I agree with Pvt Ryan. I am able to get them to work under certain conditions.

1. Have to be standing.
2. Equip Binoculars.
3. Hit Space bar to "activate" binoculars. (Move them in front of your face.)
4. Right click the mouse to view images at a distance.

If I deviate from the four steps, they don't work. I either see the floor zoomed, or they jump to my eyes and back down in under a second.