Wearing spectacles whilst viewing

[craigb1970]

Other than the practical convenience of not having to take the specs' on and off, is there any other advantage in leaving them on whilst viewing,  I'm just starting and I haven't used my scope to look at the night sky yet (curse of the new scope) but looking through it terrestrially I prefer to take my specs off as I get a fuller field of view.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

If you have astigmatism (cylindrical like I have, or some other form), you need to keep them on. With long eye relief EPs it is not a problem, although it is a problem for your bank account (such EPs are more expensive). Otherwise there is no advantage (one extra pair of air/glass interfaces is not what you want)

[RikM]

Unless you need glasses to correct for astigmatism it is generally recommended to take your glasses off when observing.

I keep mine on because I find it more comfortable and I make sketches, so I need to see what I'm doing. I have invested in long eye-relief eyepieces because of this and that's certainly no benefit to my wallet

Edit: pipped at the post by Michael. Must type faster!

[cotterless45]

I can't observe with glasses. As the excitement builds , so does the condensation within the glasses, hurrah !

Nick.

[leelee970]

I also don’t get along observing with my glasses, but it is a pain when I need to then write things down or use the laptop.

 

I've made my own glasses cord so I don't lose them - although I now have the added problem of strangulation in the dark when they get caught u-p on the numerous "sticky out" parts of the scope.

The worse thing I find with “my” glasses is when the lens pops out and I don’t notice – lucky I find the offending lens in the morning.

[cotterless45]

Did exactly the same. Would have looked good on youtube ,guy with red head torch, on knees looking through remaining spectacle and muttering things,

Nick.

[RikM]

I put mine in my back pocket and then sat on them... On two separate occasions. I figured it would be cheaper in the long run just to buy XW's and keep my glasses on

[PorkyB]

I need specs to use my Rigel finder and to look at my camera screen, but can't get on with them when using the eyepiece, so I'm another spec cord user.

My optician was very helpful when I went in and asked for a "stringy thing".

[bambuko]

I never could use glasses when using either microscope or telescope.

It's right PITA at night even with the cord.

Other problem I have is when using hat (to keep warm) - glasses with cord and hat usually end up with me poking my eye when trying to put them on.

But, like many other afflictions brought on by old age there is little I can do about it (apart from grumbling).

[Barry]

I have astigmatism so without specs I can see several stars superimposed where there should only be one, and focussing is near impossible.  With specs it is just uncomfortable so I do very little visual astronomy.  Usually I just do the alignment then go  into the shed with  laptop and heater to image.  The advantage of this is that I do not keep triggering my neighbours security light.

Barry

[ronin]

Difficult in reality. I have glasses and astigmatism, but to be honest I find leaving them on a pain. I do have ones with decent eye relief as well. Still take the glasses off most of the time.

I find that the worst thing is where to put them so they don't fall off, get lost or stepped on.

I have taken to putting the required assortment of scope related bits in a plastic storage tub and I either put them in that or on the lid of it.

The main requirement is to do it all the time - consistancy. The one time you cannot be bothered will be when you stand on them.

[LeeB]

I fancy a monocle have tried with one lens out of a pair and it works ok , next visit to specsavers will be interesting.

[Astro Imp]

I wear varifocals and always observed wearing them but found difficulty with the Telrad.

Recently I started upgrading to Celestron X-Cel LX EPs and although they have generous eye relief I prefer to observe without glasses and have the twist up eye guards fully extended to help reduce stray light.

I haven't fancied wearing my glasses on a cord ( I'm sure as a previous poster has mentioned I would get them caught on something) and try to observe with a top pocket available for them.

[Knight of Clear Skies]

I generally leave mine on, which isn't ideal but works OK for me. Like ronin says, putting them down in the dark is likely to end in disaster.

I can't observe with glasses. As the excitement builds , so does the condensation within the glasses, hurrah !
Nick.

Should we ask what you are observing?

[ardbeg74]

Always take mine off as i like the full fov, but they always end up on the floor. Fortunately its grass but no good will come of this... But maybe i can attach a soft case to one of the mount legs? The accessory tray is far too busy for my glasses

Mark

[RikM]

Always take mine off as i like the full fov

That's the point of long eye relief lenses; so you can wear your glasses yet still see the whole field. I prefer 68/70° EP's rather than ultrawide 82°+

[astronymonkey]

In November I did a mini review of some specific astro glasses I had made, this may be of help to spectacle wearers so Ive pasted it below .....

 

10 November 2013 - 09:47 PM

I began wearing glasses about 10 years ago due to some myopia and an element of astigmatism. This has meant that I always wear my glasses when observing ad looking though the scope, but Ive also noticed that when Im simply looking up at the sky, the stars are never 100% sharp. After a bit of reading though I found this on wiki about night myopia:

Nocturnal myopia, also known as night or twilight myopia, is a condition in which the eye has a greater difficulty seeing in low-illumination areas, even though its daytime vision is normal. Essentially, the eye's far point of an individual's focus varies with the level of light. Night myopia is believed to be caused by pupils dilating to let more light in, which adds aberrations, resulting in becoming more nearsighted. A stronger prescription for myopic night drivers is often needed. Younger people are more likely to be affected by night myopia than the elderly

So this got me thinking about the possibility of getting some glasses optimised for astronomy. A bit of further reading on the internet led me to an excellent article from Sky and Telescope in 2005 called "Spectacles for Spectacular Skies" which can be downloaded from here http://www.skyandtel...g/64352322.html

After reading this article I took it along to my next eye test and agreed with my optician to a half a diopter adjustment and after choosing some biggish frames to give a wide field of view and adding an anti reflective coating I was £50 worse off with a a pair of astronomy glasses on order.

So at kielder 2 weeks ago I had a chance to try out the specs for the first time. During the day the extra 0.5 diopter adjustment meant they were a bit too strong and felt like I had someone elses glasses on but when it was dark and the skies were clear it was a different story.

Switching between my normal glasses and my astronomy glasses I could see that things were sharper and the stars were easier to see, its a hard thing to describe but things were clearer and seemed brighter. Through the telescope I couldnt tell much difference but when simply watching the stars they were a pleasure to use. In total I observed with them for about 4 hours and now they form a part of my astro kit, for the price of a low cost eyepiece.

So , if you wear glasses definitely consider this as a cheap upgrade to the Mk 1 eyeball.

Cheers

[RikM]

In November I did a mini review of some specific astro glasses I had made, this may be of help to spectacle wearers so Ive pasted it below .....

...

 

So , if you wear glasses definitely consider this as a cheap upgrade to the Mk 1 eyeball.

Cheers

What an outstanding idea

[bomberbaz]

I agree with a lot of the above, I also have asrigmatism and so must view whilst wearing them. However ep, s wigh long eye relief needn't bust the bank.

some mentioned the x-cels which at £60 are very reasonable and a fairly generous fov. There is also the baader hyperions with a generous 68 degree fov although they are a little more expensive at £95 ish.

There is also vixen Nlv ep's at £115 which seem like a good buys from a good manufacturer, lower fov but great eye relief although I have only used the former 2 brands.

Imo the best all round option is the baader but others may differ in their views

hth

steve

[ardbeg74]

That's the point of long eye relief lenses; so you can wear your glasses yet still see the whole field. I prefer 68/70° EP's rather than ultrawide 82°+

puts on cap, stands in corner.... 

[craigb1970]

Thanks for all the responses, lots of information.  Hopefully I'll be able to view with my glasses off although I do appreciate caution required around losing them, sitting on them etc, with my luck the papers will read "man found dead, trips over telescope leg and slits throat on broken spectacle lens".

With regard to the question, what am I viewing,  I'll initially try to look at all categories and see what takes my interest the most.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I just had an eye test in Specsavers a couple of days ago and the optician told me that while wearing glasses,i have better then 20/20 vision. She told me my sight with glasses was EXCELLENT.

Ive never worn glasses while observing but now i have 2 new pair and brilliant eyesight while wearing them,i might just start observing while wearing glasses. 

I may need a whole new collection of EP's.

[bomberbaz]

I just had an eye test in Specsavers a couple of days ago and the optician told me that while wearing glasses,i have better then 20/20 vision. She told me my sight with glasses was EXCELLENT.

Ive never worn glasses while observing but now i have 2 new pair and brilliant eyesight while wearing them,i might just start observing while wearing glasses. 

I may need a whole new collection of EP's.

brilliant idea. Now you can go and buy a range of Delos, Pentax, Vixen LVW EP, s to replace the existing set as they all have great eye relief as you need for glasses and also not feel guilty as its on the advice of your optician ;-)

[M4lcs67]

Up until last year I didn't need glasses at all, but I had an op to remove a large floater and after that I need glasses permanently now.

So I have problems when trying to view now. As I have a goto scope I need to be able to read the contoller, but I find that when I look down the eyepiece with the glasses on they get in the way, so I find that I have to take them off and put my eye right up against the eyepiece. With this in mind it is very irritating as I have to constantly take them on and off all the time. I know it isn't an exact science and everybody had their own way of dealing with it, but I feel your pain as I've been there myself.

[AndyH]

In November I did a mini review of some specific astro glasses I had made, this may be of help to spectacle wearers so Ive pasted it below .....

 

10 November 2013 - 09:47 PM

I began wearing glasses about 10 years ago .................

.......................So , if you wear glasses definitely consider this as a cheap upgrade to the Mk 1 eyeball.

Cheers

I heartily concur !!

I read this S&T article all those years ago and tried it out. Like you, I was and still am, amazed with the results. What I reckoned were nice  infocus stars, became tiny pinpoints.

Highly recommended to spec wearers.

Andy.

ps: I'm a 'push specs onto forehead' observer