No vision in one eye -- what optical solution is best?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by unclemack

Anybody else seeing half a mile of IMG code in the email notification or am I being picked on?

Oh, my! Let me try again. I must have pasted my Panama ACC secret code instead!!!



Minox monocular with compass. I think I am getting one except it is very pricey where we are. Or one alike.

Cheers,
b.

[tankersteve]

Hellosailor mentioned it, but I would be very leery of cheap, Chinese-made optics. If that is what your budget can tolerate, fine, but you will get what you pay for. And with integrated electronics for an item to use near salt-water, I see that as an $84 paperweight very shortly. That Minox looks like a much smarter alternative.

Buy once, cry once. Or buy cheap, and buy again, and again...

Tankersteve

[Ribbit]

Hint: A heck of a lot of the 'expensive glass and coatings' today, are 'cheap Chinese junk'.

Not much changes, extremely expensive Swarovski glass used to be (still is?) 'cheap rubbish' (superb quality) Eastern European Meopta glass (you could buy the real thing for less than 20% of the stuff with a Swarovski badge on it, before prices shot up).

Anyway, as i now have a boat to deliver to, I ended up with a Celestron Oceana 8x42 Monocular. Lenses, prisms (Bak 4), and coatings, are fine, no batteries needed for the compass or range/size finder. A steal for $69.99 imho.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fully Multi-Coated for maximum resolution and high contrast views.
Waterproof and Fog proof for protection in wet conditions & Rubber covered for protection.
Close Focus - 42.6 ft (13 m)
Compass built-in for direction location.
Reticle built-in for determining distance.

I popped back in because I promised an update.

Fair winds all.

[Steadman Uhlich]

I like monocles and used mine many times, usually having it in the pocket of my foul weather coat or sailing jacket. I also used several small binoculars too, which I used only during the day.

I found the smaller (about the size of a short thick sausage or 1 inch X 4 inches) monocular 8 x 21 comparable to the small binoculars 8 x25 for LACK OF ease of use, but the key difference can be the Field of View (FOV). A narrow field of view, small exit pupil and low eye relief can make these smallest optics difficult to use when trying to locate a distant object or follow a small moving object while you are on a moving boat, and if you wear glasses.

The smallest size monoculars (e.g 8 X 21) are most comfortable for having in a pocket because of their minimal size and weight, but they are smaller than optimum for viewing though, and generally have a much narrower field of view and smaller objective lens, so not as bright. They would NOT be good to use during low light conditions or at night, as they don't transmit enough light.

At the other end, a typical "spotting scope" will be too large, unwieldy, and too high magnification, and probably not waterproof and without a built in compass.

I also used small 8 x 21 or 25 binoculars (Nikon and others) too. I used them, but would not recommend them, because there is something better that does not cost much more.

Since the OP is only using one eye, the monocular is ideal, being less expensive and lighter and smaller than a comparable binocular.

For boating, this is the one I would and will get:
http://www.amazon.com/BARSKA-7x42-De...WRXPYXNADN515T

I like this one compared to many others after looking at all specs, features (waterproof, compass, etc.), BAK4 glass type, accessories (it comes with a hand strap and attached lens cover), good customer reviews, lifetime warranty, and a competitive price,

But, as with any optics, it is a good idea to put them in your hand and up to your eye(s) and then look through them at something distant and if you wear glasses, with your glasses on too. . You might not find this item small enough or expensive enough etc. but, based on the published specs and features and intended use on a boat, this is what I would get.

Good luck on your choice.

[hpeer]

I can't tell if my Wife's vision has gone to hell, if I'm just picking up on it now that we are traveling more, or what. Her driving has gotten worse, she doesn't drive much but when she does she drifts left and then snaps the wheel to the right. When on the water she can't see for beans. I can make out a bouy number bare eyed long before she can with good 7x50 binoculars. She can't make out anything in the distance, so she steers by the plotter, totally heads down. No spatial orientation. Without the plotter she will easily drift 90° off course and not know. Terrifying.


It seems to have gotten worse since her last new pair of glasses. I convienced her to have a second eye exam, that showed her left eye to be 20/60 uncorrected, pretty much as before. However they say she is getting some small cataracts and her left lens is scratched. They recommended she have it laser planed. Frankly that stuff scares me.

Any (helpful) comments?

[SFS]

I would start a separate thread for that topic. There have recently been threads related to cataracts for instance. You'll get a better range of responses from a new thread, with an appropriate title.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

As soon as I have a boat address to get deliveries, one is going on my first order Don.

So if you want to wait and get some hands on feedback . . . .

You know, Walmart will ship your order to any Walmart store for pickup.

You don't need a boat address.

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I can't tell if my Wife's vision has gone to hell, if I'm just picking up on it now that we are traveling more, or what. Her driving has gotten worse, she doesn't drive much but when she does she drifts left and then snaps the wheel to the right. When on the water she can't see for beans. I can make out a bouy number bare eyed long before she can with good 7x50 binoculars. She can't make out anything in the distance, so she steers by the plotter, totally heads down. No spatial orientation. Without the plotter she will easily drift 90° off course and not know. Terrifying.


It seems to have gotten worse since her last new pair of glasses. I convienced her to have a second eye exam, that showed her left eye to be 20/60 uncorrected, pretty much as before. However they say she is getting some small cataracts and her left lens is scratched. They recommended she have it laser planed. Frankly that stuff scares me.

Any (helpful) comments?

I had cataract surgery on my working eye a few years ago and I'm pretty thrilled with the results, though I did have to start wearing reading glasses. Quite the improvement in my distance vision, virtually perfect. Who knew there are letters on those big ol' traffic signs?

[DeepFrz]

hpeer, it sounds like something else going on with your wife's vision. I know what its like to have bad cataracts. I just had one lens replace and the other is scheduled for early January. The difference is really quite amazing, however, I'm suspicious that your wife's problem is strictly vision related. Perhaps a visit to a Neurologist might shed more light on the subject (no pun intended).

I wish you both the very best and I hope I'm wrong.