Official Luthiers Forum!

Even though as a teen I was warned many times that I might go blind someday I just was not the sort to listen to reason....

So today it finally happened, it was suggested to me that it's time for old Hesh here to order and wear an Optivisor....

When I turned 45 for the first time in my life I needed glasses but only to read. Now at 53 I need glasses for all things except distances and driving if I don't care what the speedo says and I usually don't...

I never adjusted to wearing stinkin glasses and I find them just another thing that I need to clean frequently....

I just ordered my very first Optivisor with a 1.75 magnification and a 2.5X loop. The focal length of the 1.75 mag version is 14" which will probably work.

As such I am hoping that there is strength in numbers but beyond Dan Earlywine I don't know anyone else who uses these things and looks like a Borg.... Who uses an Optivisor and if so how do you like it? Is it comfortable? Are the optics quality optics? Are the new LED lights made for the OV worth it? Can you get little windshield wipers for these things?

Inquiring minds wanna know.

Thanks

I use mine all the time here and at work. I often use them along with reading glasses. I usually use the pair that has a #3 lens but I also have a pair with a #10 lens when I REALLY need to get close.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Ever considered laser surgery? I know people who say it changed their lives.

Laser surgery is not for presbiopia (old eyes). However, there was a study under way for RF (radio frequency) treatment, but I never heard much more about it. Believe me, if someone invents a cure for presbiopia, you'll hear about it.

I have the optivisor, the loop, a couple of magnifications, ... you can definitly see better and I use em but I don't like it. At first it seems great, you can see! But then it starts to feel cumbersome with all the hardware on your head and for some reason after wearing them for a while my eyes feel more tired than usual. The LED lights are a must, get those.

Hesh: The first thing I do when I go into the shop is put on my visor. I also use reading glasses and could not work without the use of both. Welcome to the GOLDEN YEARS HESH.....! It's where all the gold goes to the doctors.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Hesh, you have my sympathy - I had the same problem.
I picked up a similar visor thing with 4 flip-up interchangable lenses (which can be used two at a time), something like 1.2/2.0/2.8 up to 3,6 X (gives choice of focal lengths), with light attached from ebay for around $20 here in UK.
Chinese, of course, but boy can I see all those gaps. Pores look like craters, a vast improvement on just my reading glasses.
Bit of a pain to wear, but I've got used to it, and a neccessity for flaw hunting, gap filling and finishing.
Best 20 bucks I've ever spent bar none )

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I wear one for doing just about anything close up. I love it.

The only issue I have is that after a while it starts to get uncomfortable, and I get a headache.

It's just a matter of remembering to take it off once in a while and stretch out the neck and eyeballs.

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Jim Hansen

Btw, I too want a good pair... Anybody willing to post a quality brand & source? TIA

Hesh old (literally) buddy...you are not alone. I can't see properly without my specs now either. I use my optivisor for all close up work now. After a while, you forget about the cumbersomeness. I have two sets, one cheapy with only one magnification, and a nice set with flip-down extra strong magnification on both eyes. You learn the depth of field and adjust your head movements to suit quite quickly too IMO. Not sure what I'd do without the things!

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Hi Hesh,
I got an optivisor and I think it's good but not great. Mine will not sit level on my head no matter how I twist and pull on it. Maybe my ears are out of time I don't know.
Another thing the LED 's are not bright enough for me, but who knows, maybe my almost 58 year old eyes are going dim as well as blurry.
I think when it's time for a new magnifier I'll get one of these instead just to try something different:

http://www.ottofrei.com/store/home.php?cat=1216

Hope I didn't discourage you, I didn't mean to. The optivisor does what it's supposed to do but it's the little details that somtimes iritate me.
René

Hesh, you're in good company. I'm 53 and wear a pair of magnifiers that clip onto my regular glasses almost all the time I'm in the shop. I forget they're there when they are in the up postion. My wife, who makes jewelry wears an opti-visor nearly all the time she is working. I seriously don't think I could do this work without some help.

Chris.

I got mine years ago and instantly saw a noticeable improvement in my work -- and that was before I needed bifocals. They are virtually essential for inlay work, and very helpful for any fine, precise fitting. Yes, you feel dorky but they're worth it. I've tried several different ones and here's what I've found.

Optivisor: lousy optics but light weight and comfortable. I prefer to use my lights rather than adding weight to the visor.
Bausch & Lomb Magnivisor: better optics, so-so comfort, hard to find (try industrial suppliers like McMaster-Carr, MSC, etc.), a little more expensive. Comes with 3 or 4 lenses with different X factors and focal lengths.
Binocular (surgeon's) glasses: Boy, I WANT a pair of these babies! But I've only seen them at $300/pr and up and I'm not sure that I want to get to know a surgeon just so I can get a deal ...

And people, it's a LOUPE (not loop).

Yeah, you're just lucky you didn't trash an entire fretboard with 18 hours into an inlay just to find out you need these things. I wear em now with my reading glasses and it's scary how good I can see. I even forget they're on until someone walks in on me and I see the unmistakable on their face. I seriously wouldn't be able to do so many things on a guitar build without them. I'm only 56 but I have a very dear friend that is 82. He keeps telling me that aging is not for sissies. Gotta love those words of wisdom.

I've got mine also - they look a little scary with the lights on! And ya gotta be careful around other people - they tend to shine right in other people's eyes! Michael might not appreciate that!

Yes, me too.
Here I'm wearing my "googles" while working with Liam and Jose' Romanillos to glue the back on a guitar in Siguenza Spain in the summer of 2007.
Jose' tried my optivisor himself and just on the chance he would use it, I bought one upon my return (with the lights) and shipped it off to him as a thank you.
I also cut out the "roof" of the visor ......until one get's used to it you knock things over periodically because it restricts your peripheral vision.

I just started working my way up the reading glasses ladder last year after having to call a client half way through a repair job and say, "By the way, there's also a split in the bridge that I didn't see at first". I'm thinking a pair of good dental/surgical loupes are somewhere in the future. They seem like the nicest, most comfortable alternative. The real fun is adding a respirator and ear protectors on top.

It's hard to believe I could see to split the 1/100" graduations on a rule not all that long ago!

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

We also have a pair of the Bausch & Lomb at work but I have a choice and for whatever reason prefer the Optivisor. If you get one I would recommend the Optivisor brand over the look-a-likes.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks everyone for the great replies - you have answered all of my questions and more.

David thanks for your comments - I was wondering about restricting peripheral vision and how it might seem kind of weird to have your vision restricted to only the field of view of the visor. Kind of brings new meaning the the term putting blinders on.... I wonder why they restricted your top and side vision in that it seems that these would work fine without the tunnel structure.

Mike (Jaguar) I ordered mine last night and Mike (O) I ordered from Amazon (Micro-Tools was the specific vendor) as they seemed to have a decent price. I did not get the LED deep sea submersible looking lights because I didn't see them at Micro-Mark and I too was concerned about the added weight. I'll see how I do since I hate wearing glasses and hats.....

Randolph sorry to hear about the trashed fretboard - my problem has been cutting nut slots. As you know you wanna cut the slots to the point where just a couple of swipes of the file may be the difference from proper height and going to far.... I have been going too far and having to remake the nut since CA and dust filling is not acceptable in the shop that I work or for my own guitars.... Having to start all over sucks so it was Optivisor time....

Rick the "noticeable improvement" in your work is what I was looking for - thanks for that AND from now on it's a Loupe and not a Loop...

Rene not sitting level on my head is the chronic problem that I have with my glasses..... it sucks!!!!

Dave F. buddy yeah we arn't getting any younger - how's your shuffle board game going?

Tom bro yeah the golden years..... No one told us about this when we signed on for this life now did they.... It's bait and switch I tell ya....

Marc thanks for that too - seems I had better order the LED lights.

Steve my friend some of you guys seem to be OK being really close to your work and I was thinking that this would be a problem so I looked for less mag with longer focal length - sounds like I should have gotten more mag eh?

Not necessarily, I usually use the #3 which is plenty of magnification while still providing a reasonable focal length; about 14". I use the #10 only when I need serious magnification; I usually use it when I work with very small components on electronic circuit boards and very rarely for luthiery. It has a focal length closer 5" or so which makes it more cumbersome but it does provide the power when you need it.

I'm probably not the only one who does this but I often use the #3 over my safety glasses while working the drill press and milling machine. It really helps me to line up the tooling.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I'm 56 and have the "old eyes" issue as well. Since I already wear glasses in the shop I bought these:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... jsp.form23

They cost less than $20 and work great.

Chuck

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"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong"
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

I use what Chuck got from Cabelas. I got them from a local optical place that makes them to fit your glasses and I can't remember what magnification I got. I've been using them for years and I like that they clip onto my reading glasses instead of having to wear something around my head. Wendy

Use mine all the time, as did the guy I learned from. His theory was, "Anything that you fix/repair to your level of satisfaction while wearing these will NOT be scene by the naked eye."

Works like a charm.

Bill

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Indeed Bill,
If you are happy with your precision as seen through these, no problem with the naked eye.
It really is a good way to not only maintain your quality (as one gets older) but to improve it.

Currently there are no good surgical alternatives for presbyopia, just corrective lens. Some surgeons offer the Restor, Resume and other specialty intraocular implants for patients who need cataract surgery, but these still are not great and come with some issues like glare, limited near working distance and decreased distance acuity and cost. It's pretty much the same story for things like multifocal contacts. If you have the $$ you can have what is called a clear lens exchange which is surgically removing your natural hardening lens and replacing with one of these new intraocular lenses, basically cataract surgery with out the cataract, but you are still not curing the problem. The RF treatment is simply trying to steepen the cornea to make the person nearsighted, I have not seen good results with this.

The only other option not mentioned is using a single contact lens to correct one eye for near. This works pretty well if you understand the side effects, one being some loss of your depth perception or stereopsis, but often times this does not affect you functionally.

I tell patients there are three guarantees in life death, taxes and presbyopia.
Sit back and enjoy it's better than the alternative

Richard