I’ve just treated myself to some Nikon Prostaff 7 (8×42) for birdwatching this winter. The optics and ergonomics are very good but no matter what inter-pupilary distance I adjust to, I see two images. I am quite heavily left eye dominant. Could this be the issue?

I like to see a pair of tits as much as the next man but this is annoying me!

I always find that it takes about 30-60 seconds of using binoculars until my eyes adjust and I see one clear image.

What the hell are binooluars?

I must have been looking through my binoculars when I typed the title of this thread 😳

Could be a collimation issue. Two good sources http://www.binocularsky.com or get on to the binoculars thread at stargazerslounge.com – some very knowledgeable and friendly folk on there.

If they are new I would be tempted to send them back for a fresh pair…

not sure about the Nikons but some bins have an adjustment wheel on the r/h eye piece. if yours are the same try that .Close one eye, turn until in focus then adjust with focus wheel.

I am planning to get one of this.

Barr and Stroud 10×50 Sprite Monocular

£45 Free Delivery

🙂

Edit: I mean why don’t try monocular instead?

As above, if your diopter is set properly then it should only be pupil distance – otherwise a problem with the glasses.

is it the same no matter what you’re focusing on, or improve/get worse at longer ranges?

I can’t use binoculars as I have an eye condition which causes double vision when my head is not tilted a bit to the right. It’s called 4th Nerve palsy and it means one eye doesn’t swivel like it should.

I got to age 61 before I found that everybody doesn’t have this!

Easy to get your eyes tested for this, and free if you’re over 60!

EDIT – brilliant way of crowbaring the joke in. Have you got anybody else to try them?

Are you sure there isn’t just two birds?

Interesting. I’ve never found a pair of binos which didn’t give me a double image. Thought it was just what they did ( and I’m a photographer! ).

My dad had a pair that were like that always, we were constantly faffing with the adjustment but turns out they’d been knocked and one of the prisms was out of alignment.

I’ve got the same ones and I don’t have any problems with them. Don’t forget to screw the eye pieces out though if you are not wearing glasses.

Tell a lie, mine are actually Nikon Sporter EX 8×42 but its the same idea I think.

I thought the eye piece adjustment was just to correct for differences in eyes and then individual focus range. Im the same as the rest of you then, always seem to see a double image, if i tilt my head(and the bino’s) the ‘plane’ of the double shifts, so i can make the double images rotate around each other.

First off, get someone else to use them and see if they have any issues, then get along to a camera/optics dealer and look through several different makes to see if the problem persists.
I am assuming that they were bought online, and that they couldn’t be tested beforehand?

I always have this problem with one set of binoculars. But I’m fine with others, and other people can use that pair. No idea what is going on with that.

I did buy them on line so no testing.

I’ll give them a proper test drive and see how I get on. I will get a few people to look through them too.

I’m pretty confident that it’s my dominance issue though. Not much on Google that I’ve found.

I probably buyy a hacksaw and cut them in half.

Anyone want a monocular ? 😀

I probably buyy a hacksaw and cut them in half.

Anyone want a monocular ? 😆
Actually, I’m intending to get one of those Barr & Stroud Sprite ones to carry around, a bit less bulky than my binoculars.
Your issue is one reason I’d be a bit reluctant to buy online, I did buy a pair of fairly cheap binocs a couple of years ago, and they have an issue where the adjustable eyepiece is slightly out, so in order to get that eyepiece focused, it has to be right at the limit, and that isn’t quite far enough.
Couldn’t be arsed to send them back, they were only about thirty quid, and are ok for back-up.
It might well be yours are faulty, so you could return them, or just send them back, saying you just can’t get on with them.

I’d advise an eyetest (preferably at an independent) mention the double vision problems. It could be that you have a poorly compensated phoria, basically meaning your eyes don’t want to point at the same spot. For the majority of the time this won’t be am issue unless your visual system is stressed. For some people certain binocular systems can break down the control of your eyes meaning you see double when they experience this stress.

I did buy them on line so no testing.

Send them back asap before the 30 day period runs out, then!

T666DOM do you work in this field? If so, I have a vision tale from my youth that could be pertinent in this. Is it worth me telling you?

Probably derek. I’m an optometrist.

Ooh! I love a good story.

*settles down with a cup of hot chocolate

Can we have the tale then please Derek? !!

Sorry, I’m still giggling from the “optimist” pun that my brain inserted into that.

I’d love to hear the story if you’re ok to share.

You definitely need to be am optimist to be an optometrist! !!

Cool your boots gents. It’s nothing amazing. I didn’t see the Virgin Mary popping ping pong balls out of her chuff or owt like that.

When I was in my early teens, I suffered from a sudden onset of, for want of a better expression, crosseyedness. I was in class and my right eye started to feel odd. Then, my vision became blurred. To see clearly I either had to close my left or right eye OR have both eyes open but also drive my right eye into the corner. It was very scary and at that age, embarrassing. This lasted for about three weeks before it corrected itself. During that time, all was fine until mid-morning and then it went weird again. The optician explained that my brain had suddenly remembered I had a right eye ( remember I’m very left dominant) and thrown the “information management” into chaos.

And that’s it.

I never really understood what had happened and being a natural worrier, fear it could happen again.

Hope I didn’t spoil your tea and malted milks!

Cool your boots gents. It’s nothing amazing.

Your right eye started swiveling mid-morning every day for three weeks while you were at school, and you don’t think that’s amazing ?

Sounds fascinating.

“Damn your eyes!”
“Too late!”

Did my story bore everybody?

Where’s the optometrist gone?

I’m here! Just got sat in front a computer to answer!

It does sound like my first post in that you can just control your eyes to see in single vision, any extra stress can break down your control and you’ll then see double. With the binoculars the light exiting the eyepiece into your eyes may not be parallel, your eyes will than have to adjust, causing the stress and breaking down the single vision into 2 monocular images.

To solve it you might need to try a different type of binocular. Eye exercises may help, I’d still advise a sight test in case there’s any other thing going on which might be contributing to the double vision.

HTH

Wait – there are different types of binoculars? Or do you just mean different brands?

I forgot to mention that I had corrective surgery for a strabismus (right eye) when I was seven.

With the binoculars the light exiting the eyepiece into your eyes may not be parallel, your eyes will than have to adjust, causing the stress and breaking down the single vision into 2 monocular images.

Sounds like I need a new video card in my brain!

Perhaps I should just leave the right-hand lens cap fitted.

Thanks for your explanation T666DOM < is that your car registration mark?

D_S – you have adjusted one of the eye pieces, haven’t you?
There should be a twiddly one that you set with your other eye closed and you then use them using the main focussing knob with both eyes open.

stumpy – yes I have adjusted the right eyepiece so that it gives a sharp image. I still see double though.

Maybe I should wear a natty patch over my left eye for 12 months to give my right eye a kick up the …. retina.

The diopter adjustment doens’t correct double vision, ime.

I struggled with binoculars and sterescopes for ages then one day it just clicked, don’t know why.

I can now do magic eye puzzels too, I guess it’s the same trick letting the eyes relax and the optics do the work for them?

The strab surgery will probably be contributing. Different brands may use differnt types of binocular systems in them molgrips. It all depends on what kind of lens system/optics magnifies the image.

See Link for details.

All the dioptre adjustment does is correct the clarity of the image on the retina, what you need Derek is your brain fusing these 2 images to a single binocular image.

ANd reg plate it is!!

The trick with Magic eye pictures is to diverge your eyes, i.e. to focus on a point behind the piture, to move the images and see the 3D image pop out from all the dots.