One of the groups that struggle most when using binoculars is people who wear eyeglasses. The problem with glasses is that they limit how close the binoculars can get to your eyes. That is why eyeglass wearers complain of seeing objects with dark edges and not seeing the entire field of view.
Since there are no binoculars made for eyeglasses wearers, there are a few tricks on using binoculars with glasses.
That’s what this article is all about. If you are yet to buy binoculars, I will show you what binocular features favor eyeglass wearers, and if you have them already, I will take you through the different tricks.
Should I Use Binoculars With Or Without Glasses?
The decision to use binoculars with or without glasses is entirely up to you, depending on the reasons you wear glasses. You can choose to remove the glasses depending on the reason behind your wearing of glasses.
For instance, if your glasses are for correcting long or shortsightedness, you may work without them because the binoculars will correct that for you. But if your glasses are for eye conditions such as astigmatism, a binocular will not correct the blurry vision or distorted images.
Still, most eyeglasses wearers choose to keep their glasses on while using binoculars. Some of the reasons behind this are to avoid losing or breaking the glasses and save time taken to remove the glasses and put them on again. Also, when observing faraway moving objects like birds and butterflies, you want to first spot them, before wearing the binoculars. In such a situation, it would be better to keep your glasses on. First, the glasses will make it easy for you to spot moving objects, and secondly it will be easy to switch to binoculars.
The first thing you should understand is the eye relief feature and binocular eyecups. If you understand how to use them, you will have success using binoculars with eyeglasses.
Eye Relief And Eyecups When Using A Binocular With Glasses
Eye Relief
In binoculars, eye relief refers to the distance in mm between the eyes and the binocular’s ocular lens and different binoculars have different eye reliefs. Binoculars have eyecups that you use to either shorten or lengthen the eye relief.
If you want to keep your eyeglasses on when observing through a binocular, shop for a high-quality one with adequate eye relief. Eyeglasses prolong the distance between your eyes and the eyepieces, hence the need for extra eye relief.
Most binoculars have an eye relief between 10 and 16 millimeters (mm) with some recent models having eye relief between 17 and 21mm. When shopping for binoculars, look for the eye-relief, usually written in the instrument packaging.
The best binoculars for eyeglass wearers are models with an eye relief of 16 mm and above. There are many models with 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, and 19mm eye relief. The extra eye relief is crucial to prevent straining your eyes and fatigue.
Eyecups
You may have come across the word eye cup in your hunt for binoculars, but what is it, and how does it help when using binoculars with glasses? Eye-cups are fold-able or twist able shades that prevent the entry of external light that could disrupt your vision.
It’s also what you use to adjust the eye relief.
There are two types of eye cups; fixed focus and twist-up design. The fixed-focus design has foldable eyecups, normally made of rubber. The twist-up design has sleek adjustable eye-cups that you twist until you get the right eye relief.
Some have stops after a certain length that clicks as you twist the eyecup. These are the best option if you need better flexibility as you adjust the distance between full extension and retraction. If you are wearing glasses keep the eyecups up.
Other Factors To Consider When Using Binoculars With Glasses
The Type Of Glasses Matter
The ease of using binoculars also depends on the type of eyeglasses you are wearing.
The most binocular-friendly glasses are the flat framed and round lenses. The rectangular lenses have one problem; it is hard to get the right flush fitment when using the binoculars. Additionally, the flatter the lens, the better the view.
So, if it’s something in your control, go with flat framed glasses and avoid eyeglasses with thick lenses. But if your lenses are thick, you should choose a binocular with eye relief between 16 and 18mm.
Practice Beforehand
Before heading out for sightseeing or bird watching, test your binoculars while wearing glasses in the house. By preparing your equipment before heading, you get a chance to correct mistakes and adjust the settings to optimal efficiency.
How To Look Through Binoculars With Glasses
When looking through binoculars with glasses, there are a few things you should do to ensure optimum clarity and sharp images.
Step 1
Firstly, if you don’t have eyeglasses, you don’t need to extend the eye relief. This is because the distance between your eye and the glass lenses provides extra eye relief. To look through binoculars with glasses, retract the eyecups completely.
Step 2
Secondly, bring your face to the objective lens, match the eyes with the objective lenses, and focus your binoculars. If you see black rings at the edge of the image, your eye relief is short. This phenomenon is known as vignetting. To correct it, extend the eye relief until the black rings disappear and you can see the full field of view.
Step 3
Lastly, your eyes may have a differing focusing ability. This is quite common, and that is why it’s important to use the binocular hinge to create a personalized reserve for each eye. The central focus will also come in handy. Revolve the focus back and forth until you get a clear picture from both eyes. Furthermore, most binoculars have diopters between the optical lenses. You can adjust these diopters to balance the focus and clarity for each eye.
Wrap Up
To use binoculars with or without glasses is a personal choice, depending on several things. The obvious one is the reason for wearing eyeglasses. If you wear glasses to correct short or long-sightedness, you can use them without the glasses. But for serious eye problems like astigmatism, you must use eyeglasses.
To use binoculars with glasses, choose a binocular with long eye relief, preferably 16mm or more. Retract the eyecups, bring your eyes to the objective lens, and adjust the diopters to get a clear view from each eye.