Well I can't say my setup is a "best bang for the buck" setup but I do have to say that improving my lighting/magnification has greatly helped me even with 20/20 vision in my late 40's.
I purchased a 70 watt Bluemax desk lamp from full spectrum solutions http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com...esk_18_ctg.htm which has definitely helped me. As you can see, not cheap but it's full spectrum light so you get a natural color look to your flies. I think the Ott lights are also in this category but I liked the added brightness of this light plus it has a dial to adjust brightness.
I also picked up a set of mag-eyes http://www.mageyes.com/Hobby.htm to magnify my flies. I found these on Ebay fairly inexpensive.
I guess I didn't trust "cheaper" alternatives as I didn't want to strain my eyesight to see especially on small flies.
As for the perfect fly - no such thing.
Good luck.
Take Care ...
Steve
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