need glasses. Help

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Paul Calligaro

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As I have grown older I need reading glasses. While shooting I have trouble seeing the sights without the glasses but can't see the target with them. How do you handle the problem?
 
The sights are more important than the target, you should see the front sight the most clearly, the rear blur a bit, the target can blur a good deal.

A knowledgeable optometrist can grind a master eye lens that will JUST focus on the front sight at the back side of its depth of field. That will cut the target blur to a minimum.

If you are working with drugstore reading glasses, try them with arm extended and maybe a pencil held to simulate the sight radius. Use the least magnification that will clear up the pencil point.
 
I am going through the same issue. I am going to try a Fiber optic front sight. I have on order a set of Dawson Precision sights. As long as I can form a correct sight picture it should work. www.brianenos.com has a lot on this issue. It seems that the older shooters are competing just fine with the target being clearer than the front sight.
 
Paul, your reading prescription won't work for shooting. Your ideal solution is to get prescription shooting glasses corrected for your mid range. That's determined by measuring the distance from your eye to the front sight of your handgun.

I wear progressive lenses and the mid range is built in, but the midrange part of my lens is awkward to find sometimes. I have to hold my head at an unnatural angle.

I need dedicated shooting glasses.
 
What type of shooting are you doing?(rifle, pistol). I shoot Highpower matches and I went with the goofy looking glasses from Bjonessights and I love them.

http://www.bjonessights.com/

If you want to know every thing there is to know about shooting vision go to the www.nationalmatch.us website and search for posts by a user names shootingsight he has posted more info than anyone could ever read through.

Good luck,

Jim
 
Stinks to get old...

Shortly after going with progressive (fancy name for bi-focal) lenses I noticed a real drop-off in my accuracy with a favorite pistol. One day I realized that I was constantly in tension with trying to focus on the front sight while still using the shooting stance I have been using for 30 years...

I went to my eye dr. and asked him to make a pair of shooting glasses that have medium distance in the dominant eye and far distance in the other.

A little weird when I first put them on but the improvement was immediate!

Warning - remember to change back to your regular glasses before trying to drive home!
 
My dad used to use mid range glasses and kept long range in the car while hunting so I figure the mid range should be right for the shooting thats what my dad did.
 
Tried to read fine print without the glasses, yet?:banghead:

I manage without scripts on my face at the range so far, and my yellow range 'eyes' have a generic bi-focal aid across the bottom.
 
I recently had cataract surgury, implants and an Astigamtism correction.
I still need glasses for reading but my shooting eyes are great once again.
An appointment with an Optimologist would be a good isea.
 
I found that a very light magnification reading glass works very well for me. For rifle and pistol shooting...fixed sights or scope, a 1.00 magnification not only clears up the sight picture, but improves my vision clarity well beyong the range that I shoot targets or game at.......for normal reading or distances within arms reach I wear anywhere form a 2.00 to a 3.25 depending on the intracacy of what I am doing. Normally for driving etc, I dont wear glasses....and yes, getting old sucks!!!
 
I also use some 1.00 power reading glasses for shooting pistols. It helps me see the sights pretty well while not blurring the target to badly, as long as it is not way off. It is a compromise, and not a perfect answer, but a necessary evil.

The other alternative is to go with red dot sights. I have those on several pistols. I hated the look and having to use them at first, but now I like them because they allow me to shoot up to my potential. Will I ever put a red dot on my almost new Model 19. H*** no. Did I buy a Trooper Mk III that had a site mount already put on it. H*** yes, and it shoots great. I still shoot my plain Trooper Mk III with the 1.00 power glasses, but I cannot shoot it as well.
 
There are two frames that I am very familiar with that will meet your requirements; Champion and Knobloch.

The Champion frame is pricey but is versatile. There are several attachments that will manage your focal point dead on. The Knobloch frame is not as pricey but will accomplish the same task. Our family has used both with great success.

Your optometrist will need to be very patient with you to determine the precise focal distance (from your aiming eye to the front sight). The enjoyment of being able to see the front sight clearly/sharply will be realized.
 
Matt Is right,I was using a light set of cheaters but didnt care fot it as my non dominate eye is ok up close and the combination was hard for me to adjust to.I went to an optometrist explained what I was trying to achieve and made an apt.She spent a hour with me and it worked out well.I can see the targets and my front sights,I can even where them walking around without getting see sick.If you get someone who trys to rush you find someone who will take the time.They even tinted mine for me,I had them done in safty glasses for under 150.00 apt. and all.Money well spent!
Bob.
 
Like maineshooter, I had a pair of 'shooting glasses' made up by my eye doc. My dominant eye focuses on the gun sights, my other eye sees the target. So far, it has worked quite well!
 
I have graduated bifocals, a large framed set of safety glasses, and I lift my head slightly untill my front sight sharpens up.
Click to expand...
That's OK for pistol shooting but for rifle it doesn't work well at all. You have to tilt your head up so much it is in such a bad position resulting in a bad cheekweld.
 
Ive had Cataract surgery in the right eye and the implant cleared the vision right up. I will need to get a small lens for glasses. I can still shoot on the left dominant eye. But will be having a converstation with the eye surgeon regarding distances from eyes to the rear sight/front sight of the shotgun, pistols.

I dont intend to get special glasses for shooting. I can almost see myself in a CHL draw situation telling bad guy to wait a second while I change glasses to SEE YOU better. As it stands I can fire on a human target 12 feet away without any lens.

Prior to cataract surgery I couldnt fire on anything worth a damn. Lucky to get 18 of 20 rounds onto a peice of paper 2 feet by 2 feet at 7 measly yards with no hope of a decent grouping.

Otherwise I cheat and use a laser emitter that places a dot onto the target. Sometimes I see two dots and a line but adjust and aim at the left dot.
 
I found that there was nothing wrong with my eyes. My arms were evidently getting shorter.

Actually I wear contact lenses and the doc set me up with the bi-focal prescription. Left eye for short range and right eye for long range. The brain takes care of the mismatch. That didn't work for pistol shooting. Fortunately my eyes are fairly equal and he was able to make me a set that reversed the features.
 
On the matter of surgery

Nothing wrong with surgery, but only if it's the best choice for you right now.

Never consult us guys on this forum for surgery advice. We're not doctors.

Only you and your doctor can screen you for surgery.

Depending upon your eyes, your activities, your job, and your way of life, it may be right or wrong.

Most folks need reading glasses at mid-age due to presbyopia, which very often continues to worsen throughout one's middle years. If you correct it with surgery now, you may need to correct again and again and again as your eyes continue to change. Only you and your doctor are in position to make that determination.
 
Paul,
While getting older is difficult, it is still better than the alternative. For target rifle shooting, I like others, have had success with a single lens frame. For pistols, I use standard large lens frames. Talk to your eye doctor about bringing your firearm to the office. That way they can try different combinations of lenses to find the right one. Mine is fine with that, although I tend to schedule either very early or late appointments. The key is finding a combo that works for the front sight without losing target recognition. My shooting glasses are different from my daily use distance/bifocal correction. Having spent most of my shooting life right handed, left eye dominant has adjusted me to compromise. Be patient, it may take a couple of trys to get it working. Howard
 
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