Binos long term effect on eyesight?

Nature Talk
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I only recently got a pair of binoculars for birding and have been noticing some strain on my eyes after moments when I’m really trying to see That Constantly Moving Bird. From what I can tell, this decreases with size (and therefore price) of binoculars, but I was wondering if there is still some long term effect of too much binocular use. Are there things to do to mitigate the strain(eye exercises perhaps)? Or do birders just have to suffer through it?

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I have no advice other than having your vision checked by an optometrist and investing in a good pair of binocs which you can adjust for any different vision in one eye. Also see this:
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/765919-eye-strain-issues-in-binoculars-whats-the-right-fix/

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Thank you, that’s a very useful thread. I knew about collimation but I didn’t think at all about my astigmatism! I probably will have to invest in larger + better binos then, to keep my glasses on. If anyone has any recommendations I’d gladly take them.

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Speaking from experience as a birder: Part of your eye strain could be from keeping your eyes open too long in the field. If you watch a bird through your binoculars you are more than likely not blinking - especially if you are waiting for one to come out from behind some leaves in a tree. Another issue is that, if you are regularly going out and staring into brightly lit areas, and you are not blinking, you may suffer from eye strain. Windy birding days may also contribute to drying out your eyes and making them work harder.

I know that my eyes get very tired and my vision is somewhat blurry if I stay out too long looking for and photographing dragonflies and damselflies. Unlike birding, I am out in the brighter hours of the day when it is warmer. And, I really can’t wear sunglasses and scan for things. On top of that, I then have to process my photos on a computer where I usually don’t blink as much. I have to force myself to take breaks from the screen.

Having said all of that, I noticed that, when I take a day off or get plenty of sleep, my vision is fine.

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Is it possible the diopter is not properly adjusted on your binoculars? Do you need vision aids for near/far sightedness? If so you might have to adjust your binoculars to compensate. Or if you don’t need glasses, the adjustment might be off of 0 for some reason and correcting it might help with your eye strain.

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I do have glasses, and I have adjusted the diopter. I think this is probably an issue of tiny eyepiece and also not blinking enough like @jnstuart and @ken_ohio have said. But thank you.