How To Repair Binocular Eyepiece {Explained!}

Most problems with binocular eyepieces are minor and easily fixable at home. If one or both of your binocular eyepieces is wobbly, dirty, or out of focus, you can repair it yourself.

Other more serious issues may require the help of an expert repairer or replacement of the lens or eyepiece.

How To Fix Wobbly Eyepieces?

One of the most common problems that arise when using binoculars is the eyepieces getting wobbly.

The entire focusing mechanism also gets wobbly and doesn’t work well. With time, the shakiness gets so bad that it feels like the eyepieces might fall off.

Luckily, this is an easy problem to fix. There’s a screw on the main/central focus that you need to tighten.

  • Locate a cap above the focusing thumbscrew. It’s between the two eyepieces.
  • Use a flathead screwdriver or anything with a thin edge to pry the cap off.
  • Once the cap is off, you should see the screw. Use a Philip’s head screwdriver to tighten this screw. Do not overtighten as that could strip the threading that holds the screw in place.
  • Check that the eyepieces and the focusing mechanism are no longer wobbly.
  • Put the cap back on. To make sure the cap is secure, put a tiny bit of glue on one spot then place the cap on top. This will ensure you can still take the cap off in the future if you need to tighten the screw again.

Here’s a video showing the repair process for wobbly binocular eyepieces.

How To Fix Blurry Binocular Eyepieces

If the view through your eyepieces appears blurry or if you are getting a double image, it’s probably because the binoculars are out of alignment.

This can happen over time as the binoculars get bumped around. It can also happen if you drop the binoculars or if you lend them to someone and they change the focus.

To get the eyepieces working right again, you’ll need to align the binoculars. It only takes a couple of minutes.

  • Go outside and pick an object about 15 metres away like a streetlight or a birdhouse.
  • Raise the binoculars to your eyes and close your right eye. Alternatively, just cover the right objective lens with your hand.
  • Look at the object through the left eyepiece and use the central focusing ring to bring the object into sharp focus.
  • Open both eyes and see if you can now see a clear image. If it’s still blurry, you need to focus the other side with the diopter ring.
  • Close your left eye or cover the left objective lens. Use the right diopter ring to bring the image on your right eyepiece into sharp focus.
  • Open both eyes. You should now have a sharp and clear image. Lock the diopter ring and only use the central ring to adjust focus.

If, after alignment, you still get blurriness or a double image, the binoculars may need to be collimated. You cannot do this yourself. Send the binoculars back to the manufacturer for repair.

How To Fix Cloudy or Foggy Binocular Eyepieces

If the eyepieces appear cloudy or foggy, it’s likely that the lenses inside are dirty. This can be from oil smudges, dust, or grit.

Resist the temptation to wipe away at the dirt with any piece of cloth or tissue. You can easily scratch the coatings on the lens.

Once you damage the coating, the lens is pretty much useless.

We highly recommend getting a lens cleaning kit like this one from CamKix. Most of these are made for camera lenses, but they work just as well on binocular lenses.

They typically consist of an air blower, a soft brush, microfiber cleaning cloths, and a cleaning solution.

Here’s how to properly clean the eyepiece lenses.

  • Start by removing the dust and grease on the lenses. Wiping the lenses with grit still on them could cause scratches.
  • Tilt the binoculars down so that dirt falls out. Use the blower to gently blow away at the dust then use the soft brush to clean any remaining dust off the lenses.
  • Spray a bit of lens cleaning solution onto the microfiber cloth then gently wipe the lenses in a circular motion. The solution gets rid of oils, water spots, and any smudges.

We recommend also cleaning the objective lenses on the other side of the binoculars. You should also consider getting lens caps to protect the lenses and reduce how often you need to clean them.

If, after cleaning both sets of lenses, you still get a blurry or fuzzy image, one or both of your lenses might have a scratch. That’s not good.

Can You Repair Scratched Eyepiece Lenses?

Small scratches on the objective lenses are usually not a big deal. They have a minimal impact on image quality. Chances are that you won’t even notice the scratches.

But if the scratches are on the eyepiece/ocular lenses, you have a problem.

The scratches can cause a cloudy or blurry image no matter how many times you clean them or align the binoculars.

We recommend talking to the manufacturer to see if they can help. They’ll either replace the lenses or repair them.

The same goes for cracked eyepiece lenses. They’ll likely need to be replaced.

Why Does The Lens Keep Falling Out Of My Binocular Eyepiece?

The lens getting loose is not a common problem with binoculars but it can happen.

You’ll notice the lens has moved and is at risk of falling out of the eyepiece. Sometimes, the lens will fall into the body of the binoculars.

This usually happens if you drop the binoculars or hit them against something. This can damage the eyepiece housing and cause the lens to get loose.

If the binoculars are still under warranty, call the manufacturer and ask them to repair or replace the binoculars. Once you start opening up the binoculars, you void the warranty.

If it’s an old pair of lenses, see if you can find a repairer nearby who can fix them.

You can try attaching the lens back with adhesive, but you have to be careful which adhesive you use. Don’t use super glue.

The best option is to leave the repair to an expert.

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