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I'm in my mid forties and got back into painting (something I did as a teenager) a couple of years ago. I paint most days for half an hour to an hour. Of course my eyesight isn't what it was when I was younger. I don't wear glasses (yet) but I do use a magnifying lens for the fine work. I watch tutorials on Youtube and it amazes me how much detail people can paint without a magnifier. I try that and then when I do look under the glass I see how messy it all is. Something I've not given much thought to until recently though is how bad miniature painting itself is for the eyes. Can it really make your vision much worse and, if so, how fast can that go? Does anybody have any experience of this? Also I'm wondering how old are you all? Am I the oldest person on here?

I’m in my late 40s, and know there are older folks around.

I use a magnifier. Don’t know if I’d be able to paint without one anymore for any sort of detail work. I know I don’t have the eyes or body of a teen anymore. Can’t paint in the mornings, as I need the coffee to live. Can’t paint for too long, due to back/neck pains.

But I can afford decent brushes, so age has that going for it.

I think it’s the years, not the minis that’s causing my degradation. But check with your doc if you are worried.

You can get eye strain for all kinds of reasons, of which one is focussing intently on tiny things right in front of you. Eye strain in and of itself is not permanently damaging.

Early forties here as well and definitely noticing more difficulty in seeing small details clearly

More light helps as well, not just the magnifier

Also mid-40s. I would be inclined to put any issues down to general ageing rather than specifically spending time painting.

For me, what I've mainly noticed is that I can't spend as long painting as I used to - my eyes get tired and won't focus properly after an hour tops.

I think the time spent sitting down in front of a screen to post a forum entry is arguably worse for your eyes than painting miniatures.

I'm in my 40's, and in the last year have started wearing reading glasses. I find that they make a significant improvement when painting, also.

The thing is every thing is damaging your eyes if doinging it for long periods, you say 1/2 to one hour isnt that lang it will be a kind of training for your eyes. im 53 and still not wearing glasses. but when im painting i use reading glassesfor very small things, i think thats more problems for my eyes then painting without.
and i can only say if you want to be sure go to a dokter.

2 things

1. Comfortable reading glasses with appropriate setting (mine are +2 or +3, YMMV)
2. A painting area with plenty of natural sunlight or a hella bright daylight LED lamp (or 2)

If you are concerned about straining your eyesight, take 10-15 minute breaks every hour of painting

I’m so short sighted I have reverted to taking my glasses off to see things at short range

I'm young so I can't comment on some of this! But I know eye-health is about making sure to adjust your eyes regularly Staring at a computer screen all day is bad for you in part because your eyes aren't having to change their focal distance - you're staring at the same spot in space the same distance away.

I assume that if mini-painting was bad for your eyes, it's be because your are staring too long at 1 thing close up. As long as you are regularly looking up and away at things further away, I don't see how it could be harmful.


Then again, I am in no way medically educated..........................................

 Flinty wrote:
I’m so short sighted I have reverted to taking my glasses off to see things at short range

Right there with you.

 Vulcan wrote:

 Flinty wrote:
I’m so short sighted I have reverted to taking my glasses off to see things at short range

Right there with you.

Same here. I started wearing bifocals a couple of years ago, but do all my painting with my glasses off. I try to paint in short intervals, rather than in one long sitting. Also, I find the Arm's Length test more appropriate as I get older.

Thanks for the input. There are some good tips here. Especially the looking away from the minis and taking breaks.I should say its not that I’m worried about my eyes at the moment. Just thinking about what I might be doing to them long term.

It’s also nice to learn there's quite a few other people our there in the forties and fifties still painting!

It's probably the hobby that lead to a plateau of sorts for my eyesight.

I'm in my 50s. I've worn glasses since the age of 5 or 6. Sometimes your vision stabilises and you get to stop wearing them. Not for me. It stabilised, though.

For about 15 years, I was pretty much running the same prescription ... My optometrist puts it down to my hobby. My vision, based on my history, is better than "it should be" for my age. About 5 years ago, they started to gradually get worse (this is the age related decrepitude stuff).

When you paint miniatures, you are focussing on small things close up but you also switch out to distance mode (because your eyes get tired) - this keeps the little muscles that move and flex your lenses toned (part of age related vision loss is loss of control of those muscles).