Reading Glasses, any good options?

[TheBitterEnd]

Just that really, photography and surveying is becoming a bit of a pain having to put on and take off reading glasses, not to mention carrying them around. Are there any alternatives?

Had anyone tried a monocle

 

[Bob Mehew]

I went for varifocals which allow me to read albeit for a short while before my eyes get tired and I have to switch to my reading glasses. But possibly that won't work for fine bits on a camera screen. However, I think the range of varifocals is proportional to price. How about a hand lens? That's assuming you can keep it clean. I have also got a pair of fold down magnifying lenses, as an example see these (though I can't speak for the web site).

 

[RobinGriffiths]

I buy multipack of cheap readers, then leave a pair in appropriate locations around the house. e.g. computer, bedside, car, armchair. Also a good light so your eyes can operate with narrow pupils which seems to help focusing on near objects.

 

[kay]

I always fancied those half glasses, so you can peer over them for distance.

Sadly my eyes are the other way round, perfect at 6inches, rubbish for anything more than two feet away.

 

[TheBitterEnd]

Perhaps I should have been more specific, I'm asking about in-cave (small, wet, muddy). I too have a pair in every pocket, room and two in the car. I have the little ones in a tube, folding ones, etc.

I suppose the issues are, they get broken quite quickly in pocket or tackle bag and are a pain to keep taking off, putting away, getting out, putting on at every survey station or for each photograph. I also find it a bit disorienting to keep them on whilst moving around in a cave.

I went for varifocals

That might be the solution, thanks. Is suppose my concern is I find the readers disorienting when I look down to see where I am putting my feet and assume that vari, or bi-focals might be the same.

Also when surveying with a pad an pencil both hands are busy so I'm not sure I could also use a hand lens

 

[andrewmcleod]

I've seen at least one person using prescription goggles underground.

 

[JasonC]

I find bifocals a good alternative to constantly swapping between reading and distance but
a) they're a bit expensive to be taking underground (bound to get scratched, however careful you are), and
b) it's fine moving around if you're looking up, but not so much if you have to look down (eg down stairs) - which would obviously apply to many cave passages

 

[iwebb]

Would safety glasses be an option?
They can be bought from Ebay with a magnifying +Dioptres lens up to about 3 @ £15
The magnifying lens is in one corner and the rest is plain protective clear plastic
Being safety glasses they should be a lot stronger

 

[alanw]

I've seen at least one person using prescription goggles underground.

I do that if there is going to be any spray around.

 

[Ian Ball]

Can you not get new eyes?

 

[wellyjen]

I buy multipack of cheap readers, then leave a pair in appropriate locations around the house. e.g. computer, bedside, car, armchair. Also a good light so your eyes can operate with narrow pupils which seems to help focusing on near objects.

A narrow aperture improves depth of field and works for eyes as well as cameras, microscopes etc. Rick Stanton describes looking through the gap between two fingers in Aquanaut to do this and this definitely works if you don't have a pair of reading glasses to hand and you don't mind looking odd, or even oddder than usual!
For underground, I either cave with someone young, or someone who is short sighted and they read the survey and description, or I have a pair of the very cheapest supermarket reading glasses.
The delights of middle age.

 

[me]

I bought some glasses like these for orienteering & they work really well when taking photos underground. I can see the settings on the camera & don't have to take them off to walk around.

https://www.best4o.com/vapro-classic-downcutted-orienteering-glasses

 

[Stuart France]

I've always been short-sighted so I need glasses (or equivalent) all of the time, more or less. Getting contact lenses was revolutionary for sports and outdoors activities especially caving. Up to a certain age one doesn't need "reading glasses" so contact lenses work all day long, at least for me. Then one day one notices that you can't read a map easily. So I wear reading glasses on top of my contact lenses when caving to read or write something. Supermarkets sell them for £1 or so a pair. I'm a cave rescue team member and the team thoughtfully includes a pair of "medium" reading glasses in the Daren drums containing CaveLink sets etc in case oldies forget to take their own glasses to read its LCD screen.

Noticing the initial reading problem is not the end of the story. Eyesight continues to change slowly throughout later life. So you'll need to review your reading eyesight prescription once in a while and spend another £1 at Asda.

 

[kay]

That might be the solution, thanks. Is suppose my concern is I find the readers disorienting when I look down to see where I am putting my feet and assume that vari, or bi-focals might be the same.

Yes, they are. I used to change into a pair of distance only glasses when caving. Of course, being short sighted, I can read things easily at 6 inches.

 

[ChrisB]

A canoe friend uses a monocle for reading maps. He just has it on a cord and tucks it into his clothing. It's much more robust than glasses.

 

[Tritim230]

Can you not get new eyes?

I had cataract operations last year with prescription lens inserted such that one eye has perfect long-distance vision and the other less so. The effect is that I can read and use survey gear, etc without glasses albeit if I want to read a book reading glasses are far more comfortable. And of course be able to see tree branches clearly a mile away. The brain is remarkable at compensating. Really for caving you don't need good long distance vision as proven by my 'good' eye not very well focussed in the smaller passages. But the less good eye is ideal. Having been very short sighted all my life, the operation has been a revolution and for once I can go open water swimming and not wander around in prescription googles, enjoy runs without sweaty frames, etc.

 

[mrodoc]

As I go diving this is an issue too. I am very shortsighted and worn specs since childhood. Having an astigmatism doesn't help either and it was only relatively recently they made contact lenses that worked by which time my focusing distance had shrunk making it impossible to see macro life when diving with my contacts. Caving wise all of us are on a level field when I am wearing my contacts and it is a problem. Cheap reading glasses from somewhere like Poundland are very useful and I also know a caver who leaves a spare pair of contacts in one cave in case they lose them on the trip as they are so short sighted! As Tritim230 posts with cataract surgery if you are prepared to pay for it you can have varifocals or his solution. My problem is complicated by having poor vision in my left eye (the worst) after a peri macular leak a few years ago. It stabilised with intraocular injections but that eye is uselss for cu or long distance now as the central vision is impaired. I met a diver a few years ago whose solution to late middle age was cheap reading specs on an elastic band to pull down over his mask. I think I have a photo of him somewhere! I have tried it but it is a bit fiddly - might try again if I am diving just using the macro.

 

[meanderthal]

Where are you based? A local indeendant optician is probably your best bet here. Without knowing your prescription, my advice would be:
Either. varifocals with a good quality antiglare / anti cratch coating. Your lenses will get scratched caving, but the majority of my suppliers offer a 2 year warranty on any scratched lenses and I encourage our customers to make use of this!
Or. contact lenses, a great option for caving and sports in general, but it sounds like you are new to the glasses game, so likely even newer to contact lenses. There are several options for correcting both distance and near - one of which is known as mono-vision (this is what Tritim has in his 'new' eyes) and is essentially a monocle, as per your question!

Good luck!