Prescription for shooting glasses

[Ickisrulz]

What do I need to do to get glasses made so I can see the front sight of a handgun clearly? Will most optometrists be able to get this done for me? Do I need to be on the lookout for certain things?

My vision was perfect until I hit 40-45 (typical from what I have been told). But I refuse to wear glasses in general other than reading glasses. I figure that a "shooting" prescription would help my meager shooting abilities.

[Winger Ed.]

Just tell the eye Doctor what you want as far as focal lengths go.
Hopefully they are a shooter, but if not-- they'll grasp the concept pretty quickly.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I ran this by my optometrist, we did some measuring and discovered I needed "single vision" glasses with a focal point of 25" for shooting open sight Rifle or pistol ...they also work great for my computer monitor setup.

[zardoz]

This is just a suggestion for a relatively inexpensive way for you to get some idea of what you may need. Being in my mid 60's, and wearing glasses and now magnifiers, I have a small bit of experience here.

Yes, upon hitting mid-40's many notice that the variable focus power of their eyes is no longer nearly as flexible as it used to be. This flexibility has been explained as loss of elastic resilience in the tissues of your physical body. (Note: expect more of this as time goes on)

The suggestion is to purchase reading magnifier glasses, found at many retail locations (Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, etc.) Since you are in the early phase of this, perhaps 1.50X or 2.00X magnification would be a good start. They are relatively inexpensive, and almost disposable if scratched or broken. The caveat is that vision of the far target will be blurred, but if you sort of wear them "down on your nose", you can find a sweet spot where the sights are in the magnifier glasses, and the target is above them.

Myself, I have worn glasses since I was 17, and long about 45 I had to get bifocals. Now, I have a collection of magnifiers I wear in front of my regular glasses in various powers all the way up to 4.00X. I accept it, but am glad that there are tools available to make it possible to see what I am doing.

[wv109323]

If your distant vision is 20/20 without glasses then you just need "reading glasses" lens. As we age our eyes are unable to focus at close distances. Correction is done by diopters. +1.00 diopter brings your focal point to one meter (39 inches). +2.00 is one half meter or 18 inches., +0.50 is 2 meters or 78 inches.
When you use a diopter, then you can not focus at distance. You will only be able to get the sights in focus and the target will be blurry. Getting old is tough.
Take a pencil into the store and hold it at arms length. The tip of the pencil will be about at front sight distance. Get the glasses with the end of pencil in sharp focus. Usually +1.00 or +0.75 is right.
If your distance vision is not 20/20 then an optomistrist will need to correct your vision and then add diopter for medium range focus.
No need to see an optomistrist if your distant vision is fine now.
Another option is to use an iris.(peep sight). Looking through an iris increases your length of focus. All iris I know about attach to eyeglasses.

[Farmall-130]

Here’s what I did. Measure the distance from your eye to the front sight of your rifle or pistol. I taped a spare M1 front sight I had to a yard stick at the measured distance. Took this contraption with me to the eye doctor & explained that I only wanted to see the front sight clearly. (I also have a astigmatism) He flipped various lenses before my eye, until we got one I liked. He wrote a prescription for the lens power & the lens “cylinder”. Cylinder expressed in degrees corrects for astigmatism. Had a single lens made for my Knobloch shooting glasses. Works for me.

[David2011]

I had shooting glasses (ANSI grade impact resistance) made with a large bifocal in the aiming lens only; the right side in my case. The left lens is only my distance prescription. They work very well.

[BigAlofPa.]

I have prescription glasses where the focal point starts at 18 inches. That is the distance from my eye to the rear sight on my Stevens crackshot. Only regret i have is getting them with the auto darken. My readers 2x. My dog chewed. The dollar store only had 1x at the time i replaced them. I soon discovered they work with sights and do not blur my far vision. So now i have a pair in my range bag.

[MT Gianni]

I called my optometrist and asked if I could bring in a handgun without a cylinder, making it unsafe to fire. He said sure and made me a set with the fixed bifocal right at the front sight line with my hands extended. I have had 2 pair since with different prescriptions. The key is where the line is set.

[contender1]

Different people need different solutions.
Best advice,, talk to your Optometrist. My first time,, I asked about it,, and was told to get my handgun to properly measure the necessary sight distance. And I did not know this doctor prior to that visit. Trying to explain things isn't easy without the necessary items to show. A Dr. can't do a good job unless they can get proper measurements.

[Half Dog]

I measured the distance from my eye to the front sight and asked to have glasses made to focus at that distance. It was ordered in a package deal where if I bought one pair, the other pair cost much less. One normal pair and one pair of shooting glasses.

I hope this helps.

[AZ Pete]

I discussed it with my optometrist. I told her I wanted my dominant eye to focus on the front sight, and the other to focus on the target. She says "bring your pistol in and I will write you the correct prescription to do that". She did, it works.

[Alstep]

Lots of good advise given above.
My eye Dr. gave me a 1 diopter clip on lens to go on my glasses. Clears up the front sight. A real simple solution for my case.

[foesgth]

Try some of these before you spend a bunch of money on custom glasses (https://smile.amazon.com/Elvex-Magnification-Ballistic-Microfiber-WELRX500C-75KIT2/dp/B01GZ2Q3B6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Elvex+RX500+Full+Lens+.75&qid=1637429379&qsid=142-9619477-4650307&sr=8-2&sres=B01GZ2Q3B6%2CB01GZ2MSV0%2CB01GZ2ZI3U%2CB01GZ3 561I%2CB01GZ2R6M6%2CB07CYXDYVS%2CB00KSJQC8W%2CB082 B75FSZ%2CB07CZ1CCNX%2CB00S78ABHY%2CB07RSD7Y97%2CB0 0X69ONGE%2CB00E5NXH6M%2CB000NP5D2C%2CB072HD228V%2C B01F3812T6%2CB0030FLD8A%2CB078YFPZDB%2CB000HJMR9G% 2CB007W1LWHU&srpt=SAFETY_GLASSES). I use the .75.

[Ickisrulz]

Thanks for all the advice.

[Outpost75]

For bullseye pistol - 0.50 diopter less than your reading prescription. For service rifle -0.75 less than your reading prescription is a good place to start. Try some inexpensive drugstore readers to refine and then go to your eyedoc. When I had cataract surgery and lens implant I had intermediate focus IOP done in dominant eye so I see sights on my carry gun sharp without needing glasses.

[mf79]

https://www.amazon.com/Magnifying-Shooting-Safety-Glasses-Colors/dp/B08GHBGLWB?th=1

C2 Top Focal Magnifying Shooting Safety Glasses, 7 Frame Colors

[alamogunr]

For bullseye pistol - 0.50 diopter less than your reading prescription. For service rifle -0.75 less than your reading prescription is a good place to start. Try some inexpensive drugstore readers to refine and then go to your eyedoc. When I had cataract surgery and lens implant I had intermediate focus IOP done in dominant eye so I see sights on my carry gun sharp without needing glasses.

My ophthalmologist has been holding cataract surgery over me for the last year+. I don't know if he is waiting for me to kick off or go blind. Neither is imminent yet.

Rather than your solution(which I didn't know about), I have considered an additional bifocal in the top left corner of my glasses. I've worn glasses since I was 19(60 years) so they are not really any more than an inconvenience. Is there a downside to the IOP in everyday activities?

[Outpost75]

I've had both eyes done for cataracts, about 10 years apart. Have mono-focal lens implants in both syes, the left optimized for distance and the dominant right eye with intermediate focus. I can read The Wall Street Journal in good light without glasses, see the front sight on my Garand and read the number boards at 600 yards wearing Plano lens safety glasses only. For precision close work I have progressive lenses having close-up for tool inspection and intermediate correction for computer use in the left eye and the eyeglass lens for the right eye has nothing in its center, but a bit of distance correction in the upper field and a bit of close correction in the lower field. Has worked very well for me. I am 73. The laser-assisted procedure I had in the right eye is preferable to the older traditional procedure I had in the left one.

[hiram]

I purchased these from Amazon. I bought 2 pair> .5 and 1.0 power. cup shaped, full lens magnification, and wrap around lens. The lens, according to amazon question database, is polycarbonate.

[kevin c]

For years I have used a system similar to Outpost75’s, recommended by my optometrist. No cataracts, but very nearsighted, and have presbyopia (that age related farsightedness).

Contacts with non dominant eye corrected for distance, dominant eye for pistol front sight distance. Generally I wear progressive lenses over them, with lower reading correction in both sides and a distance correction for the dominant eye for driving. The non dominant side has no correction (“plano”) on top since the contact lens gives me what I need on that side. When shooting pistol I take off the glasses and put on non corrected eye protection. Dot sight or scope I use the glasses over the contacts. Rifle irons are a problem though: neither the contacts or the glasses give me the right focal length for the front sight.

Correcting each each to a different focal length is called mono vision. My optometrist told me that it doesn’t work for everybody: some folks get headaches.

[Shanghai Jack]

I went a different way. My optometrist had me bring in both a rifle and a pistol. He assigned a nurse to work with me. Instead of using the "which is better A or B" machine she went old style with a set of frames and drop-in lenses. We did this is a modified weaver stance for the pistol and in both prone and schuetzen cross body stance for the rifles. Not the normal doctor visit. Two different prescriptions. The pistol lenses end up being something like a reverse bifocal - head down to see near head up to see far.

I ended up with a set of frames specifically designed for shooting sports with two sets of snap in lenses - NOT CHEAP either the appointment or the glasses but check it out, your insurance might just cover it.

[GONRA]

GONRA may be (probably IS) making a Big Deal out of nothing here (as usual)
but would appreciate any suggestions ya’ll have.

Go to Eye Dr. (Ophthalmologist) every year for usual checkup,
have had thrilling Retina surgery (tiny “needles” in eyeball) to scrape
out scar tissue on left eye’s macula, also left eye cataract surgery.
Take 2 Areds2 pills a day and have had a total of 6 Lucentis
”Ranibizumab” eyeball shots.”

Apparently a true successful story. Retina Dr. said macula looks great now.
Left eye sight is NOT perfect but verks well enuf when used together with right eye.

NOW its time for a Fresh Eyeglass Prescription.
Problem is – when sitting in front of the “Phoropter” instrument,
am never really confident of selecting the better-of-the-2-choices:
THIS one or THAT one? (Not MUCH difference!)

Wearing a mask really screws it all up. FOGS UP BAD!
We’re all supposed to wear ‘em in PA Dr. offices.

Any reasonable person would say -
“just pull mask down for the Phoropter exam.”
But my Ophthalmologist won’t allow this.

Seeking any thoughts on this in case there is an Eye Pro reading this. THANX!

[BD]

Bifocals. Lower lenses: reading, upper dominate eye: front sight distance, upper non-dominate eye: distance. It helps if you can take a handgun into the optometrist to measure what the front sight distance actually is. This works. When you first put them on, it takes a minute to get used to the upper lenses being different, but your brain actually sorts that out for you pretty quickly, Shoot both eyes open and you can see the front sight clearly and the target well enough. After a match or too you will start to forget to take them off until you get home and look at a book or a computer screen. I've been using these for 20 years, and I still consistently win my class at the local USPSA matches. Although that may have more to do with hardly anyone shooting single stack these days. Pretty much everyone else my age has gone to some form of red dot on a higher capacity plastic pistol.

[Hogtamer]

Good job foesgth! I bought the pair that you recommended on Amazon and wore them shooting doves today….outstanding! I recently spent $400 from optometrist that they never got right.