Does Age Affect Image Brightness in Binoculars?

When it comes to enjoying the great outdoors, a good pair of binoculars can make all the difference. No matter what purpose you have, binos always give you the ultimate viewing experience. 

But as we age, most of the time, our eyesight also changes, making it more difficult to see clearly through binoculars. But the elderly who buy binoculars and fail to get perfect brightness think that they have chosen the wrong binoculars or their binoculars are not of high quality. 

So, is age that affects visual brightness or the quality of binoculars? This leads to the question: does age affect the image brightness in binoculars?

Yes, as we grow older, the pupil size also decreases which makes it more difficult to see through the binoculars. Infact, even if you use very high quality binos with bigger objective lens size, you will still feel the brightness will not be at its best. It’s because you’re getting older and pupil size is shortening.

In this blog post, we will explore the relationship between age and image brightness in binoculars and discuss ways to maintain good image brightness, regardless of age. So, stay connected so that you don’t miss any of the information.

Related Article: Best Binoculars for the Elderly

Does Age Really Affect Image Brightness of Binoculars?

The answer is yes, age affects your visibility and vision through the binoculars. Do you have any knowledge about the size of a pupil and how it changes with time? Look, when you’re a kid, the size of the pupil usually remains on the higher side which makes it easier for you to see the objects with brighter effect. 

But with time, the pupil size of human eyes decreases. So, when  you see the image through the binoculars with a smaller pupil size, then you will feel that the brightness of the binoculars is not very good. It’s not because of binoculars; instead it is because of your pupil size

Pupil Size in Adults

When you are a kid, the size of the pupil is usually on the lower side. But with the passage of time, it increases. An average adult has a pupil size of 7 mm which is considered ideal for seeing the brighter and sharper visuals.

Pupil Size in Older Person

But with the time, the size start decrease. An average old man has a pupil size of 6 mm or even less than that which affects your way of viewing through the binoculars.

Note: Human eye has the usual pupil size from 5 mm to 7 mm.

What is the maximum pupil size by age?

A person having age between 25 to 28 years usually enjoys the maximum pupil size which is around 7 to 7.5 mm. However, I have never seen an older person having a pupil size bigger than 7 mm. 

However, there are many factors that can affect pupil size. For example, lighting conditions, medical conditions, age, and medications have a big impact on the size of a human pupil.  So it’s important to keep in mind that these are just averages and may not apply to everyone.

Does Quality of Binoculars Also Affect the Image Brightness in Binoculars?

Absolutely, yes! When you choose binoculars at a cheaper price, you compromise the quality in many ways, ending up with binoculars having poor visual quality. This happens many times, when an individual’s buy binos without lens coating, and then complains about the visual brightness.

This is why I always recommend in almost every blogpost that you should never compromise on quality. Many cheaper binos come without lenses which reduce the transmission of light. As a result, most of the light gets lost and you see the image with less brightness. 

So, yes the quality of binoculars also has an impact. Always choose wisely when buying binos. The coating, lens glass material and the prism type should be your key factors and make sure that you don’t make a foolish call by ignoring the above mentioned factors.

Also Read: Common Mistake that Beginners Make while Choosing Binoculars

Conclusion

So, I hope that you’ve got your answer. The size of pupils which decrease with age have a massive impact on the brightness in binoculars. In case you’re an older person, make sure to choose binoculars with higher exit pupil to compensate for your own short pupil size. I hope that this guide will be useful for getting your answer.