I'm near-sighted. I take my glasses off to read. In good light and standing very still, I can read micro-text on U.S. currency. Not much use for that particular skill, but there it is . . .
When the time comes, I kinda like Kevin's idea to have an optician make magnifying glasses (about 4X or 5X, I should think). OptiVisors are extremely uncomfortable, and make me feel like I'm looking cross-eyed. Similar problem with binoculars, but at least they can easily be widened and the eyepieces can be focussed independently.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
doctorwayneAt one time, my close-up vision was so good that I could literally count the threads, even in very finely woven fabric, without need of magnification.
Was that HO scale fabric, Dr Wayne, or prototype fabric?
Dave Nelson
Hello
I bought one of those magnifiers the OP shows. Frankly I was quite unhappy with it. Much too heavy, I never use it.
A bit of background, I was born incredibly near sighted. The lenses in my glasses were as thick as the bottom of coke bottles. I had progressive lenses made up so I could read, and see distance with the same glasses. I was always very happy with that arrangement. About a year ago I had cataract surgery because my lenses were starting to get a bit cloudy. I now see 20/20 in my right eye and about 20/25 or so in my left. However anyone who is familiar with cataract surgery knows that the lens that gets implanted cannot change shape like your natural lens can. I asked my doc about that and he laughed. I am 70 now, and he told me my lenses lost their abiltiy to focus at different distances long ago. Anyway, I had three choices of lenses, and like most people I chose distance lenses. They keep everything in focus from about 20 feet away to infinity. I had new glasses made up with no correction for the right eye and a very minor correction for the left eye. These are also progressive lenses, they have a correction of 2 1/2 diopters at the bottom for reading. I have no problem wearing glasses after my cataract surgery, I have been wearing glasses since I was six years old.
The only dissapointment is I can no longer see close up without glasses on. Prior to surgery, my focal distance was about 4 inches, yes 4 inches, from my nose. For close work like HO trains I would just take off my glasses and I could see everything in great detail. That ability went away with my new artificial lenses, I can no longer focus much closer than a little bit more than arm's length without glasses. I was spoiled by all those years of focusing from 4 inches away, my current glasses only allow me to focus from reading distance, about 10 inches from my nose. I do have an optvisor I bought years ago from Harbor Freight. No idea what the magnification is, it has two lenses, one allows me to focus about 5 inches away, the other lens lets me focus about 3 inches away. I use this optivisor a lot now. I also bought a pocket magnifier that I keep in my pocket at all times now, so I can read tiny print whenever I am away from home. Don't want to be walking around in public wearing the optivisor.
I also bought a magnifying lamp with a swing arm that I mounted on my work bench. You have seen these on sale, there is a round magnifying lens in the middle and a circular flourescent bulb. I use it, but am not all that satisfied with it, the magnifying lens distorts things more than I would like. But it is a good source of light for close up work.
John-NYBWIf the detail is so fine I need a magnifying glass to see it, I can probably do without it.
I tend to take the same approach, especially when the detail parts get so small it becomes difficult to glue them to the model. I figure that if it took that much effort to install the part, it will take someone else no effort at all to knock it off during the next operating session. To that effect, I simply painted all the molded-on grab irons on my caboose fleet flat white using a toothpick to apply the paint. No need to fight with actual wire and it will be rather difficult for an operator to knock off a molded-on grab.
Hornblower
doctorwayne chatanuga ....This past fall while getting my annual checkup with my optometrist, I was told that my prescription is at a point where if it gets changed one way, I'll have trouble seeing distant objects. If it gets changed the other way, I'll have trouble seeing up close objects, not just fine print and small details up close.... It may be time to change your optometrist, as he could have offered you the option of progressive bifocals.
chatanuga ....This past fall while getting my annual checkup with my optometrist, I was told that my prescription is at a point where if it gets changed one way, I'll have trouble seeing distant objects. If it gets changed the other way, I'll have trouble seeing up close objects, not just fine print and small details up close....
It may be time to change your optometrist, as he could have offered you the option of progressive bifocals.
I wear contacts, so reading glasses are no big deal for me. As for changing optometrists, my optometrist is a friend of mine and is also covered by my insurance.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
DrW Of course, I sacrifice 3D vision, but for most situations you do not need it. I have glasses, but use them only for driving.
Sounds similar to me. One eye is nearsighted, and one eye is slightly farsighted. I can see well for anything about 4-20 feet without glasses. I need glasses to drive or I get bad headaches.
I have "reading glasses" that work at about 2 feet, "computer glasses" that work at about 3 feet, and my 8 inch magnifiers for close up work.
I think I have seven total pairs of prescription glasses.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
chatanuga....This past fall while getting my annual checkup with my optometrist, I was told that my prescription is at a point where if it gets changed one way, I'll have trouble seeing distant objects. If it gets changed the other way, I'll have trouble seeing up close objects, not just fine print and small details up close....
At one time, my close-up vision was so good that I could literally count the threads, even in very finely woven fabric, without need of magnification. While that ability did decrease over the years, I finally realised (and admitted) that I needed glasses.
My eye specialist tested me thoroughly, and I was fitted with progressive lenses which allow clear long-distance vision....basically no (or very little) prescription at the top of the lenses, but with suitable prescriptions at the lower portion of the lenses for both eyes.There is no line in the lenses, as there would be for bifocals, but rather the degree of prescription is ground into the lense as it's produced.
My distance vision is pretty-well as good as it's ever been, but my close-up vision has deteriorated over the years. I wear the glasses at all times (not when sleeping, showering or swimming, of course), but there's no "getting-used-to-wearing-them" break-in period. When I'm driving, I can see street signs from almost a block away, either with or without the glasses. However, I cannot read the instrument panel on my dashboard, unless I'm wearing the glasses.
While the progressive lenses can be expensive (I always specify that my lenses be glass, rather than plastic, which increases the price even more), I consider the loss of vision to be the worst of our five senses to lose.
Wayne
I am in the rather fortunate situation that my right eye is nearsighted, but my left eye is 20/20. The right eye does the close-up work, the left is for everything > 3 ft. I do not have to close the eye not in use, the brain does it automatically. Of course, I sacrifice 3D vision, but for most situations you do not need it. I have glasses, but use them only for driving.
JW
Last spring, I got several Walthers tank car kits that have been out of production for a while, finding them at decent prices on Ebay and finally expanding my tank car fleet from the two cars that I've had for several years now. While I had no trouble with the white cars, I noticed when doing the black cars that I was having a little trouble seeing up close details. This past fall while getting my annual checkup with my optometrist, I was told that my prescription is at a point where if it gets changed one way, I'll have trouble seeing distant objects. If it gets changed the other way, I'll have trouble seeing up close objects, not just fine print and small details up close. So, I was told to look for a pair of "cheater" glasses that you can find in pharmacies and go for one of the lower power glasses. While I don't wear them all the time, when I'm trying to see small details when working on my trains or something, they've made a world of difference for me.
Perhaps I'm fortunate (astigmatism and nearsightedness): Trains across the room can be blurry with my glasses off, but I can still see up close by just taking off my glasses. When I'm gluing something tiny I usually just take off my glasses.
I can read much of the fine print that is painted on or decaled on without glasses, but sometimes for the very finest print I need a magnifying glass. Perhaps half the time I still do not. It just depends how fine the printing gets on the COTS/lube stencils.
Hi there,
I've been using an optivisor type clone (from Micromark) for a few years now. I bought one a few years ago when I realized I was having some trouble seeing small details when I was model building. It's been a great help. Keeping my hobby room well lit helps alot too.
The latest NMRA Magazine's "Tool Man" column has an interesting summary of a new generation of vision aids out there, some of which look intriguing.
One that particularly caught my eye is the Koolertron digital electronic microscope which offers considerable magnification, LED lit, on a 7" screen all powered by a USB from a laptop or computer but also records what you see on a miniSC card.
He gives the example of soldering onto a PC board.
This seems to be similar to the unit he writes about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqE2oeaxyQU
Intriguing and not all that expensive.
My wife laughs at me when I am doing fine modeling because I often forget to take my Optivisor off when I get up from the workbench. When I walk into the rec room with the light shining ahead of me she gets a real chuckle.
By the way, for those who might be considering buying the lighting system offered by Optivisor, don't waste your money. The lights are too dim, and as a previous poster noted, they don't shine the light in the right place. I bought a small headband style light, removed the headband, and screwed the light to the top of the Optivisor. The angle can be adjusted so I can get it to focus exactly where I want it.
Now all I need is something to steady my hands!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Never liked any of the visors, had them, sold them. I buy cheap reading glasses in all powers up to +6.00 and you can get them stronger. Sometime I use with a magnafying light.
My eye doctor made me a pair of magnifying prescription glasses that have a useful distance of 8 inches from my eye.
That was money very well spent. I have not used my optivisor since I bought them.
If the detail is so fine I need a magnifying glass to see it, I can probably do without it. Not only that, detail that fine is usually very fragile and easily broken off. I prefer not to put it on in the first place. I know that fine details are important to some people but to me they are generally a nuisance. If something looks good from 3 feet away, that's good enough for me.
I use Optivisors. I like the most powerful one for most work.
I have an illuminated magnifying lamp but it fogs up when I breathe near it.
Thanks for replying to my thread.
One question I am asking myself is:
If I use a pair of magnifying glasses, is it possible that it could affect my vision? If the answer is yes, what can we do to prevent this problem?
Stef
Optivisor!!!!
I bought one over 20 years ago and it gets almost daily use. Maybe the new ones aren't as well made, for my old one has hung in there just fine. I believe I paid about $20 something for it, and another $3 or so for a second lens.
Believe me, it is a very valued "tool", and I couldn't be without one.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
The four things I find most often used in my day-to-day MR work and fiddling:
a. Optivisor;
b. small LED lights to illuminate what I'm doing or wanting to see;
c. dental picks of various configurations; and
d. needle files of various configurations.
Hello All,
I am farsighted (-3.25).
My nearsighted vision is OK for most modeling tasks.
I do use a headlamp to illuminate the task(s) at hand as the light in the spare bed-/computer-/train-room is pretty dim.
For really close-up work I bought a pair of As Seen On TV "Mighty Sight" glasses.
These have built-in LEDs and are charged through a USB port on one arm.
With my eyesight and the glasses on, I have to bring the item being worked on pretty close, with some items too close to my face.
I'm considering buying something in between.
The desk lamp/magnifying glass will probably my unit of choice.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Another happy Optivisor user here.
My vision is still pretty good except the old age up close thing.
Sheldon
I have one of those desk lamps with a magnifying lens and lights built in. It really helps when doing small-scale wiring and particularly when painting details on things like Jordan kits. Yes, I still have a few unassembled Jordan kits.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Like others I use an Optivisor-type magnifier with a headband. And, along with my task light, it's THE most important tool in my toolbox. I've also found that 2.5X mag works best for me.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Years ago, I bought an Optivisor clone from Harbor Freight Tools on sale for $5! It has been one of the best modeling investments I've ever made. The built-in sidelights are worthless as they point straight ahead while the work piece is centered and close to your eyes. Not a big deal as I have several alternative light sources.
I'm older than dirt and a year ago I had cataract surgery on both eyes and now I don’t need glasses for normal stuff but I did get some glasses for reading tiny print. When I’m painting HO figures I have a pair of flip down X3 magnifiers. Mel Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Yup. The days are gone that I could see and work on very fine details without at least readers. I also have something similar to that with 4 different power lenses. The most powerful is good for slivers. Dan
mbinsewi I've been using the Optivisor now for a long time. Mike.
I've been using the Optivisor now for a long time.
Mike.
I bought one a few years ago. It didn't last very long. The head band broke and the screw too. That's why I was searching for something else.
My You Tube