Glasses (i.e. spectacles) in Bushcraft
- Thread starter Toadflax
- Start date
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Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Being a recent convert to the world of myopia, I've spent most of my life as a non-glasses wearer - albeit squinting alot for the last few years and I must say its nice to be able to see so well when out and about wearing my specs!
Whether I'd have survived back in Pre-history? As people have pointed out enhanced hearing seems to be a bonus... And I suspect Squinty the hunter whilst not as effective as some, but lobbing plenty of arrows/spears/rocks, might make up for deficiencies in the targeting?!
On Geoff's original question of increasing eye problems, the Optician told me the computer wasn't to blame, but I'm not sure...
Whether I'd have survived back in Pre-history? As people have pointed out enhanced hearing seems to be a bonus... And I suspect Squinty the hunter whilst not as effective as some, but lobbing plenty of arrows/spears/rocks, might make up for deficiencies in the targeting?!
On Geoff's original question of increasing eye problems, the Optician told me the computer wasn't to blame, but I'm not sure...
Suppose it depends on what you use the computer for, always got told it would make you blind!
Really need to fix smilies on this computer!
Great idea! Just fashion some glass from a local sand-pit and you're away!
The coconut shells with holes works for either long or short-sightedness because you are looking through pin-holes which will improve any refractive problem.
I wondered if anyone has gone down the laser therapy route. I am constantly annoyed by my eyesight. Glasses don't stay on my nose and lenses are a PITA when camping (especially after my preferred tabasco seasoning in everything! :Wow: ) I don't feel self-sufficient knowing that if I lost my lenses I would be fumbling around in a blurry mess.
It's expensive at £400 an eye, but I've been saving and am thinking of doing it. For the price of a couple of woodlore's I can get the first eye done and see how it goes. I'd really like to know what peoples woodland night-vision as been like afterwards, or any other thoughts.
The coconut shells with holes works for either long or short-sightedness because you are looking through pin-holes which will improve any refractive problem.
I wondered if anyone has gone down the laser therapy route. I am constantly annoyed by my eyesight. Glasses don't stay on my nose and lenses are a PITA when camping (especially after my preferred tabasco seasoning in everything! :Wow: ) I don't feel self-sufficient knowing that if I lost my lenses I would be fumbling around in a blurry mess.
It's expensive at £400 an eye, but I've been saving and am thinking of doing it. For the price of a couple of woodlore's I can get the first eye done and see how it goes. I'd really like to know what peoples woodland night-vision as been like afterwards, or any other thoughts.
My 19 year old daughter had the wavefront surgery about 2 months ago and now has better than 20/20 vision (she can read two lines below the 20/20 line on the letter charts). She would definitely recommend it - though it turned out to cost quite a bit more than the basic cost advertised.
They do both eyes at once nowadays - I guess that they are so confident that there won't be a problem.
The place she went to (Optical Express) did a very thorough (and free) consultation before there was any committment.
HTH
Geoff
They do both eyes at once nowadays - I guess that they are so confident that there won't be a problem.
The place she went to (Optical Express) did a very thorough (and free) consultation before there was any committment.
HTH
Geoff
I wore Mr Magoo bi focals for about 20 years and hated every minute of it.
I went here
http://www.londonvisionclinic.com/?...medium=PPC&utm_campaign=geolondonvisionclinic
and I had Lasik (Flap) eye surgery (Blended vision) on 21/02/07. Basically my Right master eye does mid to distance, and my Left eye does closeup (reading the small print) to Mid distance!
There is an overlap where both eyes are perfect. And as the surgeon said to me "The idea is to get rid of glasses and not to still need them for reading after surgery".
He was right.
By the way, £400 per eye is not expensive. The only other place that I would have gone to for the surgery would have been Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Steve
I have the exact same feelings as you about it Shep. (useless out there without glasses)
I wear lenses when I'm out, but with smoke drying them out and sleeping in them it really does take something away from the experience.
Interested in getting Lasered at some point, but I still think it's a bit early.
However, a few of my friends have and they recommend it whole-heartedly... no-one's mentioned anything about loss of contrast definition and night vision tho.
Watching this thread with interest now
Cheers
Carlo
I wear lenses when I'm out, but with smoke drying them out and sleeping in them it really does take something away from the experience.
Interested in getting Lasered at some point, but I still think it's a bit early.
However, a few of my friends have and they recommend it whole-heartedly... no-one's mentioned anything about loss of contrast definition and night vision tho.
Watching this thread with interest now
Cheers
Carlo
Funny that you bring up the laser treatment Shep as I saw an advert the other day (www.ultralase.com) and it said take the online test so I did and it came back saying that my prescription is suitable for laser treatment. Now I'm also seriously thinking of unloading the annoying, constricting cross to bear that is poor eyesight.
I wear bins most of the time and lenses for karate and would love to take not having to consider my vision for granted.
If anyone has any reviews or recommendations I'm sure a few of us are very much interested.
I wear bins most of the time and lenses for karate and would love to take not having to consider my vision for granted.
If anyone has any reviews or recommendations I'm sure a few of us are very much interested.
lol
I have the exact same feelings as you about it Shep. (useless out there without glasses)
I wear lenses when I'm out, but with smoke drying them out and sleeping in them it really does take something away from the experience.
Interested in getting Lasered at some point, but I still think it's a bit early.
However, a few of my friends have and they recommend it whole-heartedly... no-one's mentioned anything about loss of contrast definition and night vision tho.
Watching this thread with interest now
Cheers
Carlo
Contrast AND night vision okay!
Steve
We've not had a poll for a while, maybe you could add one to this thread Geoff asking good or bad?
OK - will do (poll). Any thoughts on the questions to ask (i.e Poll choices)?
E.g.
My daughter had wavefront (they told her that the cheaper methods were not suitable for her vision problems) - apparently the technique that US Navy Pilots have if they need correction. Despite what we often think about the USA, I suspect that if the US Navy approve this technique, then it must be pretty good. She hasn't reported any problems with contrast /night vision, etc., but then again I haven't asked her.
This sounds terribly mercenary, but if someone goes to Optical Express and says that she recommended them, you both get £50.
I'm just the middle man here! She's saving up to go to University - she's going to be a midwife.
Geoff
E.g.
- Have had laser surgery with good results
- Have had laser surgery with neutral results
- Have had laser surgery with poor results
- I am considering laser surgery
- I have not thought about laser surgery
- I would not consider laser surgery
My daughter had wavefront (they told her that the cheaper methods were not suitable for her vision problems) - apparently the technique that US Navy Pilots have if they need correction. Despite what we often think about the USA, I suspect that if the US Navy approve this technique, then it must be pretty good. She hasn't reported any problems with contrast /night vision, etc., but then again I haven't asked her.
This sounds terribly mercenary, but if someone goes to Optical Express and says that she recommended them, you both get £50.
I'm just the middle man here! She's saving up to go to University - she's going to be a midwife.Geoff
Maybe expand 'Have had laser surgery' to 'Have had or know someone who has had laser surgery' with X results?
And maybe drop the last three altogether, they sound like one of those annoying marketing emails/questionnaires. We only want to know if it's a good or a bad thing don't we?
And maybe drop the last three altogether, they sound like one of those annoying marketing emails/questionnaires. We only want to know if it's a good or a bad thing don't we?
I will put my little piece here as I have started to wear glasses, as I have reached that age when ones vision deteriorates.
Having been lucky enough to have good eyesight untill about 18 months ago I find it frustrating to be unable to see things close up without help from glasses. Over the last year I have been keeping an eye out (5Orry for the pun) for bog off deals in the chemist racks for my level of reading glasses and now own 6 pairs. These are then placed in the places where I need to wear them. Office, bedside, car to read maps, kitchen, workshop, back pack. Luckily none cost more than £10.00 so not huge cost.
My brother-in-law used to wear milk bottle bottoms untill recently when he went and had laser correction. He now has no use for glasses as this treatment was a total success. When he told me I was impressed with his courage as the sound of running a laser through an eye does not sound like a good combination, although it has now become just another routine operation!
I will raise one question though. If one has had laser correction say, before 40 years old. Does the same deterioration happen with close up vision to corrected eyes as those with un-corrected ones?
Swyn.
Having been lucky enough to have good eyesight untill about 18 months ago I find it frustrating to be unable to see things close up without help from glasses. Over the last year I have been keeping an eye out (5Orry for the pun) for bog off deals in the chemist racks for my level of reading glasses and now own 6 pairs. These are then placed in the places where I need to wear them. Office, bedside, car to read maps, kitchen, workshop, back pack. Luckily none cost more than £10.00 so not huge cost.
My brother-in-law used to wear milk bottle bottoms untill recently when he went and had laser correction. He now has no use for glasses as this treatment was a total success. When he told me I was impressed with his courage as the sound of running a laser through an eye does not sound like a good combination, although it has now become just another routine operation!
I will raise one question though. If one has had laser correction say, before 40 years old. Does the same deterioration happen with close up vision to corrected eyes as those with un-corrected ones?
Swyn.
According to the people my daughter saw (my wife went along with her) they cannot currently correct age related sight deterioration (i.e. the need for reading glasses that typically starts in your late 40s /early 50s), but are expecting to be able to do so within the next couple of years.
I've just realised that this doesn't answer Swyn's question but I would suspect that the age related deterioration would still occur even after laser surgery (but I'm no expert). The reason I say this is that in order to be approved for laser surgery, you have to demonstrate that your prescription has been stable over the past two years (I think). I.e. the surgery will correct your vision as it is at present - but if your sight is continually changing, then the effect wil only last until your vision changes. This is why they don't generally offer it to very young people (e.g. teenagers) because for those who need glasses, their sight doesn't generally settle down until their early 20s.
Even if age related deterioration occurs, my daughter should not now need glasses for about 30 years and, apart from the obvious social and practical benefits, we should break even on cost after about 5 years, when we compare the cost of the surgery against the ongoing cost of glasses and contact lenses.
Geoff
I've just realised that this doesn't answer Swyn's question
but I would suspect that the age related deterioration would still occur even after laser surgery (but I'm no expert). The reason I say this is that in order to be approved for laser surgery, you have to demonstrate that your prescription has been stable over the past two years (I think). I.e. the surgery will correct your vision as it is at present - but if your sight is continually changing, then the effect wil only last until your vision changes. This is why they don't generally offer it to very young people (e.g. teenagers) because for those who need glasses, their sight doesn't generally settle down until their early 20s.Even if age related deterioration occurs, my daughter should not now need glasses for about 30 years and, apart from the obvious social and practical benefits, we should break even on cost after about 5 years, when we compare the cost of the surgery against the ongoing cost of glasses and contact lenses.
Geoff
OK - will do (poll). Any thoughts on the questions to ask (i.e Poll choices)?
E.g.
- Have had laser surgery with good results
- Have had laser surgery with neutral results
- Have had laser surgery with poor results
- I am considering laser surgery
- I have not thought about laser surgery
- I would not consider laser surgery
My daughter had wavefront (they told her that the cheaper methods were not suitable for her vision problems) - apparently the technique that US Navy Pilots have if they need correction. Despite what we often think about the USA, I suspect that if the US Navy approve this technique, then it must be pretty good. She hasn't reported any problems with contrast /night vision, etc., but then again I haven't asked her.
This sounds terribly mercenary, but if someone goes to Optical Express and says that she recommended them, you both get £50.
Geoff
Yes the USN and USAF do currently approve of Wavefront Lasek. The USAF has also just approved Wavefront Lasik (flap).
Steve
