I rarely get caught if I don’t want to. But I do get caught intentionally sometimes. It can be a useful way to facilitate interaction with someone. I don’t stare in a creepy “the Rock”, Jersey Shore or rap video way, but in a non-creepy, almost bashful way. And then pretend to be somewhat embarrassed when getting “caught”. If used properly, it can be very effective.
Ladies, I always feel I should apologize. I swear on the holy hand-grenades my eyes jump to boobs on their on accord. And if I do think of it beforehand it’s like approaching light-speed, the more I try not to look the more difficult it becomes not to look. 
I swear I mean no offense or disrespect or…
That’s not to say I haven’t snuck a peek occasionally. 
Dark glasses people, what do you think they are for?
My problem is I’m creepy looking even when I’m being entirely innocent*, so they guard against me.
*Which is about 70% of the time.
A good friend (and wife of another good friend) once told me she I’m allowed to look at hers anytime I want.
Cleavage, I mean.
I love my friends.
-D/a
I stare so much it was always a problem in social situations and the workplace. It was such a problem that I sought professional assistance to not avail. Recently professionals have suggested that some ADD and ADHD patients have catatonic spells between their hyperactivity and this is what the persons in social situations and the workplace were observing and objecting to. This makes sense in that it is consistent with the facts that I am sporadically hyperactive and that I am not aware of the staring that provokes the objections. BTW, I am now 74 and nobody gives a shit.
I never stare at anyone. If I need to take in visual information, I make it snappy in <1 second. It’s possible to get through the day without staring at all. But I catch people staring at me all the time, as if they somehow give themselves the license to do so, and I wish they would quit it already. It’s damned annoying.
I mean license in the sense of licentious, not a type of certificate from a governing body.
And when a creepy guy does it, it may also become frightening, depending on whatever safety resources are available or not.
I can’t remember the last time I got caught looking.
However…
Peripheral vision is much more useful for detecting motion than for observing details of anatomy. If I stare at a wall clock 10 feet away, I can barely discern a light switch three feet to the side of the clock.
[INDENT]
The fovea is responsible for sharp central vision (also called foveal vision), which is necessary in humans for reading, watching, driving, and any activity where visual detail is of primary importance.
The fovea comprises less than 1% of retinal size but takes up over 50% of the visual cortex in the brain. The fovea sees only the central two degrees of the visual field, which is roughly equivalent to twice the width of your thumbnail at arm’s length.[/INDENT]
I’ve been caught staring, but almost never has it been the licentious stare. It’s usually the mindless stare, where I’m just paying attention without realizing I’m staring. Checking someone out just doesn’t have to be that obvious.
I can’t imagine ever being so bad that I get called out on it verbally, either. Most people don’t do that unless they’ve already given you some nonverbal cue that they don’t like you staring, usually by quickly looking directly at you. As long as you look away when they do that, it’s usually okay.
Then again, I don’t do the version you see on TV where the head moves or you stop and look behind you. And you can still check someone out while looking at their face, even wearing glasses. It’s not like you’re looking in the periphery.