Shooting (with) Glasses

[Jeff Higgins]

No, not "shooting glasses" as in the protective eyewear we all don while shooting, but "shooting with glasses", as in corrective lenses.

I managed to make it to darn near 62 years old without the need for corrective lenses, except for cheap drug store "readers", and even those I didn't always need for reading or close in work. Well, about a month ago at the range, I had a "moment". I literally could not make out the target at 100 yards through the aperture sights on the two rifles I was working with (my Ruger #1 in 6.5 Swede and my Savage 99 in .300 Savage).

I had to go home - I simply could not see well enough to shoot. I couldn't believe it. Before I left, I tried switching to left handed, using my left eye, and all was well. But I simply could not do it with my right eye. I was pretty distressed - you guys know how much time i spend at this, and how important it is to me. And, just my luck, it had to be my right eye.

I shoot a lot, and I shoot quite often (I'm sure that surprises no one). I got pretty retrospective - how did this come on so fast, so unexpectedly? When did I first notice it? Well, over the course of that retrospection, it occurred to me that I had been working with some scoped rifles for some time. But - and this should have been a clue - I found myself pretty drastically altering the adjustments on the ocular bells on scopes I have owned for decades, and had left the same for decades.

But, anyway, it snuck up on me, it's here, and it's real. So, for the first time in my life, I am now wearing corrective lenses. I guess we call them "bifocals" or "trifocals", but there is no "seam". They just have a "gradient" from up close vision to distance vision. Only on the right side, the left is essentially just a piece of glass with no correction.

This is going to take a lot of getting used to. I took both of those rifles to the range yesterday, and a few revolvers today. I found the revolvers much easier, but I never really noticed a problem with them anyway, at least not what I ran into with the rifles. It's amazing how critical head placement is behind those peep sights. *Sigh*... this getting old thing ain't for the feint of heart... now it's affecting one of my true passions in life...

[PorscheGAL]

I would suggest seeing if you can get safety glasses in your prescription for the far away. That transition with the bifocals can really be hard to get used to.

[stevej37]

I wear the same 'gradient bifocals'.
Same problem with shooting for me....esp with a scope.

An open sight works best for me.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I guess we call them "bifocals" or "trifocals", but there is no "seam". They just have a "gradient" from up close vision to distance vision.

Not that it matters, but the seamless glasses are usually called "progressive lenses"
The lenses that darken/lighten are usually called "transitions" (photochromic)
the ___focal lenses have lines of demarcation between the different areas.

Yes, you lasted longer than I did.

I've always had perfect vision. I noticed when I was ~41 that my left eye was changing. The right eye was fine for a long time. I think I started using readers when I was 45-47. I finally got glasses with progressive lenses about 2 years ago when I was ~50 because it's easier than taking readers on and off. Just wear the damn things all of the time and see everything.

I realized that I like the lightest weight glasses that I can find. Rodenstock makes the Porsche Design glasses, and they also make some super light titanium frames, so that's what I've got.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

I would suggest seeing if you can get safety glasses in your prescription for the far away. That transition with the bifocals can really be hard to get used to.

I tried. I could not make it work.

I have two sets of glasses, computer and distance.

Jeff, I hope you have better results than I did!

[Rick Lee]

You can get safety glass in the rating you need. I wear 1.25 for readers and got some safety glasses in 1.25 for shooting. I don't like them, but they're out there. Last week my problem was my earmuffs hitting my rifle rest on the table. I took them off and just went with the 3M foam plugs, which is fine for .243 or .223, but not so much with .30-06.

[pwd72s]

Jeff, for a while I used Decots for pool shooting, made in my prescription. They worked prettty well until I found an optomitrist who specialized in glasses for cue sports. Anyway, you might wish to check them out. By the way, I tried progressives, I think the multi focal lenses are called...the first time I picked up a chain saw, I knew they weren't for me...scared the crap out of me with the distance distortion.

Anyway...

https://www.decot.com/

[id10t]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

No, not "shooting glasses" as in the protective eyewear we all don while shooting, but "shooting with glasses", as in corrective lenses.

I managed to make it to darn near 62 years old without the need for corrective lenses, except for cheap drug store "readers", and even those I didn't always need for reading or close in work. Well, about a month ago at the range, I had a "moment". I literally could not make out the target at 100 yards through the aperture sights on the two rifles I was working with (my Ruger #1 in 6.5 Swede and my Savage 99 in .300 Savage).

I had to go home - I simply could not see well enough to shoot. I couldn't believe it. Before I left, I tried switching to left handed, using my left eye, and all was well. But I simply could not do it with my right eye. I was pretty distressed - you guys know how much time i spend at this, and how important it is to me. And, just my luck, it had to be my right eye.

I shoot a lot, and I shoot quite often (I'm sure that surprises no one). I got pretty retrospective - how did this come on so fast, so unexpectedly? When did I first notice it? Well, over the course of that retrospection, it occurred to me that I had been working with some scoped rifles for some time. But - and this should have been a clue - I found myself pretty drastically altering the adjustments on the ocular bells on scopes I have owned for decades, and had left the same for decades.

But, anyway, it snuck up on me, it's here, and it's real. So, for the first time in my life, I am now wearing corrective lenses. I guess we call them "bifocals" or "trifocals", but there is no "seam". They just have a "gradient" from up close vision to distance vision. Only on the right side, the left is essentially just a piece of glass with no correction.

This is going to take a lot of getting used to. I took both of those rifles to the range yesterday, and a few revolvers today. I found the revolvers much easier, but I never really noticed a problem with them anyway, at least not what I ran into with the rifles. It's amazing how critical head placement is behind those peep sights. *Sigh*... this getting old thing ain't for the feint of heart... now it's affecting one of my true passions in life...

Just got my first "real" (ie, not $10 drug store cheaters) a month or so ago. Can't use 'em for computer work - big monitors and I stare straight ahead of 'em, and the glasses are like yours with a gradient. I'd have to have my nose in the air to see the text.

However, the same script/style sunglasses work great, and the non-sunnies work fine too as long as I'm not reading on my computer screens at my desks - still use my $10 cheaters for those.

Range use, I'm still on cheaters there as well for the same reason, just how the glasses are set up with focal areas getting further the higher up thru the glasses you are looking. Coincidentally, my monitors are about as far out as my front sights are...

Shooting over open V-notch sights today was.... tough. Need to figure out what I'm gonna do about a good sight picture that is quick and reliable so I can do some small game hunting this year...

[pwd72s]

Oh..optomitrists don't like giving you your full prescription...they usually leave out your pupil distance because they want you to buy glasses from them. It's a critical thing when ordering glasses. Insist on getting that as well. I'd suggest single focus for distance. With iron sights, it's best to have the front sight in focus...

Lots of similarity with pool playing where you want the object ball in clear focus...which can be anthing from 2 to 12 feet from your eyes.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Oh..optomitrists don't like giving you your full prescription...they usually leave out your pupil distance because they want you to buy glasses from them. It's a critical thing when ordering glasses. Insist on getting that as well. I'd suggest single focus for distance. With iron sights, it's best to have the front sight in focus...

Lots of similarity with pool playing where you want the object ball in clear focus...which can be anthing from 2 to 12 feet from your eyes.

you can get a special ruler to measure your pupil distance yourself.

When I shoot with a scope I focus the scope w/out my glasses.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

you can get a special ruler to measure your pupil distance yourself.

When I shoot with a scope I focus the scope w/out my glasses.

I haven't used a scope on a rifle, but with my telescope and binoculars, I don't use my glasses. I can and have used them with binoculars, but it's better/easier without them.

[Jeff Higgins]

Thanks, guys and gals, lots of good suggestions. I figured will all of the old farts on here I would be tapping a lot of experience.

I might have some unique, or difficult requirements on this front, owing to the stuff I like to shoot and how I shoot it. I'm hoping I can wear one set of glasses and call it "good" for both looking through peep sights and adjusting them on the fly, which is kind of a requirement for competing in some of the matches I like to shoot.

Here are the sights I use in long range black powder matches. The vertical, or elevation scale, is essentially a vernier caliper. The horizontal, or windage scale, is essentially a barrel micrometer. I need to be able to adjust both at my spotter's command - "gimme two and a half minutes right", or "gimme half a minute up", and stuff like that.





Maybe my expectations (hopes) are a bit unrealistic, and there is no "one size fits all". I'm brand new at this, however, so I'll keep exploring the different possibilities.

As far as scopes (which I actually shoot very little), I've been able to adjust those ocular bells to my satisfaction, so I shoot with just safety glasses. I was able to make the open sights on the handguns work well today, so I'm happy with that. Monday I'll bring the recently finished Hawken out and try the glasses with its open sights. Funny, I didn't have any trouble right after I finished it, and that wasn't that long ago. I think peeps are going to be the challenge. Which is a shame, because that is what I shoot in my matches, and kind of a favorite for hunting as well. So, we'll see. I'll find something that works. I'm pretty motivated...

[pwd72s]

You might find the peeps work just fine...the small hole might work like f22 on a camera lens...the small diameter increasing your depth of field...

[john walker's workshop]

Amazing how a pair of 125 readers clears up distance issues. Try some.

[911Ghia]

I’m 73, shoot primarily pistiol or 22 rifle usually with aperture sights. Went to the optometrist and explained why my regular glasses didn’t work for shooting. He set me up, the glasses are between my current script and a 15 year old pair. Ask to see the ‘junior’ frames as they ere 40% cheaper and looked sturdier. My shooting did improve.

That’s 5 rounds from a 541X @ 50 yards, wayward round courtesy of a yellow jacket buzzing my face……….still a sissy when it comes to yellow jackets.

Rich

[Rusty Heap]

you're getting old Higgins.

appreciate what you've had all these years.


you whiner.

[island911]

Maybe accept that aging happens, step away from guns and on to grenade launchers. - you'll get that target.

[CurtEgerer]

Bifocals (in my case progressives) are a major PITA for shooting. I hate having to raise my head to see my sights clearly There are workarounds, like reverse bifocals with the magnification on top or custom glasses with the magnification in the center. The problem for me is I'm a defensive shooter only, not a target shooter. I need to be shooting with what I'd have on if I need to use the weapon out in the wild. So I just always use my normal glasses and make the best of it.

[John Rogers]

Several years ago after my radiation treatment for the cancer on the side of my face I noticed my vision had changed maybe due to radiation or surgery or ????. So I went to Stanton Optical (stupid commercials) and the young lady that checked my eyes said my perscription was way outdated so I got new glasses. Everything looks better I.E. close or far BUT I could no longer get my right eye to focus on the front sight of my muzzleloaders as all except for a few have "primitive" sights. Oh yeah, she also noted my cataracts and referred me to an eye surgeon which is great as Medicare will only pay IF you get referred not if you go on your own!

Anyways I pulled a barrel off my long gun and went to see her and asked if she could make me a pair of glasses where my eye focused the distance at the front sight blade? She said sure but how far is it.....so I said please wait a second and I went to the car and pulled the barrel out, went back in and fortunately I was the only customer so no panic would ensure and sat back down and held up the barrel to replicate the way it was in relation to my face. She did her magic with her machine and the resulting perscription was between close up and far away so I ordered a space set. When they came in a few days later I checked them on my test barrel and the front sight blade was clear where as with my regular bifocals it was fuzzy as hell.
The problem was they were great when shooting but as soon as I set the rifle down to reload I had to switch back otherwise I had trouble walking so that is what I do now.
John

[pwd72s]

In other words, as we age, we compensate the best we can...while knowing that nobody beats father time.