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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 1st Jan 2022, 9:12 pm   #1
mark_in_manc
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Default Seeing things

In my early 50s, for most of my life I could see well but I now find long-sightedness a bit of a pain for lots of work and hobby activities. For a bit of a joke my wife bought me these for Christmas

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224395899...kAAOSwMhVgWKd3

- and I have to say, they're very handy, and a lot easier to keep on one's head than my alternative approach of two pairs of glasses (2s, which I have grown out of, and 2.5s which I now really need for small text - both at once!). I have an illuminated bench magnifier too, but that's not always handy. Depth of field is pretty limited, but OK, I'll take what I can get!

I note both-eye clip on magnifiers are available too - perhaps I'll give them a go, although the monocular ones make me look like a steampunk cosplayer. Next stop, glue some gears on it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCuE5rHbPA
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 12:56 am   #2
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Default Re: Seeing things

Quote:
Originally Posted by mark_in_manc View Post
In my early 50s, for most of my life I could see well but I now find long-sightedness a bit of a pain for lots of work and hobby activities. For a bit of a joke my wife bought me these for Christmas

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224395899...kAAOSwMhVgWKd3

- and I have to say, they're very handy, and a lot easier to keep on one's head than my alternative approach of two pairs of glasses (2s, which I have grown out of, and 2.5s which I now really need for small text - both at once!). I have an illuminated bench magnifier too, but that's not always handy. Depth of field is pretty limited, but OK, I'll take what I can get!

I note both-eye clip on magnifiers are available too - perhaps I'll give them a go, although the monocular ones make me look like a steampunk cosplayer. Next stop, glue some gears on it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCuE5rHbPA
I have heard of people wearing two pairs of glasses but have not tried it myself,does it add up to twice the magnification? Graham.
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 4:00 am   #3
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Default Re: Seeing things

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Originally Posted by radiograham View Post
I have heard of people wearing two pairs of glasses but have not tried it myself,does it add up to twice the magnification? Graham.
The missus does this, but not one pair on top of the other, one above/below the other.

I've tried the two pairs one on top of the other, just made me go cross-eyed.

Also tried these (attached pic) with the rechargeable LED, but the lenses are too close together for me plus I'm long sighted in one eye and short sighted in the other which doesn't help.
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 9:40 am   #4
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Seeing things

I see that Steve Fletcher in "The Repair Shop" on BBC TV uses two pairs of specs still attached to his nose.
I tend to use specs for close-up work and a loupe for really fine work.
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 10:42 am   #5
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Default Re: Seeing things

I too am long sighted so I wear glasses for reading and for close work I use a headband type magnifier like this (with the glasses as well)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headband-Ma...116397&sr=8-13

Other suppliers are available

Peter
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 12:09 pm   #6
wireman
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Default Re: Seeing things

I recently got one of these...

https://carson.com/cp-60-head-worn-magnifier/

as it looked like good value for money when I was looking into these a year ago.

The same company makes clip-on fold up/down lenses for spectacles.
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 12:29 pm   #7
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Default Re: Seeing things

2x glasses for me. My normal prescription pair and some 3x readers for the close up stuff.

As the readers are quite short it works as a bifocal. Look through the top for the PC screen or circuit diagram, look through the bottom for the filing, soldering or whatever.
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 1:30 pm   #8
mark_in_manc
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Default Re: Seeing things

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Originally Posted by radiograham View Post
I have heard of people wearing two pairs of glasses but have not tried it myself,does it add up to twice the magnification? Graham.
I don't have a scientific answer to that, but for me

No glasses - closest sharp focus at about 6 feet
+2.0 specs - fingertips in focus at full arms length, not closer
+2.5 specs - fingerprints at 18", not closer
both specs at once - sharp fingerprints at 9" - but s*d all depth of field
+2.5 specs plus Christmas present monocular - sharp at 2", but only 2"

It's a bit embarassing going on about this (as someone quite newly struggling to see) when many of you have probably been wearing specs since school and are feeling a bit like I feel about old friends who mocked my lack of football skills, but who are now themselves old and past it
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 1:57 pm   #9
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Default Re: Seeing things

Yes, viewing thro' two pairs of reading glasses does mean the strength adds up. It's easier to have several colour coded pairs though, i'm on 1.5 2.5 and 3.5, the latter for extreme close-ups. I hastened onset of long-sightedness by having corneas etched for short-sightedness, a trade off i'm happy with.

Dave
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 2:13 pm   #10
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Default Re: Seeing things

The strength is "dioptre" that is 1/focal length (in metres). A bit like dBs, you just add them up. Poundland do a good range for a quid each (no surprise there), to distinguish them I either get different styles or wind coloured thread round the bridge.

My eyes stopped focussing (nearly anyway) a few years ago, luckily infinity is fine, no need for glasses on the motorcycle.
 
Old 2nd Jan 2022, 2:24 pm   #11
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Default Re: Seeing things

Once you've got the total number of dioptres, something at that distance from the lens will focus as if it were at infinity as far as your eye is concerned.

David
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 4:30 pm   #12
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Default Re: Seeing things

I guess I am lucky having "infinite" vision! One of my other hobbies is optics and I even have a patent (paid for by a company) for an optical system. It is a fascinating field to study and play with.
 
Old 2nd Jan 2022, 7:10 pm   #13
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Default Re: Seeing things

My sight has been growing increasingly 'long' since my early fifties and I have been using increasingly stronger narrow lensed reading glasses which I wear all the time but mostly look over the top of, but look through when I need to see something within arm's reach. As I wear them all the time they lend me something of the look of a toymaker, which I don't mind too much.

The only problem is that I sometimes forget whether I am or am not looking through the glasses, go to grab something like a door handle and miss it completely.

I occasionally stack two pairs one in front of the other if I need to look at something only inches away, and yes that does work.
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Old 2nd Jan 2022, 7:56 pm   #14
Denis G4DWC
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Default Re: Seeing things

I originally noticed my eyes getting worse and had a problem with reading the numbers on 0805 size components and also the tiny lettering on "D" type connectors.

I visited the local optician, a brilliant guy, and he told me I was borderline for needing specs for reading. I showed him the components with the numbers I couldn't read and he said "what numbers". He then made me out a prescription for bi-focals the top half for reading and the lower half with good magnifiers in. Well into my 70s I can focus with these at about 4" away from the specs. I don't need specs for driving so I look over the top at the road and through the upper half of the specs to focus on the Dashboard. And yes, I also look like a toymaker!
My eyes have different characteristics so there's not an off the shelf solution.

My advice to anyone is to visit a good optician, tell them the problem and get a decent pair of specs made. You won't regret it. I certainly couldn't do any fine work without them.

Denis
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Old 3rd Jan 2022, 9:57 am   #15
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Default Re: Seeing things

That’s a brilliant idea Denis!

When I started needing reading glasses I had bifocals with intermediate (vdu) at the top and reading at the bottom. That was fine for work, where I was mostly desk based, but limited value for anything else. I have varifocals for driving (and as the “all purpose” pair to carry around) but most of the time the focus is in the wrong part of the lense and using them is uncomfortable.

I now realise that the approach you followed is exactly what I need to do so I’ll be off to the opticians as soon as circumstances allow. Thank you!

Hugh
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Old 3rd Jan 2022, 10:10 am   #16
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Default Re: Seeing things

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler View Post
Once you've got the total number of dioptres, something at that distance from the lens will focus as if it were at infinity as far as your eye is concerned.

David
The dioptre is actually a reciprocal measure. From Wikipedea

"A dioptre (British spelling) or diopter (American spelling) is a unit of measurement of the optical power of a lens or curved mirror, which is equal to the reciprocal of the focal length measured in metres. (1 dioptre = 1 m−1.) It is thus a unit of reciprocal length. For example, a 3-dioptre lens brings parallel rays of light to focus at 1⁄3 metre"

Peter
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Old 3rd Jan 2022, 2:30 pm   #17
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Default Re: Seeing things

I'm a bit confused how the clip works. Do you clip them to the bridge of your specs? If so the clip looks like it needs rotating by 90 deg to me. Am I missing something?

Steve.
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Old 3rd Jan 2022, 2:50 pm   #18
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Default Re: Seeing things

That puzzled me for 5 mins (but hey, that's part of the joy of a Christmas present, right?). They clip to the arm of your specs - in my case (and this might be weird) I can only wink my right eye, not my left, so they clip to the left specs arm. Then you use either one, or two lenses, and look through one-eyed. Two lenses is a bit much - like a high-mag microscope objective you need a lot of light and you get no depth of field at all. Really I should take one off and keep it safe, and then when the one in use is scratched, I can swap them. But I'd have 'lost' the spare one in the hoard, first

OT, but how are cheap lenses made so good, and cheap? Imagine trying to make such a thing, even in polycarb - how? Form tool on a lathe and then lots and lots of polish?
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Old 4th Jan 2022, 1:57 am   #19
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Default Re: Seeing things

I had good vision up until I was about 16 and then became a bit short sighted. This got worse over a few years and I went up a couple of levels in terms of prescription and then it stabilised for decades and I was able to wear contact lenses all through this time. However, in the last three years I've become less short sighted and ditched the contacts. I still need glasses to drive or to watch telly at a distance but I don't wear contact lenses anymore.

I'm a few years older than Mark but I can focus perfectly at 10 inches with no specs or lenses. When I still wore the contact lenses I used to have to wear +1.5 reading glasses to do close up work. This wasn't the same in terms of quality/clarity compared to taking out the contact lenses. Now I don't need any glasses for closeup stuff at all although I am still slightly short sighted. It's about the same as it was when I first needed glasses as a teenager.

I still use my stereo microscope a lot but not as much as when I was wearing the contact lenses.
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Old 4th Jan 2022, 5:55 am   #20
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Default Re: Seeing things

I setup a post about my "new" eyes. They cost me a few thousand dollars, but I can see everything AS LONG as its not 10" away. I wear chemist +2's to do that. By chemist I mean $20 a pair in half decent frames, rather than $2 a pair chinese shop.

Our eyes are our life, if you need something done, go see about it. After all ya cant take it with you, and battling to see is not fun.

Joe
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