Binoculars for Eyeglass Wearers: Why the Vanguard Endeavor ED Fits
For millions of people who wear prescription glasses, buying binoculars is a gamble. Often, you hold them up to your lenses and… you see a tiny circle surrounded by black darkness (vignetting). You can’t see the full picture.
The Vanguard Endeavor ED 10×42 solves this with one specific number on its spec sheet: 16.5mm Eye Relief.
What is Eye Relief and Why Do You Need It?
Eye relief is the distance from the eyepiece lens to where the image forms (your pupil).
* Non-Glass Wearers: You press your eyes right into the cups. The distance is set by the cup height.
* Glass Wearers: Your glasses create a gap. If a binocular has short eye relief (e.g., 10mm), the image forms inside the gap, and you miss the edges.
* The Magic Number: You generally need at least 15mm. The Vanguard provides 16.5mm. This means you can keep your glasses on (correcting for your astigmatism, as user Tom Swift noted) and still see the entire 340-foot field of view.
The “Twist-Up” Advantage
Cheap binoculars use fold-down rubber cups that crack over time. The Endeavor ED features Three-Stage Twist-Up Eyecups.
1. Fully Down: For eyeglass wearers. Get the lens close to your frames.
2. Middle Click: For those with deep-set eyes or sunglasses.
3. Fully Up: For non-glass wearers who want to block out side light.
This mechanical adjustability ensures a custom fit for your face, eliminating the annoying “blackouts” (kidney beaning) that happen when your eye position isn’t perfect.
Waterproofing: The “Rain Test”
If you are hiking with glasses, you know the struggle of fog. While the binoculars can’t stop your glasses from fogging, the Nitrogen Purging ensures the internal optics never do.
User Chris Barth accidentally left his pair out in the rain overnight. The eyecups filled with water. He poured them out, and they worked perfectly. The O-ring seals held. This level of weather sealing is critical because moisture inside a lens system is a death sentence for clarity (mold grows on the coatings).
Conclusion: If you are tired of taking your glasses off every time you want to spot a bird, the Vanguard Endeavor ED is built for you. It respects your vision correction rather than fighting it.