Painting- struggling with failing eyesight

[sundayhero]

It's because glasses or visors keep the natural vision 3D depth

[mrtn]

I'm happy enough to manage with my glasses. Being near-sighted to start with helps too, I suppose.

[vodkafan]

Thanks for all the replies. I am looking into various solutions. Yesterday was a pretty good painting day and I was pleased with what I got done  but the light today coming through my window is terrible. Looks like an undercoating day!

[sundayhero]

Daylight bulb (6500k) is a part of the solution. A cheap binocular/visor worths the try, since budget ones are pretty cheap

[zemjw]

Just read a post about light arches over at the Reaper forum

Looks rather complicated, and not sure about colour temperature, but it does seem to give good light coverage. Original blog posts - part 1 and part 2 on models workshop for anyone interested/tempted.

[Grimmnar]

Hitting 44 next month.
MVA says I need glasses or no driver's license to drive. So getting that done.
But for up close work I don't understand the Optivisor when I can hit the Dollar Tree and get the OTC reading glasses for a buck each.
Speaking to the optometrist this morning they would just be as effective.
I am having a harder time seeing the smaller things and even more so close up. I don't want eye strain either.
I can see the importance of light as well. Looking to make one of those Arc of Lights I have seen for the hobby table to help with that.

Grimm

[zemjw]

But for up close work I don't understand the Optivisor when I can hit the Dollar Tree and get the OTC reading glasses for a buck each.
Speaking to the optometrist this morning they would just be as effective.

For me it was just my overly cautious nature. I'd rather spend extra on something well made than risk getting a pair of glasses that may look fine, but may be just enough off to make things worse (paranoid, I know). I also need glasses to correct astigmatism in one eye, so wearing glasses over glasses seemed weird.

I do have a couple of pairs of cheap reading glasses, but just find the optivisor "better". It blocks out stray light around the side of my vision, which can make it easier to concentrate on the figure and I guess I'm just used to it now.

[Nord]

Opposite view here. I spent a bit more on my reading specs, happy to pay extra to get an ultra light pair. I can hardly feel them on my head. They give 3.5 I think, which is the maximum you can get in specs. The  optivisor is heavy and uncomfortable and makes my head sweat after a few minutes, so I tend to use it only when absolutely necessary - painting hobbit eyes and the like. The benefit of the optivisor is it's adjustable - mine has 4 lenses to choose from and 2 slots so you can play around with combinations that suit the purpose. Having said that I used to just whack in the biggest every time. 

[sundayhero]

Here's what I'm using, a cheap binocular I bought in a modelling store (about 15 or 20euros, if I remember correctly).



4 lens,  1.2x to 3.5x :




There is a cheap white led for extra light, if needed :





You can put the lens on 2 diferent locations/clips (so yo can wear your glasses normally, if needed, or choose the more comfortable focus). If not enough, you can set the exact direction of the lens, since you can move the clips :









Here's what you see inside the lens (I did my best to keep focus with my camera, but in real, the quality is even better). The optical quality is really impressive, for such a cheap tool (scratchs you see are cutting marks on my cutting mat !) :

[Nord]

Snap! That's the one I have. Still prefer my glasses though.

[digid]

I had a pair of glasses made specifically for painting. It was the best $80.00 I have spent on the hobby. When I received my new eye glass subscription from the Eye Dr, I had him give me all the subscription details, I wear progressive bifocals dailey. I went out to one of the on-line eye glasses sites and ordered a set of lined bifocals, but did not order my standard prescription. What I did was have them make the main part of the glasses my reading prescription, and then had them add in the maximum magnification on the lower bifocal section. This works exceptional for the painting table. I can read documentation, see things well up to 2 feet away and then when I paint I get the slight magnification from the lower section, and no straining when I hold the mini close. I would recommend getting a cheap pair of cheaters at the local drug store so you know what to get put in the bottom prescription, Which was what I was using before I purchased these.  Take a mini to the store and a brush until you find one that is correct. The advantage of the prescription glasses is that they will more closely match any other adjustments that your normal prescription has. I can paint for hours at a time now and my eyes are not tired. I could only wear the cheaters for so long and my eyes still got tired, as they did not match my other prescription adjustments. Like I said this has been the best purchase I have made for this hobby, and I find I use them for other things also, like when I am working in fine stuff in the machine shop, etc.

Dale

[WillieB]

Bought two of the (rather expensive) Daylight lamps and simply wish I had done it years ago.
Still need my special prescription glasses (3.50) AND a light Optivisor for the smallest of details, but with these lamps absolutely no eye-strain any more. Before that I used two (blue) daylight lamps.

Also, about 12 years ago I had laser surgery done. Of course it keeps declining, but it rejuvenated my eyesight by at least ten years. Not cheap at 4000 €... but then again you only have the one pair and they have to last till the end.
Since my other hobby is long range target shooting I decided it was money well spent.

[El Grego]

IMHO the first item to check off of the list is lighting - as many have said it does make a great difference.  I am using one lamp at the moment, but I think that I will need to get another.  Then, maybe some reading glasses.

My lovely wife uses one of those visor devices, but I have yet to get the knack of using it.

[The Dozing Dragon]

My optician made me a pair with a focal length adjusted to how I paint. They are very good for the 28mm I paint. I went to Specsavers, of course...

Ditto. Added a pair of clip on magnifiers as well for good measure.

[FramFramson]

The funny thing is, I have shockingly bad eyesight, but I actually take my glasses OFF to paint.