what does help you see when crafting ?

Have you tried an Ott light? That might help.

I wear a headlamp when I cross stitch

I have a magnifying lamp and although the magnifier is reasonable, the light part is all but useless. I’m cross stitching at the moment and have a side lamp on to illuminate the work while I look through the magnifier. I’m definitely on the look out for a better solution.

It’s amazing how exqusite many old tapestries, samplers and embroideries are when you consider their makers didn’t have glasses or magnifiers and just candlelight or a small window to see by.

Better light and my glasses. I'm finding more and more as I age that the light makes a BIG difference.
I need to get my glasses changed, but I have to wait till October otherwise I have to pay for the test.

When I started having difficulty seeing, I had an eye exam that showed I had cataracts. When was your last eye exam?

Cheaters are a good place to start, if you don't currently wear glasses.

Awe, remember when good lighting and glasses weren't essential for scrapbooking/crafting.

I have several of these in my craft area, not pretty, but effective. I also just bought a OTT lamp that can clip to my sewing machine.

Then at the store I picked up a set of readers. I get my eyes checked yearly, but smaller print and such is much more difficult to see now although I don't need glasses for it yet.

Good light is essential and I've had an Ott light for over 15 years for scrapbooking and for general use on my desk. I cannot begin to tell you what a huge difference it makes. The details are so much easier to see and it makes colors appear as they truly are. Joann.com has them on sale right now. I think today is the last day of the sale, but I'm not sure. I have an 18watt desk lamp called the 18w Flexarm Plus but mine is so old the style might not be exactly the same. I love it because it has enough power that my work surface is covered and the bulb lasts about a year or more. Replacement bulbs are available. 

I would suggest get an Ott Light first. There are different variations of 18 watt lights in case you don't have space on your desk for the desk lamp there are 18 watt floor lamps first. See if this helps. 

Then if it doesn't help enough think about using readers. For me I too can't see far away. I wear contacts for that. But without my contacts I can see close up extremely well. If I wore glasses I'd just take my glasses off to craft things close up. But since I don't want to bother removing my contacts I do use reading glasses when I craft.