Night Vision Who gets headaches with your NV monocle? - AnotherUpdate

[TheGerman]

Started noticing that after an hour or so of constant use, I start getting what I would call an ocular headache stemming from the back of my neck on my non-NV eye side going through to the front of my head. Seems to only happen, and happens the exact same way every time roughly 1-2 hours in.

Who else gets this? I've heard from a few others that the 1 eye monocle is to blame as your brain is constantly confused/switching between your dark and NV eye and this can be the result. And yes, its in focus and the gain is not cranked up to some retarded brightness.

So far, I usually end up closing my NV eye for a bit or take the helmet off and sit there a few minutes and it goes away only to maybe come back again. It's kind of annoying and I hate associating that I may get a headache because I want to go boar or coyote hunting at 1am.

Just out of curiosity, would this stop if I had dual 14's, 1 for each eye? Not that I'm buying another one but was also curious about that.

Who else gets these?

 

[Delta4-3]

I do. I used to not, but thanks to copious amounts of HE and frag, I broke 3 vertebrae in my neck and damaged a lot of surrounding tissue. Some of the smaller metal chunks still call my neck home. So I get headaches at the drop of a hat. It can be from something as simple as turning my neck too fast. I have noticed lately though, I get headaches worse with a single tube than I do with a dual tube, even though the latter is heavier. I also have damage to the muscles that control my dominant eye. It will wander a tiny bit if I am tired, strained, or drugged which makes it worse. It being my dominant eye, I have noticed it is worse when I have unaided NV in that eye, and NV on my non dominant. This sucks because I think running a monoc on your dominant eye is not near as beneficial as the other way around. Dual tubes kind of solve that problem, as my damaged eye is then not wandering all over the dark trying to figure out what the green eye is up too.

That very well may not have been relevant...but I didn't know about the eye injury until I went to the doctor because of headaches and blurred vision while reading or using single tube NV, and various other tasks that don't seem related. Something to think about.

 

[ajwcotton]

Does it matter which eye you have the nv on? I run my 14 on my non dominant eye and fo not have any problems.

 

[Surgeon_Shooter]

Do you run a counter weight? I could see getting a headache from a front heavy helmet. I get headaches fairly easy also but single tube nv never caused it. I seriously think it could be from neck strain more than single tube. I have run single and dual tube setups because I have both. I sometimes run a ops core,pvs-14,j arm and a rhino with no counter weight. It's not crazy heavy but it is front heavy for sure. Enough to notice and become a pain after a couple hours. Then I run ops core,anvis-9's,battery pack on the back and it's obviously heavier but with the battery pack being in the back for a counter weight it is more comfortable and easier on me after a couple hours.

2 pvs-14's will be way heavier than anvis too. I couldn't imagine how heavy that would be.

 

[TheGerman]

Do you run a counter weight? I could see getting a headache from a front heavy helmet. I get headaches fairly easy also but single tube nv never caused it. I seriously think it could be from neck strain more than single tube. I have run single and dual tube setups because I have both. I sometimes run a ops core,pvs-14,j arm and a rhino with no counter weight. It's not crazy heavy but it is front heavy for sure. Enough to notice and become a pain after a couple hours. Then I run ops core,anvis-9's,battery pack on the back and it's obviously heavier but with the battery pack being in the back for a counter weight it is more comfortable and easier on me after a couple hours.

2 pvs-14's will be way heavier than anvis too. I couldn't imagine how heavy that would be.

I have the EOG lead 1lb counterweight in a pouch velcro'd to the back of the helmet. The pouch also has 2 batteries in it, one for the PVS14 and the other for the Insight IR light on the left side of the helmet rail. The helmet is a Crye Airframe with the rails and I have a Wilcox 3 hole shroud, Wilcox L4 G11 mount, J-Arm, Wilcox retractable tether in the shroud and the PVS14.

So this brings up 2 interesting questions. First, should I weight all of the things infront (PVS, shroud, tether,jarm) and it should be equal to the counterweight? I went with the 1lb because it felt comfortable when I had it on with the PVS in front. When I wear either one but not the other, I can feel my head want to lean forward or back depending where the weight is. I don't feel a strain when its all on, but now you have me thinking this may be gradual over time.

Secondly, I am looking at the helmet and where the counterweight is. The counterweight is on a velcro patch on the back of the helmet, and it starts about 1.75 inches from the bottom rim of the back of the helmet.

Would moving the counterweight further up, or increasing/decreasing the counterweight fix anything?

 

[Surgeon_Shooter]

It sounds like you have it weighted pretty evenly. Maybe that's not the problem then. Have you tried running it on the other eye?

 

[Killswitch Engage]

MY counter weight follows a line all the way around my helmet intersecting the middle of my pvs14 height-wise. Do you wear the chin strap and find yourself jaw clenching and not notice? I wear a Beanie under my helmet for nice tension but not tight as in helmet doesn't wobble or fall off unstrapped. Jaw clench or forehead clench can easily cause this and you sometimes don't know you're even doing it.

 

[TheGerman]

MY counter weight follows a line all the way around my helmet intersecting the middle of my pvs14 height-wise. Do you wear the chin strap and find yourself jaw clenching and not notice? I wear a Beanie under my helmet for nice tension but not tight as in helmet doesn't wobble or fall off unstrapped. Jaw clench or forehead clench can easily cause this and you sometimes don't know you're even doing it.

I'll have to make a mental note about checking if i clench my jaw. I don't wear anything under the helmet as the pads fit pretty snugly on my head and use the chinstrap.

May try to loosen it up as well.

As far as using it on the other eye, wouldn't that be a bit counterproductive to have it on your weaker side? I have an Eotech on the carbine and a ANPEQ2A as well.

I can see how you'd shoulder the weapon normally and just use the laser/illuminator but A. what about being able to use the Eotech for longer shots and B. wouldn't the learning curve for using the weaker eye be quite high?

 

[GBMaryland]

I've noticed that since I blew a disc in my neck, the muscles get hosed pretty easily. If I not excersize and work the muscles in my upper / upper-mid back/neck, I get this issue... properly counter weighted or not.

I'm using a PVS-14 with a PAS-29... so its a still coutner weight.

It's really interesting to go to physical therapy after sluffing off for awhile, and then noticing just how sensitive the muscles have gotten. (Of course, I'm 40+ now, so it ain't getting better...)

I use it on my off eye, but that's the worse of the two...

 

[MODArmory – Nicole]

Do you max out your gain? If you have your gain cranked up you will get a headache faster.
Do you have perfect vision?

 

[TheGerman]

Do you max out your gain? If you have your gain cranked up you will get a headache faster.
Do you have perfect vision?

20/20

As stated, I don't have the gain at some ridiculous high brightness. I'd say I'm around 80% of max, if that. Normally check the focus and gain right off and set it to where I can see sufficiently but its not like someone is shining a light in my eye.

 

[ajwcotton]

Try it on yout non dominant eye. You don't have anything to lose. It may help it may not. using it on the non dominant eye has several advantages, you have instant access to your sights if an unexpected light comes on being the main one. If you want to look through your sights with your nvg then I lime the twist mount its pretty quick to pop it off your helmet and onto the adaptor.

 

[IR-V]

Started noticing that after an hour or so of constant use, I start getting what I would call an ocular headache stemming from the back of my neck on my non-NV eye side going through to the front of my head. Seems to only happen, and happens the exact same way every time roughly 1-2 hours in.

Who else gets this? I've heard from a few others that the 1 eye monocle is to blame as your brain is constantly confused/switching between your dark and NV eye and this can be the result. And yes, its in focus and the gain is not cranked up to some retarded brightness.

So far, I usually end up closing my NV eye for a bit or take the helmet off and sit there a few minutes and it goes away only to maybe come back again. It's kind of annoying and I hate associating that I may get a headache because I want to go boar or coyote hunting at 1am.

Just out of curiosity, would this stop if I had dual 14's, 1 for each eye? Not that I'm buying another one but was also curious about that.

Who else gets these?

You're suffering from chronic neck strain. The muscles on the back of your neck, opposite the cantilevered load on the front of your helmet, are working overtime to counter the forward load offset to the side. That's why you are feeling the pain where and how you are feeling it.

A substantial number of combat troops suffer chronic, severe headaches. The cause is excessive loading of gear onto the head. The neck and upper shoulders are a complex network of very small muscles that are easily strained. The human neck is designed more for flexibility and less for strength. Additionally, the way the neck muscles are naturally attached to the vertebrae, their "weight arm" is long and their "lever arm" is short. Thus, adding small amounts of weight to the crown of the head will massively increase the amount of force the neck muscles are forced to sustain.

The problem with adding weight / mass around the perimeter of the helmet (be it NV goggles, counterweights, battery packs, comm sets, illuminators, cameras, etc.) is that they create more momentum around the axis of the spine when the head is turned. Whenever the head is abruptly stopped during a turn, the extra weight around the perimeter of the helmet wants to continue in motion. The neck muscles on the opposite side of the rotation are forced to work very hard to counter / slow / stop this momentum.

When the puny neck muscles are overused, they can develop small tears and become inflamed. The muscle inflammation, in turn, causes nerve irritation which causes pain.

Adding more weight in the form of more counterweight or additional optics may help balance the overall load on your head, but will actually increase the momentum around the axis of your spine and exacerbate the injured muscles of your neck and will cause even more pain.

The only way to recover from your current situation -- which is in the early stages of injury and inflammation by the way -- is to take a break from all the head gear. You're going to need three months hiatus / layover to gain full recovery and healing. If you ignore this advice, I'm pretty certain your pain will become even more severe to the point where your neck and head aches all day and night long even when you have no equipment on your head.

In your recovery period, you need to avoid prolonged bouts of hand-held scanning. As the weight of holding up your arms with optics at the end of them will add strain to the already weakened muscles in your neck and upper shoulders. Best to use tripod mounted optics while recovering.

IR-V

 

[Surgeon_Shooter]

What he said ^

 

[Killswitch Engage]

I wouldn't take 3 months off but what I would do is the same as any muscle repair and strengthening. Don't over do it. Rest the muscles and let them repair. This is why I brought up jaw clench. It's all part of that muscle group through out your neck. I've had neck/back issues from my time in the corp and I know exactly what you're dealing with. You have to strengthen and use those muscles or they will simply not work and be strong enough. Plenty of good therapy and technique out there for muscle strengthening, inflammation reduction, ice/heat therapy etc.

but... What I see in a lot of people is poor posture. Any slump or forward roll of your shoulders and neck simply exacerbates the cantilever force on your neck. Pay attention to it. Keep your shoulders rolled back and your ears over your shoulder. This keeps the forces centered. Ever watch the villagers carrying bushels of shit on top of their heads?

 

[bogeybrown]

I'll have to make a mental note about checking if i clench my jaw. I don't wear anything under the helmet as the pads fit pretty snugly on my head and use the chinstrap.

May try to loosen it up as well.

As far as using it on the other eye, wouldn't that be a bit counterproductive to have it on your weaker side? I have an Eotech on the carbine and a ANPEQ2A as well.

I can see how you'd shoulder the weapon normally and just use the laser/illuminator but A. what about being able to use the Eotech for longer shots and B. wouldn't the learning curve for using the weaker eye be quite high?

NV headaches aren't uncommon at all. Going back the 7B's where you didn't even have the issue of a NV eye and an ambient eye we'd still get miserable headaches after a while. Part of it was of course the skull-crusher, and all that weight forward on your face, but I attributed a lot of mine to the concentration required while using the system. There was actually a small magnification distortion to the 7s, plus lack of peripheral vision, lack of depth perception, etc which made you think about tasks that were routine (like where to step, avoiding obstacles, etc.) My mind was having to constantly take the input from the NODs and "correct" it. I noticed after a spinal injury that they of course got worse.

With 14s and a J-arm, I think the weight was better, and if there was enough ambient light for my non-assisted eye to determine objects I had fewer problems because the 2 eyes seemed to work together. If it was pitch black then I'd have the headaches from the non-assisted eye constantly straining to correlate to what the NV eye was doing.

On the 14s I always ran the NV on my non-dominant eye.

I've re-read a few times and I'm still missing which of your eyes you're using the 14 on. With an Eotech or other non-magnified optic, I'd recommend using the 14 on the non-dominant eye. When you shoulder the rifle the NV eye sees the target, your un-aided eye sees the reticle, and your brain combines the image, superimposing your reticle on your target and giving you the "whole picture".

 

[TheGerman]

Went back out today for about 5 hours at night.

Changed the monocle from my dominant to non-dominant eye and after some getting used to it, I can see the benefit to it. Only downside is I can't get both the laser and EOTech reticle on target simultaneously but its a small thing compared to be able to draw my sidearm and aim without an issue, keep my stock length and NTCH distance instead of having to put the stock all the way back as well as use the EOTech daytime reticle if I need to right away.

I noticed something else. My chin strap wasn't too tight, I never noticed that I'd clench my jaws and I tried to keep as good a posture as possible. The 'optical' headache aches came and I'd turn the monocle off at times and I'd notice that when I took my helmet off, it was like it almost instantly went away. I am almost thinking this may have something to do with the Crye pads that the Airframe comes with that I have always thought were kind of hard and uncomfortable. When I tried the Airframe on, I tried both M and L and I'm an inbetween size but chose the M as it didn't move around like the L did. Can the pressure from hard pads cause headaches, especially the large pad on my forehead?

 

[0311 Hesco]

Maybe you could run a rifle mount for the NV? I'll bet I still got one in my crap back home.

 

[shooter6.5]

I used to get headaches also but I believe mine were from a helmet that was too tight. I went to the Wendys in a larger size and got larger pads and used mole skin to get the fit just right. Works great now. The chin strap should be tight enough to keep the helmet comfortably in place. I use the PVS=14 over the dominant eye. With the j arm it is very easy to move it out of the way in order to use the shoulder mounted weapon. I use an eotech or ACOG with a PVS-24, so it works great.

I also take the helmet off every so often to give my head and neck a rest. Makes a BIG difference.

 

[TheGerman]

Maybe you could run a rifle mount for the NV? I'll bet I still got one in my crap back home.

Appreciate it, but I am walking through desert/mountain terrain when I hunt. I'm not just sitting somewhere waiting for coyotes. I need the NV on my eye the entire time I move as I am literally in the middle of nowhere, with zero lighting outside of the moon, walking through places with huge rocks everywhere, hidden ravines and 400ft drop offs out of nowhere.

 

[TheGerman]

I used to get headaches also but I believe mine were from a helmet that was too tight. I went to the Wendys in a larger size and got larger pads and used mole skin to get the fit just right. Works great now. The chin strap should be tight enough to keep the helmet comfortably in place. I use the PVS=14 over the dominant eye. With the j arm it is very easy to move it out of the way in order to use the shoulder mounted weapon. I use an eotech or ACOG with a PVS-24, so it works great.

I also take the helmet off every so often to give my head and neck a rest. Makes a BIG difference.

From what I wrote from last night, I think the pads may be part of it, especially the very large and not very soft front pad.

 

[ajwcotton]

I have had issues with pad placement on an ACH the forward side pads were pressing into my temples that caused headaches, I'm not familiar with the airframe pads, but that could be an issue. Other than that I would say it might be an issue with your eyes/brain.

 

[glock63]

Are you running any type of amber filter on the ocular? I run the wilcox filter on mine and found it reduces eye strain significantly. I run a crye nightcap with no ballast and only get head/neck pain if i have it too tight, or if I hang a 3x magnifier off my PVS-14.

 

[0311 Hesco]

I don't remember having a need for a counterweight for a measly pvs14. Maybe try it without the weight. Although, it kind of sounds like an eye strain due to it being the opposite side of the back of you head. Your ocular cranial nerve is back there and I believe they do cross. Maybe wear the helmet for an hour or two in you house without the NV turned on in order to rule out that.

 

[Strykervet]

Nobody for adjusting the diopter? You can have the focus in and still be out of focus you know... The diopter is what will "match" the NODs to your other, naked eye. Best it can anyway. This can be off a little and look okay too. But it will cause strain over time, that's a fact.

As for mount, that Crye soft cover is by and far the best soft mount I've ever used. WAY more comfortable than a helmet, WAY more. Better than the Airframe helmet and any skullcrusher I've ever used. Comfortable, light, etc. Like a heavy bill baseball cap, seriously, just like that but with a chin strap. The counterweight is more for comfort, particularly with the soft cap and with 14's, it just reduces forward tilt, or pressure to tilt forward. It's a want, not a need. So if your gear is the culprit, I'd try this for comfort. But I'm willing to bet headaches that are behind the eye or inside the head are from looking through NODs with one eye and naked the other.

Even with the diopter adjusted and all well, it still isn't natural and you still can get headaches after long periods. This is evidenced by the fact that you can put 'em on for a short period and upon removing them, feel sort of dizzy. The only thing here you can do is just suck it up or wear them more often to get used to it. You can also switch from eye to eye when it gets real bad, but were I you, I'd try and rule out diopter first and get 'em adjusted just right for your eye. Even if you think you have it right, go over it again, it's easy to bump that adjustment. It's also not an easy one to adjust, diopter on a scope is much easier, for me anyway, than is diopter on the NODs. I guess that's why I'm harping on it so much, it's an easy one to forget or mess up and quite possibly a culprit here.

 

[TheGerman]

Nobody for adjusting the diopter? You can have the focus in and still be out of focus you know... The diopter is what will "match" the NODs to your other, naked eye. Best it can anyway. This can be off a little and look okay too. But it will cause strain over time, that's a fact.

As for mount, that Crye soft cover is by and far the best soft mount I've ever used. WAY more comfortable than a helmet, WAY more. Better than the Airframe helmet and any skullcrusher I've ever used. Comfortable, light, etc. Like a heavy bill baseball cap, seriously, just like that but with a chin strap. The counterweight is more for comfort, particularly with the soft cap and with 14's, it just reduces forward tilt, or pressure to tilt forward. It's a want, not a need. So if your gear is the culprit, I'd try this for comfort. But I'm willing to bet headaches that are behind the eye or inside the head are from looking through NODs with one eye and naked the other.

Even with the diopter adjusted and all well, it still isn't natural and you still can get headaches after long periods. This is evidenced by the fact that you can put 'em on for a short period and upon removing them, feel sort of dizzy. The only thing here you can do is just suck it up or wear them more often to get used to it. You can also switch from eye to eye when it gets real bad, but were I you, I'd try and rule out diopter first and get 'em adjusted just right for your eye. Even if you think you have it right, go over it again, it's easy to bump that adjustment. It's also not an easy one to adjust, diopter on a scope is much easier, for me anyway, than is diopter on the NODs. I guess that's why I'm harping on it so much, it's an easy one to forget or mess up and quite possibly a culprit here.

What's the trick to be sure with the diopter? I way I had set it up is this:

- Leave it on -0- and adjust focus on something that is pretty far away until it is in focus
- Turn diopter to the left to get out of focus and bring it back to the right until everything is crisp

Is there a better way?

I'm going to be running around the house today with the helmet on for a few hours and see if the pad tightness has anything to do with it.

 

[TheGerman]

So just ran around the house for over an hour (had the helmet with the NV on it but obviously not turned on, on during last post) and something happened that I hadn't noticed before.

After 30 mins or so I felt a bit of a strain exactly where the headache usually comes from in the back of the upper neck area. I never got a full blown headache but could feel the beginning of one.

I took the helmet off after an hour and get this - my forehead was completely numb. The Crye 3/4" Hit Pad has been cutting off the circulation in my forehead. When I took the helmet off, there was a dark red outline of any of the pad that was on the skin on my forehead. It was a deep red, was all of the surface area of the pad (no hard/hot spots) and it took 10+ minutes for the redness to go away.

I had never felt the numbness before (went away 2-3 mins after the helmet came off) but I have been out hunting at night where it gets into the upper 30's at times so I doubt I would have noticed it when taking the helmet off before it went away.

Am I correct to assume that the front pad actually cutting off circulation to the point that my forehead is numb, is at least a good portion of the issue? If so, I need to get different pads. It seems I don't have an issue with any of the other pads, and that the Team Wendy Epic Air pads are 1/2" and the Crye Hit Pads are 3/4" I am thinking this may be the clearance difference I need as I know the helmet isn't too small (Size Medium is 20-22 and I am a hair over 22, tried the Large on and it wobbled around on my head).

 

[Strykervet]

Okay, I have the Airframe too. It's damn comfortable and I do not get helmet fatigue from this at all (but that's compared to PASGT and early MCH helmets!). Large is the biggest they make, right? You have large right? I don't remember where I heard it, but don't they make two different thicknesses of those black hit pads? Perhaps the thinner ones would give you more room. You can also adjust the rest of the pads in that helmet to reconfigure them to work better with your head. The strap adjustments on the chin and neck straps can also greatly influence the way the helmet fits.

Does the helmet fit tight without the chin strap buckled? Mine goes on where it fits ever so lightly snug all over. Very comfortable. I couldn't shake my head hard and it not come off without the strap. Buckled it stays nice and snug, provides a stable NODs platform, and is comfortable enough to wear all day and all night long. It's easily the most comfortable helmet I've ever used, so I'd say try messing with pad configurations, thinner hit pads and the straps. But if you have a big noggin and it still fits tight with thin hit pads and no chin strap, well, I don't know what to say.

Seriously, were I you, I'd try that Crye soft cover. It's $150 with the Wilcox L4 shroud (same one TNVC shows in the picture of it, lightweight and it works very well) and it's a one size fits all (and looks like it'll cover all sorts of noggins). If you can't get that one comfortable on you, I don't know what else to say. That thing's like wearing a baseball cap, comfortably snug around your WHOLE head, not just in some places. Plus side is I got one, and for me, it's all I use now. Despite the helmet. In retrospect, I likely wouldn't have bought the helmet had this been out!

If that solves your problem, then you've got that helmet to address next. It should be comfortable enough to wear all day long and any headaches should be related directly to the NODs --why I mention diopter and practice, because NODs fatigue is common. It's an expensive piece of gear to find out you can't wear it. If you can't get it to work, maybe you can get someone to trade you or buy it from you, maybe on here, or perhaps your dealer can help you out?

As for the diopter, yeah, it can cause headaches if not properly adjusted. There's a "range" and adjustment is up to you, but you can still optimize the process. I typically focus (front focus ring) it out all the way and look off as far as I can (stars are good) and work the diopter ring from there much like you say. I do the same thing with scopes only using clear sky. The manual says something about it too, but I forget what. Still, if it's gear related, if it's due to actual strain leaving marks, well, this ain't gonna help that. But it's good to know that an out of adjustment diopter can cause excess NODs fatigue, and thus a headache.

Good luck!

 

[ravenfi]

There are alot of good point made in some of the above posts. As a UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief / FI I have delt with all of these issues. Proper fit of the helmet is very important when using NVG's for long periods of time. Another big culperit is guys will close there non-NVG eye when focusing the tube, this causes strain in the open (NVG) eye and will not give you proper focus which can also lead to headaches. You should cover the non-NVG eye with your hand while you focus the NVG. I use ANVIS type 6 which are the binocular type with a weight bag and after more then four hours eye strain a lone can give you a headache.

 

[TheGerman]

Okay, I have the Airframe too. It's damn comfortable and I do not get helmet fatigue from this at all (but that's compared to PASGT and early MCH helmets!). Large is the biggest they make, right? You have large right? I don't remember where I heard it, but don't they make two different thicknesses of those black hit pads? Perhaps the thinner ones would give you more room. You can also adjust the rest of the pads in that helmet to reconfigure them to work better with your head. The strap adjustments on the chin and neck straps can also greatly influence the way the helmet fits.

Does the helmet fit tight without the chin strap buckled? Mine goes on where it fits ever so lightly snug all over. Very comfortable. I couldn't shake my head hard and it not come off without the strap. Buckled it stays nice and snug, provides a stable NODs platform, and is comfortable enough to wear all day and all night long. It's easily the most comfortable helmet I've ever used, so I'd say try messing with pad configurations, thinner hit pads and the straps. But if you have a big noggin and it still fits tight with thin hit pads and no chin strap, well, I don't know what to say.

Seriously, were I you, I'd try that Crye soft cover. It's $150 with the Wilcox L4 shroud (same one TNVC shows in the picture of it, lightweight and it works very well) and it's a one size fits all (and looks like it'll cover all sorts of noggins). If you can't get that one comfortable on you, I don't know what else to say. That thing's like wearing a baseball cap, comfortably snug around your WHOLE head, not just in some places. Plus side is I got one, and for me, it's all I use now. Despite the helmet. In retrospect, I likely wouldn't have bought the helmet had this been out!

If that solves your problem, then you've got that helmet to address next. It should be comfortable enough to wear all day long and any headaches should be related directly to the NODs --why I mention diopter and practice, because NODs fatigue is common. It's an expensive piece of gear to find out you can't wear it. If you can't get it to work, maybe you can get someone to trade you or buy it from you, maybe on here, or perhaps your dealer can help you out?

As for the diopter, yeah, it can cause headaches if not properly adjusted. There's a "range" and adjustment is up to you, but you can still optimize the process. I typically focus (front focus ring) it out all the way and look off as far as I can (stars are good) and work the diopter ring from there much like you say. I do the same thing with scopes only using clear sky. The manual says something about it too, but I forget what. Still, if it's gear related, if it's due to actual strain leaving marks, well, this ain't gonna help that. But it's good to know that an out of adjustment diopter can cause excess NODs fatigue, and thus a headache.

Good luck!

Helmet is medium. The sizing says up to 22.5, and I'm a hair over 22. I tried the large as well, but needed to jack the chinstrap in WAY tight to get it to not wobble on my head regardless of how I moved the pads.

I think the issue stems mainly from my last post in that the front hit pad is too big for me and pushes against my forehead so badly that my forehead loses circulation, goes numb and I get a headache. I ordered the smaller Team Wendy Epic Airs and will try these out as they are thinner and this should alleviate my front pad issue.

I'll refocus everything as well just for the hell of it.

 

[KYpatriot]

So just ran around the house for over an hour (had the helmet with the NV on it but obviously not turned on, on during last post) and something happened that I hadn't noticed before.

After 30 mins or so I felt a bit of a strain exactly where the headache usually comes from in the back of the upper neck area. I never got a full blown headache but could feel the beginning of one.

I took the helmet off after an hour and get this - my forehead was completely numb. The Crye 3/4" Hit Pad has been cutting off the circulation in my forehead. When I took the helmet off, there was a dark red outline of any of the pad that was on the skin on my forehead. It was a deep red, was all of the surface area of the pad (no hard/hot spots) and it took 10+ minutes for the redness to go away.

I had never felt the numbness before (went away 2-3 mins after the helmet came off) but I have been out hunting at night where it gets into the upper 30's at times so I doubt I would have noticed it when taking the helmet off before it went away.

Am I correct to assume that the front pad actually cutting off circulation to the point that my forehead is numb, is at least a good portion of the issue? If so, I need to get different pads. It seems I don't have an issue with any of the other pads, and that the Team Wendy Epic Air pads are 1/2" and the Crye Hit Pads are 3/4" I am thinking this may be the clearance difference I need as I know the helmet isn't too small (Size Medium is 20-22 and I am a hair over 22, tried the Large on and it wobbled around on my head).

This does not surprise me. I figured you either had the nvg up too bright or if not that then you had a "hot spot" from the helmet. I ran a dual goggle setup in the F-15 and had a heavy helmet and a strong mount so they didnt break off and fly down into my balls in high G turns. I never got headaches from all that weight, but eyestrain from the brightness did wear on me, as did switching from nogs and then adapting back to night vision and then back again. Similar to staring into a flashlight. With all due respect to the guys above, I doubt most guys are getting headaches from the weight, but instead it is from poor fitting helmets. Ours had a gel liner that was literally molded to our knotty craniums so that the weight is evenly distributed, and I have worn it over 13 hours straight without getting headaches from it, and had more weight under g than anyone is walking around with at 1 G. I think the fit of the helmet is far more important than the weight. If that aint it then its likely eyestrain.

 

[Strykervet]

Yeah, try those thinner pads and let us know how that works out, because based on what you said, you're short of options. If you actually had the opportunity to try a large and that didn't work, well, I guess you've done that then. Only you can say whether it'll work or not. As for the straps, you can alter those really easy if you have a sewing machine. In like 5 minutes or less.

I guess I can see the large not working, I'm a 23 and like I said, it fits not loose, but not real snug --more of a just right. Perhaps a medium with thin pads or a large with 1" pads would work. I'm just guessing. Have you called Crye to ask what they think you should do? I'd definitely do that at this point.

I still think you should give the Crye soft cover a look though. I just can't emphasize enough how great this thing has been for me. I consider it a must-have now.

 

[TheGerman]

Went out tonight for a few hours and took the front hit pad off and replaced it with one of the small rectangular 'zorbium' type pads. Put it high up to where it was on the very top of my forehead, well above where the hit pad would be. Helmet felt a bit 'off' but managed to keep the PVS14 on my head and it didn't move.

No headache.

 

[Strykervet]

Cool. I hope you can get the pads worked out so it fits right. It is the best helmet I've used, but then again, it fits me. If it isn't the best helmet and best helmet NODs mount you've used, you're missing out, that's all I can say. It's worth the money if you can take advantage of all the attributes, not worth it if you can't.

 

[Hickle]

Workout your neck more. Exercise is almost always the first answer to these problems.

 

[Aftermath]

Workout your neck more. Exercise is almost always the first answer to these problems.

Get ya some postin' cred!

 

[LawnMM]

A ten year old thread...

Thread necromancy is giving me a headache, will working out help that too?