Observing with an Eyepatch?

[Olli]

Hi,

i was wondering do any of you wear eyepatches when you observe through you scope ( Covering the unused eye) the reason I bring this up is I was thinking if it would produce less strain instead of squinting  and probably a better view! or you could put it over the observing eye and stop it from getting the night vision ruined.

wonder how many pirate observers there are.  

 

[alanjgreen]

Yes, I do! As you say, it helps me to remain at the eyepiece for longer. In cold weather it also keeps a patch of your face out of the cold

I use this cheapo one (from China - allow 3 weeks for delivery)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00W8YQBUE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Its curved and fits nicely with adjustable strap.

Alan

[Trikeflyer]

Occasionally I use an eyepatch over the non observing eye. I find it very comfortable to observe like this.

[ejp1684]

I use one. It's a leftover from an eye exercise program I bought a few years ago. I find it easier than squinting.

Eric.

[Olli]

Nice to know people use them seems like a good idea  

[domstar]

I love mine.I couldn't observe without one any more. And you are right, if you pop inside you can cover your observing eye and stay dark adapted - very helpful if, like me, you sometimes want to check stellarium every 5 minutes. Pound for pound, the best stargazing equipment in my set up.

[Littleguy80]

I use an eyepatch too. Makes a big difference. You're more relaxed and comfortable and that helps to see more detail. They're not much money either.

[Olli]

11 minutes ago, domstar said:

I love mine.I couldn't observe without one any more. And you are right, if you pop inside you can cover your observing eye and stay dark adapted - very helpful if, like me, you sometimes want to check stellarium every 5 minutes. Pound for pound, the best stargazing equipment in my set up.

Was thinking about that . as the version on tablet the keyboard isn’t red like the main part of the app. So can easily ruin the eye’s vision like you said.

[Nyctimene]

Just found this again (squirreled away quite a while ago):

https://www.thebesteyepatch.com/index.html

No own experience with these. Wearing glasses (and suffering from "dry eye", esp. in dry, cold air), I never could really get on with eye patches. The "R-Sky Observing Hood" is a much better solution for me:

http://r-sky.org/en/

Stephan

[wookie1965]

I use one now after Nick (cotterless45) said try it much better you can relax your eyes and discern more of the object your looking at. 

[mikeDnight]

5 hours ago, Dinoco said:

Hi,

i was wondering do any of you wear eyepatches when you observe through you scope ( Covering the unused eye)

wonder how many pirate observers there are.  

 

Aahh! Covering the unused eye! I knew I must be doing something wrong!! 

Seriously though, I've tried using an eyepatch but find them uncomfortable. I prefer using a blackout hood or blanket which hangs loose, allowing me to observe with both eyes open in complete darkness. It works wonders for dark adaption, even in reasonably light polluted areas.

[Olli]

4 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Seriously though, I've tried using an eyepatch but find them uncomfortable. I prefer using a blackout hood or blanket which hangs loose, allowing me to observe with both eyes open in complete darkness. It works wonders for dark adaption, even in reasonably light polluted areas.

Im hopefully getting my scope in a week or so have ordered a patch that @alanjgreen linked above. If I find it uncomfortable I’ll see if I can get a hood might help more as sometimes car lights can leak through when they come over the hill.

[JeremyS]

+1 for the observing hood. better than a patch so far as I am concerned.

There was some discussion on hoods on SGL a while ago: 

 

[Red Dwarfer]

They are definitely a good idea to avoid eye strain . Here's a selfie taken earlier this evening to help people see where they go . 

[Astro Imp]

Always observe with an eye patch, makes a big difference.

[JOC]

22 hours ago, Dinoco said:

( Covering the unused eye)

For some reason I found this^^^ hilarious!  LOL

[Tommohawk]

Or binoviewer maybe?

[LukeSkywatcher]

Always have a patch on my left eye when observing through a scope.

[chrisdg1968]

Yup always use one now (on right eye for me and observe with left).  That or a hood pretty much essential to avoid the discomfort of keeping the unused eye shut.

[25585]

Eye patches can be bought at local chemists. 

In cold weather a neck tube/buff worn on the head and pulled down over your non-seeing eye also works.

[N3ptune]

Wow, I need to get a new eye patch, mine is so bad.. it won't cover my eye properly, it's the cheapest thing money can buy.  Once I went for an eye exam and I had to wear their eye patch, it was incredible. I asked if I could keep it for astronomy and they said no...

-->  I need to find my perfect eye patch.

[trynda1701]

On 22/02/2018 at 19:02, Red Dwarfer said:

They are definitely a good idea to avoid eye strain . Here's a selfie taken earlier this evening to help people see where they go . 

I also like how Red Dwarfer is using one of those new fangled parrot recorders for note taking. Whisper notes to the parrot about the objects being observed, and it will repeat them back indoors while you transcribe to your observing logbook in comfort!