Getting glasses

[The Warthog]

Although I have worn glasses since I was eleven, I haven't worn glasses for seeing at a distance since 1998, when I had my eye lenses replaced with plastic, due to cataracts. Now that I have the Grave's disease problem, which requires me to have a prism in my lens, or wear an eyepatch, I am finally giving in and getting glasses with the slight correction required to bring me up to 25/20ish. I have a slight astigmatism, and although I have stubbornly resisted wearing glasses for distance (I put the prism in plain glass lenses or cheap, low power reading glasses) I am wondering if the glasses with the astigmatism correction will improve things like the questionable focus I sometimes achieve, or seeing details like the Cassini division.

Any opticians here? I won't have the glasses for about 10 days. I hate wearing glasses! :x

[spacemonkey]

Whilst I don't wear glasses, I can appreciate the problems for people who do, particularly when showing people through a scope and finding their focus is completely different to mine, although that's more of a short/long sightedness issue. You probably already know about these -

http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=259

which seem to be the cure for most people with the problem you describe.

Regards, Dave

[barkis]

We do have an optician on SGL WH, but I can't recall his name, but I will delve and try to find him. Hopefully he will read your post and respond long before I get around to finding him.

Sight is one of the senses we treasure, and I hope the improvements are forthcoming mate.

Ron.

[Helen]

WH, you could PM huwbellamy - he's and optician and has said he's happy to deal with queries!

Helen

[supernova]

WH, get em on matey they work for me.

Bernie.

[Macavity]

Yep - And you could still look as cool as this... well, ALMOST?

[barkis]

WH, you could PM huwbellamy - he's and optician and has said he's happy to deal with queries!

Helen

Thanks Helen, I knew we had someone in that field, but my memory capacity is down to .05Kb. now. I haven't seen him post for a while though. I 'm sure he would be happy to advise WH though.

Ron.

Just had a look, October 6th. 2007

[Stephen Green]

Hi Warthog you do seem to be going through it lately good luck with the glasses

Stephen

[Sam]

WH, I have to wear glasses most of the time - you get used to them but they are tricky to use when observing - I take them off to look in the eyepiece but then have to put them on to look at the sky without the scope to re position - or just to take it all in. I have stood on them, dropped them and kicked them accidentally to. But despite all that it's quite handy being able to see! so they're not so bad.

Sam

[supernova]

WH, a mate of mine has glasses about 1/2 inch thick,

He must have good eyes to be able to see through them

I got used to them, you will be ok.

Bernie.

[daz]

WH, I have to wear glasses most of the time - you get used to them but they are tricky to use when observing - I take them off to look in the eyepiece but then have to put them on to look at the sky without the scope to re position - or just to take it all in. I have stood on them, dropped them and kicked them accidentally to. But despite all that it's quite handy being able to see! so they're not so bad.

Sam

Sounds exactly like me Sam!

Hope everything turns out OK WH!!

[The Warthog]

Thanks, guys and Helen. It's not so much a question of getting used to glasses, except that I have never used them at the telescope, as I started using a telescope after I stopped wearing glasses. I am interested in whether I can expect to be able to pick up any finer detail with the astigmatixm correction in the glasses than I can without them. The correction in my right eye is on the order of 0.25.

[Pip]

I know what it's like. I'm really shortsighted and also have astigmatism, I wear varifocals and it can be a pain in the bottom but it's a necessary evil.

Much like Lightbucket I often take mine off for observing. My husband has very thick glasses and if he comes and has a look he always takes his off to view. I have yet to try any photography but I suspect it may cause some problems.

Chin up mate it's better to see clearly

Pip

[supernova]

WH I am short sighted and I can view with or without my goggles but I find-- with them better.

But dont make the mistake I did, using my reading glasses and think

WHAT IS GOING WRONG.

:nono: doh.

[radioactive]

I am supposed to wear specs myself truth is I am useless at remembering to wear them.So sometimes I do but mostly do not!

I try, but really ought to try harder. I am sure my eyes need re testing as well right now too. I will probably end off with a nice pair of f7.5s :shock:

[acey]

I'm astigmatic but observe without specs. I seem to recall reading that astigmatism of the eye becomes less of a problem as magnification increases, but I find it hard to say whether I find this in practice, because higher magnification also increases the effect of any astigmatism in the telescope. At low powers I'm more aware of aberrations such as coma.

Andrew

[themos]

Larger magnification, smaller exit pupil, smaller fraction of the eye's surface lit, less aberration.

[acey]

That makes sense, Themos.

[James]

An astigmatism correction of 0.25 is about as small as an optician can reliably detect (according to mine). The astigmatism in my right eye (the good un) is currently measured at 0.25 and to be honest when I use my glasses I don't really detect any difference except possibly on my longer focal length eyepieces, at which point I start noticing coma so the astigmatism doesn't really bother me.

It may make a difference to eye strain, since getting my new prescription my eye gets tired a little quicker although I'm expecting things to improve in that dept.

HTH

James

[The Warthog]

Oh, the 0.25 is the vision correction. The astigmatism is a different number that I can't remember of the top of my head..

[James]

Ahhh. Oh well, you can ignore all that I said then - sorry!

[Eclipse]

I hate varifocals, I have 2 pairs of glasses, one for driving and looking at the sky naked eye, one focused 22" away, for using the computer. At the eyepiece I take them off.

[FireForEffect]

Hi WH,

I've got the same level of correction for my right eye astigmatism and I can definitely say that my overall focusing has improved since starting to wear glasses just recently - far less focusing fine tuning required, and the only times I can distinctly see the cassini division is while I'm wearing my glasses. Even thought it's slightly difficult to position over the eyepiece and the eye strain can be a problem after prolonged viewing (more so than without) - I can simply see more with them on - hope this helps.

[The Warthog]

HI, FFE!

That's what I've been wondering about. Any time I have used binoculars, I have taken my glasses off, and fine detail when you are identifying an Indigo Bunting isn't as important as it is when you are trying to see the Cassini Division. Anyway, I haven't had prescription glasses since I've owned a telescope, making do with cheap reading glasses (my cataract surgery was 10 years ago.) I am hoping this new prescription allows me to see some things that have eluded me over the past nine years of telescope ownership.