glasses. best solution. how old too old to be a charter captain?

[tennis4789]

getting older sucks!

just recently updated my prescription. driving my car, now to see really clearly down road i've got a new set of glasses. but they don't really let me read the odometer very easily.

& in car i'm not dealing with rain or other weather bs like on a sailboat.

what's the safest way other people handle glasses? eye surgery? emergency pairs everywhere?

how old is too old to be a charter captain? is it similar to aviation? my uncle was a commercial pilot. he wrote the safety manual for the business he flew for. basically he ended telling himself he was too old to fly. but maybe a sailboat age isn't such a safety issue? airline pilot dies not good for pax. sea captain dies the pax throw him overboard & keep drinking? ha

[boatman61]

I use glasses for reading charts, plotters etc so keep one pair at the chart table and another pair in a breast pocket of my jacket in a soft case.
As for the age limit for charter skipper, I would say as long as you are actively mobile and fit, sound mind and quick thinking your good to go.
I am 73 and still do long distance shorthanded (1 crew) deliveries which is physically a lot more demanding than charter skipper which is largely a supervisory position interspersed with occasional helming.. unless the charterers are there solely as passengers, even so its generally short hops from one anchorage/marina to another.
Your mate will be harder pressed doing the housekeeping and cooking..

[hpeer]

I am 71, do not charter but live aboard. 2 years ago we sailed 1,500 miles non-stop, the Wife and I. Planning on the return trip this spring, alone.

I am starting to feel my age, damn it!

I have OLD MAN EYES. They are near perfect except I can’t focus under an arms length. I have a veritable forest of cheap drug store glasses, I buy the 3 packs of 2.5 strength. If I need to read something truly tiny I make sure no one is looking and put in a second pair. It WORKS! I have prescription glasses but they just don’t work right, never have, always hurt my eyes.

I have glasses everywhere I put my hands; shirt, coat, pants, bedside, saloon table, car visor, etc. I must have 10 pairs around. I loose at least 4 overboard every year. Then I wreck some. And I have 2.5 safety glasses for metal working etc.

Now if you have some other issue that requires prescription glasses then you are stuck.

[tennis4789]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I am 71, do not charter but live aboard. 2 years ago we sailed 1,500 miles non-stop, the Wife and I. Planning on the return trip this spring, alone.

I am starting to feel my age, damn it!

I have OLD MAN EYES. They are near perfect except I can’t focus under an arms length. I have a veritable forest of cheap drug store glasses, I buy the 3 packs of 2.5 strength. If I need to read something truly tiny I make sure no one is looking and put in a second pair. It WORKS! I have prescription glasses but they just don’t work right, never have, always hurt my eyes.

I have glasses everywhere I put my hands; shirt, coat, pants, bedside, saloon table, car visor, etc. I must have 10 pairs around. I loose at least 4 overboard every year. Then I wreck some. And I have 2.5 safety glasses for metal working etc.

Now if you have some other issue that requires prescription glasses then you are stuck.

Lol somewhere in the ocean is a huge arse pile of glssses! I've lost a few to the depths myself.

[Shrew]

You need a new optometrist. Based on your age and your worsening prescription, your O.D. didn't test your hyperopia (far sightedness) when the myopia (near sightedness) was corrected?

You need progressive lenses. With my myopia corrected, I can't read a phone, menu or anything on the dashboard. When I wear contacts, I have to carry reading glasses around with me.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by tennis4789

getting older sucks!

just recently updated my prescription. driving my car, now to see really clearly down road i've got a new set of glasses. but they don't really let me read the odometer very easily.

& in car i'm not dealing with rain or other weather bs like on a sailboat.

what's the safest way other people handle glasses? eye surgery? emergency pairs everywhere?

how old is too old to be a charter captain? is it similar to aviation? my uncle was a commercial pilot. he wrote the safety manual for the business he flew for. basically he ended telling himself he was too old to fly. but maybe a sailboat age isn't such a safety issue? airline pilot dies not good for pax. sea captain dies the pax throw him overboard & keep drinking? ha

Sounds like you have age-related presbyopia (farsightedness). You probably do not have significant astigmatism. It would be wise to have your eyes examined to get the prescription numbers (diopter).

a. Spare pairs every were. You can get nice ones from about $3 on Amazon. I actually have 2.5s for reading and computer work, and 1.25s for TV, movies, and driving at night. Daylight I am 20/20 at a distance.

b. Bifocals with uncorrected tops. Sold as safety glasses for aging contractors, sometimes called "cheaters." Again, Amazon, but more like $10-15/pair. You can get them shaded, making great sunglasses for driving and sailing (you can see the distance and still glance down and read instruments). The break will typically fall at the waistline of the car or cockpit and not be noticeable.

I dislike transitions. Too much wasted view area. When working at the computer, there is only one distance. Same with many projects.

And if you drop them in the water or sit on them--and you will--who cares!

[Cthoops]

Sounds like you need progressive lenses. I’ve worn glasses or contacts for almost my entire life (glasses exclusively for at least a decade now). With progressives I can see close up for reading and distance for everything else. I have the polarized transitional lenses and they work great on the water, although it did take several days to get used to the progressives.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by Shrew

You need a new optometrist. Based on your age and your worsening prescription, your O.D. didn't test your hyperopia (far sightedness) when the myopia (near sightedness) was corrected?

You need progressive lenses. With my myopia corrected, I can't read a phone, menu or anything on the dashboard. When I wear contacts, I have to carry reading glasses around with me.

Progressive lenses have worked for me since I was 42 and my arms weren’t long enough to hold a piece of paper at a distance where I could read clearly. My vision at long distances was perfect at that time so the top of the lenses were clear. I didn’t want to have to keep a pair of reading glasses close at hand at all times.
As I’ve gotten older I still have progressive lenses with close and distance correction. I keep two pair on the boat and wear one. I also have “readers” just for close work when I’m in a confined space and can’t easily lift my head, such as the engine compartment.
Prescription sun glasses are another necessity and I keep two aboard. I’ve never lost a pair of glasses overboard, so far……..

[Russ]

Been nearsighted since age 8 and wore **^% Glasses forever even to get out of bed and pee. I had Surgery and never looked back. Do it! I do wear sunglasses but that's for UV protection. No, my vision is not perfect but I can read the speedometer and drive a car without glasses even better if I'm sailing. Ya know when you really want to see far away we use binoculars, Ha!

[dadster3]

I'm 75 and had cataract surgery on both eyes last September. I'm now 20/20 in both eyes for mid to distant vision. I use drugstore reading glasses up close. (The coolest thing is that I can now wear a hot pair of RayBan aviators instead of the wrap around bug eye shades.)



Get an eye exam and see what your options are. Your eyes are not something to screw around with.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I am 71, do not charter but live aboard. 2 years ago we sailed 1,500 miles non-stop, the Wife and I. Planning on the return trip this spring, alone.

I am starting to feel my age, damn it!

I have OLD MAN EYES. They are near perfect except I can’t focus under an arms length. I have a veritable forest of cheap drug store glasses, I buy the 3 packs of 2.5 strength. If I need to read something truly tiny I make sure no one is looking and put in a second pair. It WORKS! I have prescription glasses but they just don’t work right, never have, always hurt my eyes.

I have glasses everywhere I put my hands; shirt, coat, pants, bedside, saloon table, car visor, etc. I must have 10 pairs around. I loose at least 4 overboard every year. Then I wreck some. And I have 2.5 safety glasses for metal working etc.

Now if you have some other issue that requires prescription glasses then you are stuck.

I'm going through the same thing, although I'm only on 1.25 at the moment. but have the same bucket of cheapo glasses literally everywhere and a 3.0 pair in my electronics tool box.

I used to fly airshows and for that needed to be crystal clear, whether looking at lead 20-40 feet away or at my EFIS 18" away. I spent some time working with an optometrist getting the prescription exactly right AND spend a lot of time getting the bifocal line in exactly the right position. I did spend a couple hundred bucks doing some trial and error with the lenses, but now every year I just order "the same as last time" but with new scrip if it changed.

I lucked out as the line is in the right place for standing at the helm (but not sitting).

Don't get polarized, they will cause many screens to be dark or even unreadable.

[JPA Cate]

I've been wearing trifocals for the past 40 yrs. One pair (spare is the pair from the immediately prior prescription). I use only polarized sunglasses that fit over them. Their appearance is somewhat clunky, but they really cut down on glare, as well and the ability to see into the water. The sunglasses have retainer strings, and there are also some that will float your shades.

A lifelong glasses wearer (since I was 10), with astigmatism, I have broken two frames, but never lost a pair of sunglasses or correction lenses.

I know trifocals aren't for everyone, but I found them just the ticket, because I often need to see clearly a little farther than my arm's length, and read, and have halfway decent distance vision.

Ann

[thomm225]

You'll get used to it.

I developed double vision at age 43. (never wore glasses before that) It was always there, but I was young enough so that my eye "muscles" could over come it.

At age 43 though, I saw two of everything one above the other and had to get prism glasses.

I had one operation to correct it in 2007 as I was cycling long distance and wanted cycling sun glasses etc but that only lasted 7 years now it's back.

Basically I have lazy eye but not enough to be noticeable. It's like the kid whose eye goes far one way or another. Had I had that as a child it would have been tough as I grew up in a rural area but I'm sure it would have made me tougher but maybe a bit more negative

On top of that, I had to get reading glasses and if I look down my double vision increases so bifocals do not help. I have to have two sets of glasses. One for reading and one for everything else.

This happen in the late 90's and the bitch about it is if you can't see well how do you select glasses. I selected some 80's style glasses even though it was late 1990's!

So I did lots of racing on Beach cats with this problem and only lost one set of glasses ($400) on a pitchpole at high speed with spinnaker up coming back in from 15 miles offshore. I sailed the rest of the 6-7 miles without glasses closing one eye from time to time......after I righted the boat that is

[thinwater]

Go to an optometrist, and then re-read the thread, once you know what applies to you.

[Mithril Bham]

Find a good doctor. My eyes were so bad I could no longer drive at night. Got both lenses replaced now 20/20 but now need reading glasses. 74.
All outcomes are not as good as mine. Choose your surgeon carefully if that is what you need.