...Part of my problem is that my eyesight isn't great and even with specs on it's hard to see what is going on once the welding shield is down.
even with specs on it's
exactly this. You watch your pool close and move at the speed needed to maintain that pool. If your weld pool is expanding then you've slowed down and vica verca. There is skill in consistency and weld pool watching is the way I do it.To weld properly you need to be watching the weld pool form, and adjust the speed according to the size and how it's melting into the metal.