What Are Monocular Telescopes and How Do They Work?

Monocular Telescopes: A Powerful Tool for Low Vision

If you’ve ever used binoculars, you know how useful they are for seeing distant objects in detail. But for a person with low vision, a bulky pair of binoculars isn’t always practical to carry around. This is where a monocular telescope comes in. This compact, powerful device is designed to help patients with conditions like macular degeneration, which cause reduced distance visual acuity.

Unlike a bird watcher who uses binoculars for extended viewing, a monocular telescope is primarily a “spotting” tool for quick tasks. For instance, if you’re in an airport or a store and can’t quite make out a sign, you can use the telescope to read it and then walk to its location. It’s about getting the clarity you need to navigate your environment confidently.

The Critical Trade-Off: Magnification and Field of View

Monocular telescopes come in various powers, such as 3X and 6X, with each power magnifying an image differently. It’s important to remember that in low vision, more magnification is not always better.

There is a significant trade-off: as you increase magnification, you drastically limit your field of view. For example, a 3X telescope will allow you to see three times bigger, but a 6X telescope, while making things six times bigger, will shrink your field of view considerably—to the point where you would see twice as much of the surrounding area with the 3X. This trade-off becomes even more pronounced with higher powers, like a 12X telescope, where the field of view is shrunk even further.

Therefore, the key is to choose a telescope that provides the minimum effective magnification for your needs. This approach gives you the clarity you require without sacrificing too much of your field of view, allowing you to see what you need while still being aware of your surroundings.

Charlie Saccarelli

President, Chadwick Optical

As President of Chadwick Optical, Charlie Saccarelli is the driving force behind the company’s mission to help every patient left behind by the current health care system. Under his leadership, Chadwick has grown from a simple optical lab into a trusted resource for practitioners around the world looking for ways to help the patients that “can’t be helped.” He is a master optician, a father, a bit of a nerd, and a passionate patient advocate who has lectured worldwide on all things optical.