Shooting without prescription glasses

[bushmaster1313]

I am fortunate to be in my mid fifties and still have very good far vision.

With a revolver and no glasses I can hit a pie plate at 100 yards.

However, that's only because both sights are far enough away with my arms outstreched.

I cannot focus on the rear sight of a rifle without the lower part of my bifocals, and when looking through that lower part I cannot see the target.

 

[beatledog7]

I have prescription bifocals, but the distance portion is ground to zero correction for my left and almost zero correction for my right (dominant) eye. The purpose of wearing them is so I can see both up close (for which I also use OTC 1.25 or 1.5 reading glasses) and far away (for which I'm 20/15 - 20/20 with no correction) without the need to put on or take off my glasses. (I also wear them to drive at night in the rain, though my license doesn't say I have to.)

I have never tried wearing them to shoot. So far, the front sight is far enough away to allow my eye to focus on it without correction. My arms keep getting shorter though, and there are times when I'm at the range and I'd like to be able to read something that I can't. I ought to put a set of readers in my range bag.

 

[2nd 41]

Good thread. If I have to act in the middle of the night I would need a Time Out (J/K) until my glasses were on. I do have them close to me on the night stand.

 

[highlander 5]

Had cataract surgery at 5,detached retina in my late 40s and in my 5os had surgery done to repair the damage done by the cataract surgery,I'm 62 now. I wear glasses for distance and reading and frankly have never tried or would attempt to shoot without my glasses on.

 

[springer99]

IMHO, the combination of low light along with aged eyes is a perfect application for lazers on my HD hardware. With or without my glasses on. As an aside, you might be surprised at how well you can shoot outdoors using a reddot, even without prescription glasses. Without the need to focus on multiple focal points, sighting is just alot simpler.

 

[Tinpig]

With regular glasses I can see the target but not the front sight. With reading glasses I can see the sights but not the target. With no glasses I can't find my rifle.

Getting old sucks.


Tinpig

 

[bushmaster1313]

This makes me think of the funniest part of the oral argument in Heller:

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So how long does it
9 take? If your interpretation is correct, how long does
it take to remove the trigger lock and make the gun
11 operable.
12 MR. DELLINGER: You -- you place a trigger
13 lock on and it has -- the version I have, a few -- you
14 can buy them at 17th Street Hardware -- has a code, like
a three-digit code. You turn to the code and you pull
16 it apart. That's all it takes. Even -- it took me 3
17 seconds.
18 JUSTICE SCALIA: You turn on, you turn on
19 the lamp next to your bed so you can -- you can turn the
knob at 3-22-95, and so somebody --
21 MR. DELLINGER: Well --
22 CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Is it like that? Is
23 it a numerical code?
24 MR. DELLINGER: Yes, you can have one with a
numerical code.

Official - Subject to Final Review
1 CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So then you turn on
2 the lamp, you pick up your reading glasses --
3 (Laughter.)

 

[Texan Scott]

At indoor distances, I see well enough to aim for center mass.

 

[thefamcnaj]

This thread got me wondering... How much legal trouble you would be in if you shot someone without ur glasses on if your required to wear glasses to see...

That's a great question I've never thought of that. I'm required to wear glasses when operating a vehicle. If I cause a wreck or damage someones property and I didn't have my glasses on I'm assuming I would be in more trouble than If I wreck with them on, because that's one of the restrictions on the back of my license.
I'm sure a DA would bring up the fact you weren't wearing your glasses, if you were in a self defense situation, and shot your fire arm. Especially if you: miss, damage something, or if anything didn't go right.
As to the op I've never trained without my glasses. Its such a daily habit to wear them all day every day. At work my safety glasses have my script in them, and those are also my range glasses. I've never even thought about it until I started reading this thread to be honest.
I'm right eye dominant and thus use it to aim/shoot with. Its pretty good without my glasses so long as I keep my left eye closed. Which there again I close my left eye when I shoot. Its a lot to think about and consider from a defensive situation as well as a legal situation.
My glasses are the first thing I reach for any time I get out of bed be it a bump in the night or just going to the fridge.

 

[RJTravel]

For years I tried to become good with a handgun - to no avail. I began divesting myself of all handguns since I just could not shoot them well. One day I didn't have my regular glasses and shot without them - and did really well. I am slightly nearsighted and when I found that the front sight was incredibly in focus without my glasses my markmanship went up several levels.

 

[BlindJustice]

Ok, I've revealed this before, and somewhat explains my user-id.

I'm legally blind even with prescriptionn glasses. I do where them for
safety firing handguns at my indoor range. Range, about 5-7 yards maximu,, but I can keep most of thd shots in a 10" black tarrget 22/ 38 Special/357 Mag / 9mm & 45 ACP. It's frustrating at times but I enjoy it for the most part. Shot the the dang overhead trolley once.

Randall

 

[VA27]

Yes, I do. I also encourage others to do so. I'm not talking a hundred or even fiify yards, I'm talking inside the house distances. It's an important confidence builder.

 

[Cosmoline]

How much legal trouble you would be in if you shot someone without ur glasses on if your required to wear glasses to see..

If you shoot the wrong person or miss the target and hit a bystander it could certainly be an issue.

 

[Texan Scott]

The big difference between driving a truck illegally without required glasses and shooting a violent intruder in your home is this: INTENT.

When you get into the truck without your glasses, you are KNOWINGLY and WILLFULLY breaking the law. Any damage you do after that point is willful and criminal negligence on your part; you MEANT to drive while legally blind.

When you take off your glasses and go to bed at night, you do not ever do so in the full awareness that at or about 0300 hrs, you will be awakening to see a narcopsychotic felon with a knife standing in your bedroom doorway. You didn't go to bed INTENDING to shoot someone without your glasses.

 

[Warp]

I do not.

I can't even begin to use the sites on a handgun without correction. Point shooting it is.

My AR with iron sites and the big, close range rear site up is the best thing I've found for uncorrected shooting. I don't usually run irons though.

 

[420Stainless]

I am near sighted and must remove my glasses to see the sights on a handgun in focus - so I always shoot with just safety glasses. Can't shoot open iron sights on a rifle well at all. The rear sight is fuzzy with glasses and the front sight is fuzzy without:banghead:. Still seem to do pretty well with a peep.

Fortunately, although my far vision is fuzzy, it is not so bad that I can't distiguish and center on a target.

 

[beatledog7]

The rear sight is supposed to appear fuzzy.

 

[RJTravel]

Without glasses the sights are in clear focus, however the target is a bit fuzzy. Once I was moose hunting and shot a moose. A nearby farmer got really, really mad and insisted I shot his cow. My far vision may be a little fuzzy but I could prove that it was a moose. He asked how. Easy - only a moose would moo.

 

[420Stainless]

The rear sight is supposed to appear fuzzy.

True, but when its so fuzzy you can't tell if the front sight is centered or level with the top of the notch it doesn't work too well, at least not for me.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

Glasses are probably the single most frusrtating part of my shooting experience, I shoot scoped hunting rifles exclusively.

I needed to get reading glasses then within 6 months my distance vision went. Currently I wear multifocals which is OK for general use but with shooting no can do.

When on a hunt the multifocals are great but when addressing target the position of my eyes > glasses > scope does not work. The position of the glasses on my face is such that my eye looks through the portion of the lens that focusses far, but the scope is only 4" inches away.

I am considering having a pair of glasses made with my normal long distance prescription in both lenses but by having a "bifocal" portion at the top of the right lens so my right eye can focus through it on the scope. This will pretty much leave me snookered for reading but this would not be required out on the hunt. I would also have to check how this will affect my use of a rangefinder.

Any suggestions?

 

[xfyrfiter]

I also shoot only scoped rifles other than my AR, and I focus my crosshairs and AO so that I can shoot without glasses. When I was a much younger man I had 20/10 in both eyes, at 25 yo it had deteriorated to 20/15, and then was 20/20 for a quite a few years, now I am looking at trifocals, it sucks getting old.

 

[GreyCoupe]

I'm lucky; -1.75 in my dominant eye, -1.5 in the other. I can almost pass my driver's test without them. In fact, when shooting at the 5 and 7 yard ranges, I peek over my glasses to keep the front sight sharp, and let the bull's eye blur behind it.

 

[Fotno]

I'm blind without them. 20/600 in my dominant eye.

Glasses -> Gun.

There's an order to what I reach for when things go bump in the night and the dogs get riled up.

My eyes are so bad (-7 diopters in my best eye), I would never even try to use a firearm without glasses. I'd be afraid of making a mistake in target identification.

These two posts mirror both my nearsightedness, and my approach to shooting without my glasses. In other words, at other than bad breath distances I wouldn't think of it.

 

[Big Lew in NC]

Glasses

I used to shoot the IHMSA game well at age 30. I could ven hit the 500 meter targets. Now at 50 I have tri-focals. I recommend you practice with regular safety glasses that have no prescription and get used to it so you can defend yourself and your home. There are special glass that can be ordered when you are competing. Just practice a lot with regular safety glasses and you'll do fine.

 

[22-rimfire]

This thread got me wondering... How much legal trouble you would be in if you shot someone without ur glasses on if your required to wear glasses to see...

Didn't know there was a requirement to be able to see to exercise a right.