Guys with glasses & telescopes

[paulF (Paul)]

Hey guys,
I was jut wondering if you keep your glasses while looking through the eyepiece or you just fix the focus and remove your glasses?
I wear glasses and it's starting to bug me a bit the fact that i can't decide what to do? (Remove the glasses and gaze or keep them and gaze....)
Thanks everyone

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

It might vary between the short-sighted and the long-sighted.

I'm short sighted and take my glasses off, just as I do to read.

SWMBO is long-sighted and has to put hers on.

[gbeal]

Long, with a touch of astigmatism as well. Take them off at night, if using the PC I use a pair of cheap readers.
Gary

[asterisk (Geoff)]

Another variation is the degree of astigmatism the glasses may be correcting for - if severe, then definitely leave the glasses on and get eyepieces with a longer eye relief.

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

I wear glasses for Reading and daily use (bifocals) and I have to take my glasses off to look thru scope. I focus without glasses on.

Adrian

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi Paul,

If you have astigmatism correction lenses leave the glasses on. Long or short sighted you can pocket the glasses and use the scope to correct.

I have astigmatism correction and I take the glasses off sometimes. Its convenient.

Cheers Marty

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Glasses on, glasses off, glasses on, glasses off.
Welcome to the club.
I'm short sighted with bad astigmatism in my left eye.
LOL I use my bad eye to view with. Don't know why, but I don't like using my right eye.
I take my glasses off to look through the eyepiece and have them on to look through the viewfinder.
Make it easy on yourself and get into astrophotography instead.

[astroron (Ron)]

Make it easy on yourself and get into astrophotography instead.
Get yourself some contact lenses and you will be right

[Rob_K]

Like jjjnettie, glasses on, glasses off, glasses on, glasses off...

Short sighted, no idea if I have any astigmatism or not (whatever astigmatism is!). Drives me troppo, trying to put glasses on upside-down in the dark, trying to thread the frames under a beanie using only one hand, apologising to 'normal' people for the focus, etc etc.

But hey, I can see, can't be too bad...

Cheers -

[erick (Eric)]

First of all, I have to be grateful that I have two eyes that work (after a fashion). After a fashion because, in the last few years, one eye has decided to focus at distance (metres and beyond) and the other has decided to focus at about 60-70cm. At last check, no astigmatism in right eye, very slight in left eye.

I look at the sky with my distance glasses.

I observe with right eye, no glasses.

I view through straight-through finderscope, one eye on sky and one eye through finderscope, using my distance glasses.

I can look at my Argo Navis display without glasses thank goodness (thanks Gary!).

I can change eyepieces without glasses. (In fact I keep practicing so I can do it with my eyes closed, if necessary)

I can view my perspex covered computer screen without glasses.

To look at the finer detail of starcharts, maps, planisphere etc, I have to put on my reading glasses.

Putting on glasses when wearing beanies (or my fur-lined flying helmet for sub-zero temps) and mittens or gloves, is a real pain.

So I have glasses either in various top pockets when not needed, or on one or maybe two "granny chains".

(Yes I have tried multi-focal and I hate them for every application, apart from when driving (so I can see distance and console at the same time - my sunnies are multi-focal)).

Annoying, but that's the way it is.

[citivolus (Ric)]

Something to consider: Apparently some eyeglass designs (specifically bifocal, maybe others) and contact lenses are designed to function optimally at ambient light levels, and the extent of pupil dilation can impact their performance. Wearing your glasses or contact lenses while observing may in fact make your vision worse.

I wore contact lenses for a short time, but found that my pupils dilate far enough that uncorrected/undercorrected light was entering my eye, resulting in blur.

Glasses off for visual for me, but I do have an astigmatism correction lens that fits my eyepieces.

[paulF (Paul)]

I guess i have two choices:
1- Getting long eye relief eyepieces
2- Getting into Astrophotography
3- Contact lenses (Unlikely, i can't put anything on me eyes...)

Thanks for ALL your replies guys

[stephenb (Stephen)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

Glasses on, glasses off, glasses on, glasses off.
Welcome to the club.
I'm short sighted with bad astigmatism in my left eye.
LOL I use my bad eye to view with. Don't know why, but I don't like using my right eye.
I take my glasses off to look through the eyepiece and have them on to look through the viewfinder.
Make it easy on yourself and get into astrophotography instead.

We have a great pair of eyes, Jeanette. I'll swap you my right for your left?

I have short sighted with bad astigmatism in my right eye. And I also use my bad eye to observe with? Why is that? I have put the case to severaloptometrists over the years that my shortsightedness is attributed to using my right eye for oberving all through my teenage years. All of them dismiss my threory ad a coincidence.

I take my glasses off at the eyepiece also.