Shooting With Glasses:

[Conditor22]

Shooting With Glasses:

As I get older my glasses get stronger ☹

How do you deal with shooting with glasses If you're not just near or far-sighted and have astigmatism?

Do you have a special prescription (different than you normally wear) for:

Hand Gun shooting?

Rifle shooting?

Or do you shoot rifles with no prescription and rely on the scope adjustments. [even if you have astigmatism?]

I put on fiber-optic sights or painted all the sights on my handguns and put scopes on most of my rifles (I know some of you will call that sacrilege :) )
so I can see better and still enjoy our hobby.

[pworley1]

I held out as long as I could with my rifles, but I have had to go to using a scope. I am still blurring my way through with my handguns.

[bakerjw]

They make black dots with a pinhole in the middle. Putting them on a pair of safety glasses really helps with using rifle iron sights. It cuts down the aperture going into your eyes.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I use my glasses for red dots and reflex sights, no glasses for scopes and handguns. If I could get a reading glass +2 in the upper corner by the bridge of my nose on my dominant eye lense it would help with iron sights.

[fc60]

Greetings,

For pistol, I have a set of bi-focals. The top lens focuses on the front sight and the bottom lens allows me to see the sight adjustment screws.

For rifle, I have a pair of Junkers shooting glasses with a distance prescription as I am using either a scope or peep sights.

Cheers,

Dave

[Froogal]

I wear trifocals. I have no trouble seeing the sights on either a handgun or a rifle. Yes, that front sight on a rifle is sometimes a little fuzzy, but it is still accurate.

[tankgunner59]

So far I'm still doing good with my specs, but I don't have an astigmatism either so it's not quite as tough yet.

[poppy42]

Find an ophthalmologist that shoots! He’ll have the answers for you.

[wv109323]

The answer depends on several things but in short you need to have your point of focus at the front sight. That means you need astigmatism correction if needed in your shooting eye.
With age your eyes will not focus at close distances so a diopter is needed (reading glasses). The power may be different between rifle and pistol due to the distance between your eye and the front sight.
A diopter of +1.00 will change your point of focus to one meter in front of your eye. +2.00 will change to 1/2 meter (18 in.)and +4.00 to 1/4 meter (9 inches).
This all depends if your dominate eye ( if you have a dominate eye) is the eye you shoot with. If you have a dominate eye you may need to block it to shoot with your non-dominate eye. I am left eye dominate and shoot right handed. I block my left eye and correct my right eye for front sight focus.
To shoot with scopes or 1x red dots your regular prescription for distance should work.

[wv109323]

The answer depends on several things but in short you need to have your point of focus at the front sight. That means you need astigmatism correction if needed in your shooting eye.
With age your eyes will not focus at close distances so a diopter is needed (reading glasses). The power may be different between rifle and pistol due to the distance between your eye and the front sight.
A diopter of +1.00 will change your point of focus to one meter in front of your eye. +2.00 will change to 1/2 meter (18 in.)and +4.00 to 1/4 meter (9 inches).
This all depends if your dominate eye ( if you have a dominate eye) is the eye you shoot with. If you have a dominate eye you may need to block it to shoot with your non-dominate eye. I am left eye dominate and shoot right handed. I block my left eye and correct my right eye for front sight focus.
To shoot with scopes or 1x red dots your regular prescription for distance should work.

[Rcmaveric]

I was never good with rifle sights. Good enough for 50 yards but not much farther. I can't see the blurry target and the front post covers the target.

I use my glasses with pistol and iron sights. I do shoot an expert for my pistol quals so there is that. Most my rifles though wear a scope and i correct my vision with it. Same for binoculars. My stigmata (what ever its called) is slight and and i am a plus 1.25. Just enough to make things blurry at far and close. Sucks, i can see good enough drive and live my life safely but bot good enough to read a book or a road sign without squinting. Basically the difference between 1990 TV and HD TV. Told my wife not to get a better TV, its pointless without glasses.

Seriously thinking of a red dot for my 3030. Just because i get jelous of those guys hiting decent groups at 100 yards with irons.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I have a 'special' pair of glasses made up that focus out to 6' so I can clearly see the iron sights but the target is blurred! It was funny at the time, me with a Ruger Superblackhawk in a bag going in to see the ophthalmologist and holding up the gun to see the foresight and to try different lenses. Seems to work for me.

[imashooter2]

Progressive lenses. Take a mock up with you. A popsicle stick taped to a ruler works. When they ask for where your reading distance is, hold up your mock up in your preferred stance.

[Paper Puncher]

Conditor22

I found an eye Dr that works with shooters. He sold me a set of Decot shooting glasses. I can change lenses on my shooting eye for rifle or pistol (different increase in diopter strength). wv109323 explained that increasing your prescription +1 Diopter changes your point of focus. They sell clip on magnifiers in various diopter levels. A cheap way to experiment is to pick up or borrow some reading glasses and put them over your regular glasses. A + .5 to 1.5 diopter would be a good starting point to experiment.

[Hick]

Rifle: Globe sight on the front, peep sight on the back, lenses that let me see the target clearly. Very easy to center a crisp clear target in the middle of two fuzzy looking holes.

[BJK]

Optics. And keep the Rx current. I bring the optics with me to the ophthalmologist and use the "try glasses" to see if the new Rx is correct. Red dots are the most touchy since there's nothing can be done with them to correct for vision. The Rx must be correct for them to work.

Yeah, aging isn't for wimps!

[jim147]

I shoot both eyes open but am right eye dominant. My big astigmatism is in my left eye. Any rifle without a scope has peep sight. Pistols I still do pretty good with. I hate my current bifocals. Maybe I can get some trifocals later this year.

[Alstep]

For rifle I use an aperture front sight and a #575 Gehmann rear. The Gehmann has a variable aperture, polarizing filter, and a variable diopter.
For pistol I just have a 1 diopter clip on lens on my glasses.
I normally wear bifocal glasses.
Hunting & varmit rifles have scopes. I really like the old Weaver post reticule. Simple and uncluttered, and really stands out.

[jsizemore]

Had an old optometrist that had been a position shooter back in the day. He had me bring my guns in that I shot in matches to get the right fit for my lenses. I had a set of regular glasses and Knobloch shooting glasses and Dycot for shotgun and backup use. He fit the lens with my astigmatism in each. Adjustable iris helped to fine tune the sight picture. Consistent head position was a must to deal with the astigmatism. My lenses didn't keep pace with the deterioration of my sighting eye for long range open sight shooting. Doc changed out 3 lenses in one year. I gave up those disciplines and focused on the scoped classes. My right eye got bad enough my brain switched to left eye dominant so I used (and still do) Eyeblind on my scopes. Plenty of scopes out there and I can still shoot decent at 50 yards with my bomars. Not so much at 100-1000 yards with the iron sights. Good Luck.

[starnbar]

Working outside my entire life I had developed cataracts didn't know how bad my sight was until my Doc said it is PAST time to get this done. I now wear some shooting glasses with a aperture sight stuck on the lens it works fine for me and I used to wear glasses but not any more

[wrench]

I've worn glasses almost all of my life, nearsighted. Once I got over 40 I needed a correction for reading as well like so many others.
On my shooting glasses I use a stick on diopter like this, pick the right magnification to get your front sight sharp. They stick to your glasses with a little water to apply. You can trim them, and move them around until you get it right for you.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=stick-on+bifocal+lenses&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2-Wf8dXi8QIVkhh9Ch0j7QVWEAAYAiAAEgIRZvD_BwE&hvadid=153666089504&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9019467&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=11921319093786029234&hvtargid=kwd-666594902&hydadcr=21000_9317505&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_r4kkucfkz_b

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Nearsighted, wearing glasses since I was 13(?), 72 now, I have progressive lens with a bifocal at the bottom, the progressive lens allows me to find a spot in the lens that gives me the focus I want by moving my head a little. I've had the progressives lens for a very long time and have avoided the 'arms to short to focus' syndrome that usually comes to 'older' folks.

[gunther]

Progressive bifocals help as much as anything. Astigmatism, lazy (20/200) right eye, right handed. Handguns are fun, rifles give me a headache, shotguns are frustrating. Enjoy what you can.

[BD]

This will sound odd, but it works. I am 66, near sighted with significant astigmatism. I wear trifocals for general use. I compete in action pistol events using bifocals in which the upper right hand lens, (dominant eye), is front sight focus, the upper left hand lens is distance, and the bottom lenses are both reading so I can see the iPad to score. I put these on when I first get to the match and in about two minutes my brain makes the adjustment. I often forget to change back until I get home. I've been using this setup for 20 years now with good success. I have fair focus on the targets as I move from target to target and excellent focus on the front sight. It is often difficult to see the boolit holes in the paper, but that's tough for me even with my regular trifocals. I wear these for iron sighted rifles as well. I wear my regular glasses for hunting with scoped rifles, mostly because the oddball bifocals do not work at all using binoculars.

[iomskp]

Earlier this year I got my first set of progressive lenses, I was so impressed I went and had my cataracts done and lenses fitted now I can see again, both front and rear sights and the target all at the same time, the glasses can stay in the bottom draw.

[kevin c]

I have vision issues like BD with a contact lens solution similar to his upper lens corrections: sharp front sight focus in the dominant eye and sharp distance focus in the other. My optometrists call it monovision. Off the range I have bifocals I wear over the contacts that correct the dominant eye to 20/20 distance for driving in the upper Rx (plain glass in the other since it's already there), and correct both eyes for reading in the lower Rx. Works for pistol post and notch irons, fails utterly for rifle irons. There I have to use glass or a dot sight.

[Idaho45guy]

I've been wearing glasses since I was 8 years old. Nearsighted. I had to get bifocals when I turned 45. When I was 47, I got progressive lenses that are trifocals. No lines, but different areas of the lens have different strength. That pair had what the doc called a "computer user" profile in that there was a small area at the bottom of the lens for reading, a larger medium power area in the lower and middle section, and the long distance part on the upper 50%.

It was perfect for seeing my sights clearly and I could get great groups with iron sights.

Then, I got cheap and went to Costco when I turned 50 and the prescription they gave me was also a progressive trifocal, but the ratios of the different strengths was different and my sights became blurry and my groups got bad. Drove me nuts the past two years.

Just went back to my original optometrist and ordered the same lenses and frames from six years ago. Doc said my prescription was nearly identical, which means my eyes haven't hardly changed in six years, which is awesome.

[country gent]

Keep in mind when shooting your looking thru a different area of the lenses than reading or other things. This affects how you see also. I used a set of the adjustable Knob blocks for high power they could be adjusted to where the lenses needed to be for position

[44MAG#1]

There is NO DOUBT that Varilux is the way to go. I have used Varilux and bifocals at different times and now stick with Varilux. Glasses can be made with the Varilux or Bifocal part put anywhere you want it if you pay for it.

[Conditor22]

Keep in mind when shooting your looking thru a different area of the lenses than reading or other things. This affects how you see also. I used a set of the adjustable Knob blocks for high power they could be adjusted to where the lenses needed to be for position

adjustable Knob blocks for high power???

Do you have a link


I've heard people say they have good results just using reading glasses for hand gun shooting.

[slohunter]

I can see fine, it's just that my arms got shorter!

[Cowhide]

I have been trying to explain to my eye doctor at the VA about this and so fare no luck. Is there a link I can give my eye doctor that would let him read up on how to write a prescription that would allow my handgun sights to be in focus with my current eye degeneration? The lets try this is taking to long and we only get to try next attempt a year later.

[wv109323]

On the Bullseye pistol forum there was a doctor by the name of Norman Wong that had a write up about how an optometrist should fit you with shooting glasses.

[Conditor22]

On the Bullseye pistol forum there was a doctor by the name of Norman Wong that had a write up about how an optometrist should fit you with shooting glasses.

Would you happen to have a link please.

[jsizemore]

Norman Wong read

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/ssusa_201808/index.php#/p/24

champion's choice for knobloch

You may also find stuff on targettalk.org

[Conditor22]

thankyou for posting Dr Wongs stuff

[Cowhide]

+1 Thank you for posting that link to article.

[bangerjim]

I try to keep my glasses at least 1/2 full of single malt scotch whenever out shooting.

[sharps4590]

What wrench said, or do this, blue painters tape....inside edge for rifle shooting, more toward the center for handguns.

286222

[.429&H110]

There are all kinds of eye doctors.
You would not be the first person to ask about sight picture,
and some eye doctors do know what you are asking.
I was totally nearsighted when I had the cataracts out, lenses implanted.
In two days I went from near- to far-sighted.
So I asked about sight picture.

Eye doctor had a wooden pistol traced from a 1911
with sights and a thin plastic ruler glued to the top.
The game is to see the sights, ruler, and eyechart.
You can make such a toy easily, and bring it along.
Be sure to paint it orange.

Your thumb and index finger will also serve for sight picture,
although it's illegal to point at people in New Jersey,
you'll maybe have to paint your finger orange?

There is a progressive lens that will work fine for you,
you just have to find your unique combination.
We took all of ten minutes to find mine, it wasn't his first rodeo.
A similar problem is computer-screen-distance bi- or tri-focals.

I am amazed how much better I can see with lens implants.
My motivation was I could not see to drive at night at 54 yo.
Cataract test?
While you are watching TV, shine a flashlight at your ear.
If the opaque cataract lights up, you can't see the TV anymore, just white.
(Try this test on an old dog, side light his eye.)
When you meet cars at night, their headlights do the same glare,
and I was driving blind like everyone does in Green Valley.
You might think about that, when you're driving along with them.
They really can't see you, or bicycles, at night.
The lens of your eye was born clear, UV turns it yellow
it's like wearing dark yellow sunglasses everywhere.
It's a slow process, like old age, inevitable.
All those years I thought I was just a lousy shot.

[Idaho45guy]

I try to keep my glasses at least 1/2 full of single malt scotch whenever out shooting.

286251

[QuackAttack24]

Greetings,

For pistol, I have a set of bi-focals. The top lens focuses on the front sight and the bottom lens allows me to see the sight adjustment screws.

For rifle, I have a pair of Junkers shooting glasses with a distance prescription as I am using either a scope or peep sights.

Cheers,

Dave

This is what I do. I normally wear trifocals, but I had a set of bifocals made so that the top lens puts the far sight in focus. Works with pistols and iron sight rifles. With rifles that have a scope, I just wear my normal trifocal lenses.

[GregLaROCHE]

I have an astigmatism. My optometrist, who is a compétition shooter as well, set me up with a nice pair of shooting glasses. First he didn’t give me the full astigmatism correction. He said it works against near vision and it was better to give up a little of the long distance to be able to see the sights better. He had me bring in a favorite rifle and when I shouldered it, he looked into my eye through the sights and marked exactly where my eye was within the frame of a pair of temporary glasses. When he made the glasses the center of the correction was offset compared to regular glasses. They had no progressive features. I am lucky to be able to read a newspaper with decent light, but when wearing my shooting glasses I can’t see anything up close unless I take them off. If he were making glasses, I’m sure he would have done things differently. I’ll have to ask him next visit.

[gwpercle]

Detached retina's in both eyes .
5 eye surgeries .
No lens in either eye .
Blind in my right eye now ...formerly my dominant eye .
Half blind in left eye .
Diagnosed with Glaucoma ...
What little vision I had is now getting worse all the time .
Wearing thick tri - focal glasses

Red Dot Sight mounted on handgun allows me to shoot somewhat . Sight dot with distance part of lens . Now getting a Red Dot mounted on a handgun is sooooo much easier .
15 years ago we had the red dots but they were large and hard to find a mount ... now mini red dots come mounted from the factory ...Soooo much nicer .

Don't give up , don't surrender , keep shooting !
Gary