Video Transcript:
Hi, I'm Charlie Saccarelli with Chadwick Optical, and today we're going to talk about how to use monocular telescopes. Monocular telescopes are just that—a telescope designed for use with one eye. They're also designed to be very compact, so while you might typically use binoculars or something larger, the great thing about these is they can fit in your pocket and provide meaningful magnification to help with your vision impairment.
There are two numbers on the telescopes. The first one is an "X" number. So, a 3X telescope like this one magnifies things three times. The function of that, if you want to do a little math as we often do in optics, is that if your vision is, say, 20/120 and you look through a 3X telescope, you would divide that by three. So now your vision is effectively 20/40. Now take a 6X telescope like this one. If you're 20/120, you can divide that by six, which would be approximately 20/20 vision.
The way that you use these is pretty simple. There's a screw on them, and as you can see here, as you twist it one way or the other, it expands. And what that does is provide focus. So if I'm looking across the room, I can twist it until I zoom in with perfect focus. Or, if I'm looking somewhere close—now this doesn't focus well up close—I would adjust it a little bit more so that I can see things clearly in focus. The telescope has the ability to focus at a pretty short distance, like just a few feet, or all the way as far as you want to see. So these are a cool tool in low vision to help you with scenarios where you might have trouble reading a sign or you're just having a general challenge with distance viewing.
So that's how you use a monocular telescope. It's pretty straightforward: you twist it to focus. You pick what you're looking at, twist it to focus. That's about it. It sounds easy, but once you get them in your hands and try to aim at what you're looking at, that can be another challenge. As the power goes up, the field of view goes down. So with a 3X, it's really easy to find what you're looking for; with a 6X or an 8X or a 10X, it can be a little more challenging. So you will want to practice. Maybe just look around the room, find a target, and then zoom in on that target. Then find another target and zoom in on that target, because sometimes you don't get it quite right and point directly at what you're looking at. So you want to make sure that you get good at that before you take it out into the world.
To shop for monocular telescopes on Chadwick's ecommerce site, please click this link: https://shopchadwickoptical.com/collections/monocular-telescopes
Got a question you'd like answered on our "Ask Chadwick" video series?
Just fill out the linked form to send it to us.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this video is for educational purposes only and is based on our experience in optical solutions. We are not medical doctors. Consult with your ophthalmologist, neurologist, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your treatment plan. The solutions discussed are intended to support, not replace, professional medical advice.