anybody wear eyeglasses? limited vision...

I ran into this problem as soon as I started shaving with a straight, and still don't have a good solution for it. If i shave with my glasses on, the parts of my vision not covered by glasses give me issues when i'm trying to shave sideburns and the corner of the chin under the ears... and my vision's bad enough that if i take my glasses off, i can't see hardly anything i'm doing, at least not well enough to trust myself holding a razor to my skin. i've worn contacts for shaving a couple times, which is fine, but it's kind of a pain since i don't ever wear contacts, they usually bother me so i just take them out after i'm done shaving.
Anybody else have this issue?

I had this same problem when I used to shave at the gym. One day I forgot to pack my glasses in my gym gear and had to shave with almost blind blury vision. I found that not only could I do it, but the shave felt great. Don't use your eyes to guage the pressure of blade on skin, but use the sensation in your skin itself. Once you try you will be amazed at how well you can do it.

I use light reading glasses to see up close. I have to rest the right nose piece on the bridge of my nose before going WTG on the left side. Difference in eyes, I think. Going ATG, no problems. Right side, no problems either. I think I am subconsiencly fearing to cut my ear starting WTG as I shave with a rotation of many different lengths. My lenses are small and I feel with larger lenses it would be non-issue. I want to look like Harrison Ford, not Pee-wee Herman! Maybe Pee Wee knows something? Nah!

I use fairly considerable bi-focals, but I rarely even look anymore.

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Originally Posted by ace

I use fairly considerable bi-focals, but I rarely even look anymore.

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Great Idea! Perfect Shave, EVERY Time!! :nj

I have bi-focals and I've learned to shave mostly by feel. As both ndw76 and ace both said, once you get used to it, it's surprisingly easy.

I suppose that after many years of straight shaving, as with anything, other senses take over vision. Feel is an increasing factor in any manual effort as more experience pervades. As one has experience, it soon becomes "natural" and is done more by feel.

My vision is so bad my thinking gets foggy when I take my glasses off!

My vision is over 20/600 without the glasses I couldn't find the sink let alone my shaving brush and razor. The thought of shaving without my glasses gives me the chills!:dropjaw:

Its only an issue when shaving right next to my glasses everything else is fine. I kinda line up the blade, then go by braille and God's good grace!:angel:

I use "cheaters" to analyze my blade, or bevel. Great magnification.

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Originally Posted by KindestCutOfAll

My vision is so bad my thinking gets foggy when I take my glasses off!

My vision is over 20/600 without the glasses I couldn't find the sink let alone my shaving brush and razor. The thought of shaving without my glasses gives me the chills!:dropjaw:

Its only an issue when shaving right next to my glasses everything else is fine. I kinda line up the blade, then go by braille and God's good grace!:angel:

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You. Sir, are a wedge man! Seriously, try propping the glasses all over the nose to get a bit of view. it works! You also might want to try some strong, big reading glasses for shaving purposes.

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Originally Posted by belovedbishop

I use "cheaters" to analyze my blade, or bevel. Great magnification.

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You are young yet! When you get my age, cheating becomes surviving! Try magnifying over the "cheaters" !

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

You. Sir, are a wedge man! Seriously, try propping the glasses all over the nose to get a bit of view. it works! You also might want to try some strong, big reading glasses for shaving purposes.

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Yup, I tried it in the mirror at work. You might have something there. I'm definately gonna give it a try tonight.

Although God might miss my morning prayer before shaving!... wait, I think I'll keep up the prayers just in case.

I'm incredibly blind and wear contacts most of the time. When I shave with my glasses on, it affects how I stretch my cheeks because I have to be careful not to move the glasses around my field of vision. I really did have to learn to do it by feel but it was tough for me. Plus I learned how to contort myself to get the maximum field of vision. Just keep trying.

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Originally Posted by U2Bono269

I'm incredibly blind and wear contacts most of the time. When I shave with my glasses on, it affects how I stretch my cheeks because I have to be careful not to move the glasses around my field of vision. I really did have to learn to do it by feel but it was tough for me. Plus I learned how to contort myself to get the maximum field of vision. Just keep trying.

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... and U2Bono269 forgot to add, that if you actually play U2 (older Josua Tree stuff) while you are shaving, you will relax more and that will help your vision (This is from expeperience!):tu

I have this same problem. I find myself leaning towards the mirror when I need to see details like sideburns, under the nose, etc. More than once I got so close that the handle of the razor bumped the mirror and I came REAL close to slicing my face off!

Whoa. thanks for all the responses :)
I believe i tried both moving the glasses around my face and leaning closer to the mirror, but found them to be obnoxious because of trying to stay the glasses and stretch my face at the same time...and the issue of having a sink in the way plus i just found it awkward to lean forward while shaving... to each his own, i suppose.
I am interested in learning to shave by feel, it sounds like the best option to me. only thing is, i can hardly shave by eye at this point. i can count the number of shaves i've had on...i'm gonna say one hand, although i may have just started on a second hand. I'm not sure how much experience i should have before i start trying to shave by feel...

Have any of you tried a magnifying mirror yet? I am starting to get too close to the glass myself, and had a similar "bump" experience to Zeus.

If a mag mirror would work, I would like to give that a try. :hmmm:

I use a magnifying mirror, one of those round ones on a parallelogram mechanism, I shave the runway's cheeks and neck sans my reading glasses, but wear them for the upper lip and chin and to home in on any missed bits. Shaving with glasses on is a pain though, they keep slipping off the end of my nose.

Just shave with your eyes closed. It's perfectly possible. I've done it a couple of times, as have other members.
At some point in time we even had a member here who was completely blind.
If you go slow, you should be able to do this by feel alone.

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Originally Posted by ndw76

Don't use your eyes to guage the pressure of blade on skin, but use the sensation in your skin itself.

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+1 I also wear glasses and have an issue seeing clearly without them, it's why i was considering a magnifying mirror. But really, I'm doing okay without being able to see, I go by feel.

I use cheaters but not while shaving. I do one pass, then throw on cheaters to check. Works for me. I can also use my wife's magnifying mirror but that is scary!

I can't see anything clearly that is closer than ten feet and I need reading glasses or bifocals for everything, but I only use glasses to check my work. I at least don't need them to shave, it's a little blurry but I know approximately where I am and what my blade angle is so I think I use about 50% feel. The sideburns are the only hard part and they are hard to see even with glasses at least for me.

I use a pair of off the shelf reading magnifiers as well. Works great.

I'm farsighted, too. Use +2.00s to read but, don't wear them to shave. After 40 years of shaving, it has become more a tactile thing and less a sight thing. Seems this is common for old men like me.

I always wear glasses while shaving, I'm quite short. I've tried shaving "blind" and while I'll happily do that with a DE I prefer to see what I'm doing with a straight. I don't have places that I can't see with glasses on so can't advise you on that. I just have to remember to take them off to splash my face.

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

You. Sir, are a wedge man! Seriously, try propping the glasses all over the nose to get a bit of view. it works! You also might want to try some strong, big reading glasses for shaving purposes.

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Originally Posted by KindestCutOfAll

Yup, I tried it in the mirror at work. You might have something there. I'm definately gonna give it a try tonight.

Although God might miss my morning prayer before shaving!... wait, I think I'll keep up the prayers just in case.

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OK, I have tried this several times and it works for me. Resting the right side on m nose works great for me.

I lose a little peripheral vision on the right side but I can still see well enough.

Thanks Sharptonn!!!

I wear contacts when I shave. I tried shaving without them in, and without realising ended up so close to the mirror I bumped the scales on the glass. Lucky I didn't cut myself.

I shave by feeling

As a beginner, I find that shaving with my reading glasses helps immensely. Sure, spots down way under the neck are done more by feel like others have said, but since I'm still so new to shaving, I have to have my eyes on the situation at nearly all times. Fortunately, my neck is one place that is becoming easier to do by feel.

I have always shaved with my glasses on, without them i cannot see the sink, mirror or razor. the only place where they are even remotely an issue is at the ear where the sideburns would start. most of my shave i am concerned about the touch of the blade not really looking at it. when i take my glasses off i almost always just close my eyes... i see so little clearly without them nothing is preferable to see. if i live to about 600 presbiopia should give me decent vision.

not seeing the faucet and sink is more of an issue to me... i hate dinging blades on them.

I have the worst problem with my shaves due to eyes sight, skin condition, type of hair (course) and the way my whiskers grow, in all directions at different parts of my face, ha ha. For my eye sight if I had the money I would wear contacts, when I was in the Marine Corps. I used contacts that helped the best in way of viewing the whisker and I would have to feel my face to also figure out direction. I f you can not wear contacts, when I shave I go back and forth with my glasses on and glasses off. Now that I have to wear bi-focals I also stand real close to the mirror. That's how I do it. Remember once a sinner becomes a born again christian throught the blood of the Lord Jesus Christy, some day he will receive new eyes and have perfect Physical and spiritual vision, amen!

I've got a slightly different problem is my eyes don't track together well at extreme angles. Trying to get the sideburns straight and the chin next to my ear are adventures because of the double vision I experience when trying to get those places. Shutting one eye doesn't help because you lose your depth perception. I'm learning to lay the blade flat against my sideburn, and, when it feel right, to add to the angle and start the shave. Of course it's more of a challenge with a spike...

I wear glasses/contacts but don't need them when I'm shaving. I can, however, shave while wearing contacts. Haven't tried with glasses.