moon? Can you 'lock focus' on the moon and then see other objects with your eyes?

[leon]

Yep, age is coming to all of us, and things just don't happen like they used to, it is a slow process so one dosen't notice it so much, until one wants to do something they did 20 years ago and it just isn't the same.

Leon

[silv (Annette)]

a short while ago, I noticed an improvement in my daytime vision.
and I related it to the extended night time far focusing I only began a few months ago. (far focusing - not through an eye piece but with the naked eye).

what I want to say is, yes, age makes the optical apparatus work less efficient. but a training (and not locking your eyes too much in any given distance - computer, books, wahthaveyou) by consciously focusing on objects further away will lead to better day time vision, again.

and of course, it might also be that the atmospheric pollution has changed in the NL compared to what it was 20 years ago. (that's half kidding, now.)

[ZeroID (Brent)]

I spend most of my day in front of computer screens ( and a fair bit at home as well ) and you're right, your eyes get distance locked and 'freeze' up. I will often go outside and into a nice green garden at work for a visual relaxation exercise. Green is the most natural colour for our eyes apparently and I wander round there and some changes in focal points helps keep mine ok. Not great, just ok.
I'm against this growing old stuff, should be a law against it ....