Even with a good binocular stereo microscope, there isn't much of depth perception. The angle between right eye vision and left eye vision is too narrow to form a meaningful 3D image. Another issue is depth-of-focus. If I focus on top of the chip, legs go out of focus and vise versa. Because of all that, seeing isn't that much of a problem but manipulating soldering iron is....
Also, if you wear glasses, getting lens spacing just right is a challenge. Even if you get it right, just a little bit of head shift will cause you to lose the image on one of your eyes. If you have normal vision, an inexpensive option is drugstore type reading glasses. You can get pretty good magnification and get to keep depth perception.
I also have a good stereo scope on a boom equiped with C mount camera, which is then connected to a 22 inch monitor. It is a very nifty thing to have to inspect boards.