contact lenses and binoculars (1 Viewer)

[Otto McDiesel]

The astigmatism in my left eye is getting slightly worse every year. Does it make any difference which contact lenses i use when birding and using binoculars? It's about time that i do something about this eye. I am asking this because i notice that there are large difference between lenses for spectacles

 

[Tero]

Not sure of your questions. You can bird with
1 glasses 2 contacts 3 neither
all three work, depending on binoculars
also, how much do you need to read at the same time?

 

[Otto McDiesel]

Not sure of your questions. You can bird with
1 glasses 2 contacts 3 neither
all three work, depending on binoculars
also, how much do you need to read at the same time?

Is there a brand or type of contact lenses that is better than others? I have never used them before, but i am willing to try. Thanks.

 

[hg1]

contacts

Is there a brand or type of contact lenses that is better than others? I have never used them before, but i am willing to try. Thanks.

I have worn contacts for about 20 years. The two main types right now are called either hards (gas permeables) or softs. The softs have the advantage of being more comfortable. However, in my experience the hards give a far better acuity. Doesn't matter much when you are looking through your bins but it could help you find the bird in the first place.

 

[AlanFrench]

The astigmatism in my left eye is getting slightly worse every year. Does it make any difference which contact lenses i use when birding and using binoculars? It's about time that i do something about this eye. I am asking this because i notice that there are large difference between lenses for spectacles

Whatever you do, you want to get some correction for that astigmatism! Aside from de-focus, which is easily corrected, nothing is more harmful to the image on your retina than astigmatism.

I gave up contacts more than a decade ago, so I don't have any advice there. I did recently get new glasses, with improved correction of my astigmatism, and they made a big difference in what I see.

Clear skies, Alan

 

[birdman]

I'm not astigmatic, but I do need corrective lens for my short-sight.

I wear glasses most of the time, simply out of convenience, but if I am going out particularly for birding, then I use soft contacts.

Whilst I frequently use my binoculars whilst wearing glasses, wearing contacts does have two major advantages in my opinion.

Firstly, my glasses steam up very easily, especially if I am hot, which hampers seeing in general, but is worsened by using binoculars.

I think the close contact of my bins and my hands against my face restricts whatever airflow there might be, resulting in lens-fogging.

I know that contacts can fog, but it has never happend to me.

Secondly, with the eye cups extended on the eyepieces, extraneous surrounding light is blocked out, and so the image I see through the binoculars is significantly clearer.

 

[Tero]

Sorry Otto, can't help there. My wife wears contacts sometimes all day, sometimes not at all, as she does not need them to read, for instance. There are a lot of brands and lot of different quality.

 

[Katy Penland]

I've worn soft contacts since they first came out (30+ years ago) and I'm now developing a slight astigmatism in my right eye but it's hardly noticeable, it certainly doesn't affect my binocular use, and I wouldn't trade 'em for glasses ever (my correction is -.575 so I'd need coke-bottle bottoms for lenses ). My corrected vision is 20/15 with contacts, not bad for an ol' broad's eyes. :t:

 

[POP]

having worn glasses for 67 years and contacts on and off for over thirty years,I have to say for birding contacts are ideal, and far better than glasses.However i find now that I cannot buy a high enough strength for contacts and heve to use my glasses.There is now a bifocal contact lens but again it just does not have the sharpness for my eyesight.But if you can get the ideal prescription for contacts go for it.

POP

 

[jackied]

I wear both glasses and contact lenses and I find it more difficult to bird wearing glasses. As has already been mentioned there is a problem with fogging when using glasses, I also find glasses difficult to wear when it is hot, they tend to slide down your face as you sweat. The only problem I find with contact lenses is that if you don't blink often enough, the lenses start to dry out and can become uncomfortable and even blur your vision slightly. This usually happens when I'm concentrating on getting a good view of a bird, and I don't blink as often as is necessary to moisten the lens.
Even so, I would much rather wear contact than glasses.
Jackie

 

[POP]

you can now buy eye drops for contact lens to keep them moist.

POP

 

[Gramayr]

If you have astigmatism you want a toric contact lens. You can get these in daily or monthly disposables.

 

[Bob McKay]

If you have astigmatism you want a toric contact lens. You can get these in daily or monthly disposables.

I can attest to toric lenses. I have been wearing contact lenses for 30 years with varying degrees of success until I tried a toric lens for my astigmatism a couple of years ago. The toric lens did the trick for me.
Bob