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Wearable magnifier


Dave Monk

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Currently I am using a 3x LED magnifier.  It is high quality and I have been very pleased with it.  Lately I have been doing a lot of intarsia.  The accuracy of the cut is super important,  not just staying on a line but splitting it.  That got me thinking that maybe a wearable magnifier might be of some help. Any feedback appreciated. 

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I have used an a Optivisor for engraving and woodcarving for years. They work great for me. I am new to scrollsawing, but have had good luck using it for that purpose. There are different levels of magnification with different distances from the lens to the work. Be sure that there is enough distance so that the upper part arm does not hit the magnifier.  There is a bit of a learning curve getting used to it. I think that an Optivisor or other quality magnifier, would be better than cheaper ones (less headaches etc). You may want to buy from Amazon or somewhere else that takes returns.

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57 minutes ago, Moocifer Joe said:

This what I use. Purchased on Amazon. 

20230204_171038.jpg

I have something similar.  I don't wear it much because if you look away from the work on the saw, like another part of the shop,, things get a little dizzy.  I use my readers and a lighted magnifier. 

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After cataract surgery in both eyes I had to use readers. I hated carrying them. I was used to wearing glasses so I had some progressive lens made with clear on top half and progressive down from the middle. So I still wear my glasses all he time but no need for readers. I used a lighted magnifier from Harbor Freight with an LED bulb. So far, so good. My biggest thing is wearing a dust mask and having to take it off to drink anything. I'm looking for one with a tube/straw in it for sipping through. 

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Thanks for sending me off down a rabbit hole.

I found a couple of the lower cost magnifiers that might be worth the money just to try them. I'm guessing that the magnification required for use on a scroll saw might be different for each person. Both of these come with a full set of lenses for you to try. The first one has glass lenses while the second one has plastic lenses.

Headband Magnifier Double Lens Head-Mounted Reading Magnifier Loupe Jewelry Visor Opitcal Glass Binocular Magnifier with Lens Magnification-1.5X 2X 2.5X 3.5X

Headband Lighted Magnifying Glasses with Led Light, Head Mount Magnifier Glasses Visor Handsfree Headset Magnifier Loupe for Close

 

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I recently had cataract surgery. When I was asked if I wanted to see far or close, I chose far. Now I wish I had said I want to see close. Here is the reason. I have different power of readers for different tasks. One for computer work, one for reading, and one for scrolling. No matter where I am, I have the wrong reader. To make matters worse when at a restaurant I have no readers with me. So, someone has to read the menu to me. I also fear that each time I get a different power of reader I am damaging my eyes. I guess I have to live with my choice. I guess if I had made the other choice, I would not have been happy with that either. At my age I am happy I can do the things I do. At my next optometrist visit my Dr. and I are going to have a very serious talk.

PS, I have a lighted 3 power magnifier for scrolling.

Jerry

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1 hour ago, jerry walters said:

I recently had cataract surgery. When I was asked if I wanted to see far or close, I chose far. Now I wish I had said I want to see close. Here is the reason. I have different power of readers for different tasks. One for computer work, one for reading, and one for scrolling. No matter where I am, I have the wrong reader. To make matters worse when at a restaurant I have no readers with me. So, someone has to read the menu to me. I also fear that each time I get a different power of reader I am damaging my eyes. I guess I have to live with my choice. I guess if I had made the other choice, I would not have been happy with that either. At my age I am happy I can do the things I do. At my next optometrist visit my Dr. and I are going to have a very serious talk.

PS, I have a lighted 3 power magnifier for scrolling.

Jerry

Can you use the varible lens in glasses?  I have had the kind with no line.  Love them. Been wearing them for years now.. I know of some that do not like them.  I started with bifocals with the line but when I looked at the speedometer in the car I saw double vision... the varible lens cured that for me.

Edited by Scrappile
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15 hours ago, OCtoolguy said:

Keep in mind that with the Optivisor (other brands may differ), the lens numbers do not indicate actual magnification. A number 2 is 1.5 times magnification with a 20 in focal length.  A number 10 is 3.5 times magnification with a 4 in focal length. With my glasses on, the focal length is less for me. I need good qualify glass to keep from getting headaches and dizziness.  I flip the magnifier up to look away, and I sometimes look funny in public reaching up to flip the magnifier down to see something even when I do not have it on. For my cataract surgery I went for distance vision, and my progressive glasses only correct a little for far distance and astigmatism at the top. No problem using the magnifier. I use something like prescription readers for the computer, so I do not have to keep moving my head and neck to get various parts of the screen in focus.

 

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2 hours ago, BadBob said:

Headband Lighted Magnifying Glasses with Led Light, Head Mount Magnifier Glasses Visor Handsfree Headset Magnifier Loupe for Close

I got a similar type a couple years ago and use it for really tight patterns.  I also wear glasses and have not had any problems using them together.

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2 hours ago, jerry walters said:

I recently had cataract surgery. When I was asked if I wanted to see far or close, I chose far. Now I wish I had said I want to see close. Here is the reason. I have different power of readers for different tasks. One for computer work, one for reading, and one for scrolling. No matter where I am, I have the wrong reader. To make matters worse when at a restaurant I have no readers with me. So, someone has to read the menu to me. I also fear that each time I get a different power of reader I am damaging my eyes. I guess I have to live with my choice. I guess if I had made the other choice, I would not have been happy with that either. At my age I am happy I can do the things I do. At my next optometrist visit my Dr. and I are going to have a very serious talk.

PS, I have a lighted 3 power magnifier for scrolling.

Jerry

Read my post above. Progressive lenses are the answer. 

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3 hours ago, jerry walters said:

I recently had cataract surgery. When I was asked if I wanted to see far or close, I chose far. Now I wish I had said I want to see close. Here is the reason. I have different power of readers for different tasks. One for computer work, one for reading, and one for scrolling. No matter where I am, I have the wrong reader. To make matters worse when at a restaurant I have no readers with me. So, someone has to read the menu to me. I also fear that each time I get a different power of reader I am damaging my eyes. I guess I have to live with my choice. I guess if I had made the other choice, I would not have been happy with that either. At my age I am happy I can do the things I do. At my next optometrist visit my Dr. and I are going to have a very serious talk.

PS, I have a lighted 3 power magnifier for scrolling.

Jerry

There are some Doctors that giving people mono vision after implants, one eye for far and one for near.  This practice is also common using contacts. 

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I was in a store yesterday and happened on a rack of reading glasses. I tried on every size they had to see how far away the focus was for each magnification. Having several sets of lenses would greatly benefit me. I sometimes work on tiny things and need high magnification. For the scroll saw, low magnification would work better for me.

Thinking about it, I concluded that a lighted magnifying glass lamp might work better on my scroll saw while the head-mounted magnifier would be better for other things. My near vision changes slightly with my glucose levels, and being able to adjust the magnifying glass instead of changing lenses is a better fit for my needs.

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On 2/5/2023 at 10:14 AM, Dave Monk said:

There are some Doctors that giving people mono vision after implants, one eye for far and one for near.  This practice is also common using contacts. 

Seems to me that would just make me walk in circles! 😁  Well that is what I do most the time anyway.

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22 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

Seems to me that would just make me walk in circles! 😁  Well that is what I do most the time anyway.

In my experience with patients using monocular glasses, contacts or implants experienced more eye stress and problems with depth perception. Takes time to rewrite your brain to use each eye separately. FYI, I was a Certified Optician. 

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