focusing with aging eyes

As I have aged, my eyes are not seeing better. I have prescriptions lenses in the mask now along with the close up reading bifocal.

Often, it is not possible to have camera in position for me to use the bifocal portion for seeing the camera back. Particularly true when trying to shoot up at something and the coral, etc prevents me from getting lower myself.

Then I cannot focus on the screen and have to take a fuzzy guess as to whether the focus is correct or even if the desired image is on screen.

I see in the DIY section one idea with magifiying glasses. I suspect I am not the first to deal with this issue.

What have others done?

I leave for Roatan in 6 wks so would like to try something for this situation.

thanks for your time,

Dave

Hi Dave.

I'm in the same boat. Though my eyes don't have much astigmatism, so I can just use the pre-fabbed negative diopters for my near sightedness.

You have 2 choices to deal with in by prescription.

You can just under correct both eyes, (assuming near sightedness), by 1-2 diopters. Give up some distance clarity, for ease of closer focus.

Or you can try mono vision, where one eye is corrected for closer up and looking at the camera, and the other eye is for distance. It is often easier to try this with disposable contacts if you can stand them, and a regular flat mask...

I prefer both eyes under corrected, so far, but it is a totally personal choice.

HTH

Don

I had extreme myopia all my life and had also started to develop presbyopia. My prescription was so bad that, as my eyes got dryer with age, I became intolerant of my relatively thick contact lenses.

Out of desperation, I finally opted for RLE surgery; Refractive Lens Exchange. This is basically cataract surgery without the cataracts, and is done on an elective basis. Using either monovision...where one eye is slightly undercorrected...or accommodating lens which actually flex with your eye's muscle, both myopia and presbyopia can be eliminated or greatly relieved. The lenses also correct astigmatism.

I had RLE surgery done over a year ago and the results have been excellent. I wouldn't go around telling people to just have it done since it is very expensive and not covered by insurance. There are also risks involved, as with any eye surgery. It is, however, an option most people are unaware of, which is why I'm mentioning it.

Stan

I wear bifocal glasses every day, then on our dive trips I use monovision contacts, I believe they're called, using disposable lenses.

"Or you can try mono vision, where one eye is corrected for closer up and looking at the camera, and the other eye is for distance. It is often easier to try this with disposable contacts if you can stand them, and a regular flat mask...

This is best solution for me. I adjusted my Aqua View Finder for my vision which works perfect for me underwater. Your optometrist should have free lens samples for you to take for test runs?

Now this I can relate to. I just did my first trip with an aquatica magnifying angle view finder. My first dive, I had two dolphins 3 feet in front of me, looking straight at me. By the time I could find them in the viewfinder, they were gone. That was the basic theme of my trip. My overall impression, and this was a wide angle trip, was it didnt make it easyer to focus, and It was harder to find my subjects. The fact that they were magnified through off my lighting accuracy, and there is a learning curve. Granted this is one trip, so I plan to keep using it to see if practice helps. I felt it would have been easier to have a straight viewfinder, as that would be one less new variable. Id be interested in others experiences.

Does anyone have suggestions related to modifying the equipment to aid in focusing?

Does anyone have suggestions related to modifying the equipment to aid in focusing?

The home-made housing I was using for a CoolPix 8** something had a blacken acrylic ring (about 100 mm ID) attached by velcro to the back. Slip a Woody (Nexus) wet diopter (~1.7 mag.) over the ring and voila!

Good luck,

Bob

I too have bi-focals in my mask with a cataract lens in one eye.

I shoot a D-200 and trust the camera. I can cleary see the "in focus" indicator in the view finder and use it to shoot. I learned to trust the camera when shooting a N90s and it would nail the whiskers on a small shimp.

Here are a few previous threads on this topic.

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=bifocal+masks

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=bifocal+masks

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=bifocal+masks

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=bifocal+masks

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=bifocal+masks

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=bifocal+masks

LCDs are terrible things to focus on. dSLRs are easy as they are focused at infinity. Meaning you use your distance vision.

If you are looking at the LCD on a point and shoot consider getting a magnifier to velcro to the back of your housing. I seem to remember the brand extend a viewfinder.

Disposable contacts are good. Discard after diving. Acanthomeba is a very bad bug to get. If you are using regular contacts take them out and disinfect after diving. Fusarium keratitis can be nasty as well.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/ac...canthamoeba.htm

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/contacts.html

Bifocal contact lenses can work well. Custom bifocal lenses in a mask can work well.

If you want to use monovision it is best to be -2.5 to -3.0. Because you are looking at a small target with poor resolution that you are close to.

I have bi-focal lens in the mask and as long as I am looking down, that works. I am rarely taking a photo looking down however so the bifocal works for settings but not much for photo taking. In hindsight, having the bifocal set higher up would be useful but I did not do that.

Xtend a vision has no device for a G9 so far, sadly. Talked to the owner the other day.

I am considering getting a magnifying glass and trying something DIY, as seen on wetpixel for a G10.