4 eyes or two?

[Bigwings]

Firstly let me apologise if your offended by 4 eyes, my nickname when I got my specs when at school. 

The question relates to glasses or not when observing. 

All these years I have observed with glasses off as my dominant eye has perfect long distance vision. 

Whils playing with my rebuilt 10" Newt and working out which EP, s needed what spacers to reach focus I tried specs on. I  found that with some of my EP's the "correct" position for my eye was easier to find and it is changing my opinion of some EP, s. 

Now this was a daytime experiment so if the sky clears this year I will try specs on when observing. 

How do you find it? 

On or off? Those with perfect eyes and no specs probably won't wish to respond. 

Clear Skies

 

 

 

 

 

[jacko61]

I'm quite shortsighted so I wear specs for just about everything except reading.  However, I've never worn them when looking through things from cameras to telescopes. 

Graeme

[wibblefish]

I'm short sighted so I find is massively annoying, have to have my glasses on to locate targets in the sky, check the target in the red dot, then glasses off to adjust in the finder scope and glasses off for observing. Dropped them in the mud so many times....I could try contacts but I don't really like sticking things in my eyes 😛

Edited October 14, 2021 by wibblefish

[Stu]

Check my avatar, I’m a real four eyes!

The only reason to wear glasses when observing is if you have astigmatism. If you do, then you should wear your glasses, if not, the scope can do all the correction needed.

Televue do something called a dioptrix which can be fitted to many of their eyepieces which corrects for astigmatism so you don’t need to wear your glasses to observe.

https://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=54

[Bigwings]

I understand that Stu. 

My observation was that the specs seemed to help me get better eye position with some EP's.  MY Baader zoom was one. 

🤔

 

[Stu]

14 minutes ago, Bigwings said:

I understand that Stu. 

My observation was that the specs seemed to help me get better eye position with some EP's.  MY Baader zoom was one. 

🤔

 

Ah yes, so eyepieces with longer eye relief can be a bit more difficult to keep your eye in the right place. Extending eye guards can help with this as it stops you having to hover your eye away from the eyepiece and cuts out glare or reflections.

[vineyard]

Glasses off for me.  It does become a hassle b/c I need to then put them back on to do pretty much anything else (eg: read the handcontroller or look at an atlas or switch EPs or filters).  But I find that keeping them on when viewing puts my eyes too far back so that it feels like I'm getting a smaller FOV (even w 20mm ER EPs) & too much ancillary details around the EP, not just what the EP is showing.  (I realise that it may just be perception of FOV that changes rather than actual observed FOV).  Hence, glasses off and just position eyeball at most comfortable position.

Glasses are marginally more comfortable w v long ER EPs (a TV40 plossl for example) but the LP with those exit pupils is too much so I don't use them much for visual.  Except now in afocal NV where I find that the NV device is very easy & comfortable both ways (glasses on or off) without any diminution in perceived FOV.

 

[Carbon Brush]

Wot Stu said. Well a bit more to add.

Whether long or short sighted, the focusser will take that into account, so no need for specs that are often another piece of dubious quality plastic lens.
My solution for astigmatism is contact lenses.

However, if the EP has really long eye relief, and you don't have neanderthal brow ridges, hovering in mid air can be a problem.
My take on this is to use the rubber eyecup. It also helps block stray light.

If the eye relief is too long on an eyepiece, you can arrange a spacer or eyecup.
If it is too short, you are stuck.

If you are sharing a scope, having everyone with (near enough) corrected vision minimises focus adjustment.

There is no 'one size fits all' solution.😁

David.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Off... when I am at the 'scope, binoculars or camera viewfinder.
On... when looking at the camera display. 

When I am viewing at high power at the eyepiece, I sometimes see a lot of 'floaters'.    

Edited October 15, 2021 by Philip R

[Alan White]

Glasses on Finding, Looking up at the sky.
Glasses on at the Eyepiece down to 10mm then Glassess off.
Reading Glasses to read the start charts and any displays.

I used to laugh at my dear old Dad with multiple glasses, I now understand what he went through,
my Daughters now do the laughing at me.....The Circle of Life I suppose.

[John]

Glasses worn for reading etc but not for observing. Eyepieces with their eye cups right up seems to enable me to find the correct eye position, mostly.