Woes of the middle-aging... can't see the front sight clearly WITH my glasses on

WI doesn't have the same regs as UT. I do suggest not buying multifocals online. There is no accurate way to measure seg height online.

I had to get progressive bifocals that are for reading at the bottom, “computer screen distance” in the middle and for regular distance on top. These work great for shooting, as “computer screen distance” is perfect for a crisp front sight picture, but with a slight nod of my head I can see the target clearly.

Good luck with your search for a clear sight picture .

Stay safe.

entropy said:

According to UT regulations governing dispensing, however, they must be dispensed "by a person within or from the state and in the ordinary course of trade from a permanently located and established place of business" So it seems buying prescription eyeware off the internet is illegal in UT. (unless you have it shipped to a dispensing optical shop; kind of like doing an FFL transfer.)

Just sayin'.




Source:
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/...cription-Eyeglass-Regulations-2016-update.pdf

Click to expand...

Cannot dispute this law in UT since I have not lived there since 2014 and last time I purchased eyeglasses when living in Moab UT was in 2013. However, I lived there for almost six years, and in that time, received numerous pairs of prescription glasses shipped to me; to my home, from out of state. Prescription was written by a local optometrist; however, my gov't retiree insurance company allowed for me to send the prescription to an out of state company that produced the glasses and shipped via Fedex to my house.
Possibly, they violated the law, but they were purchased online and shipped from out of state.

Since moving to ID and having cataract surgery, no need for glasses anymore.

Dibbs said:

Aside from seeing a competent optometrist, you can paint your front and rear sights, for contrast. Prime them, with
White Out, or white nail polish, then, use any number of bright colors, different, at front, and rear.

I prefer red at the front,
and green, at the rear right position.

Click to expand...

That can help. But it doesn't stop the slow decline many have.

My eyes are 20/20 and 20/25 due to LASIK but that's not what matters for near focus as we age.

For about 5 years I had shooting glasses (Decot HyWyd) that were regular distance corrected on the left eye and set for seeing the front sight on my right shooting eye; I had to change lenses each year. In this time period I was able to see the front sight and the standard service rifle targets at 200 yards very well. Then, as my eyes aged, the power on the right lens had to be increased to the point where that target went from a nice compact fuzzy ball to something that I couldn't make out. I can still handle open sights with a handgun out to 50 yards or so, however as the distances aren't so great as the 200, 300 and 600 yards required for service rifle matches.

In the past year:

• I have used Miso sights which allow you to see near AND far simultaneously. With a Miso I can see the front sight and target about as well as I ever could and they're truly remarkable.
• I have also gone to optics both red dot and scope.

All have worked well for me.

At my last visit to the ophthalmologist I was told I'm starting a small cataract in my right eye. One day, like many of us, I may need surgery. There is a newly approved lens, called an Extended Depth of Focus lens that can be implanted that will act like the MIso allowing you to see near AND far simultaneously. REF: https://eyewiki.aao.org/Extended_Depth_of_Focus_IOLs

Your time will (probably) come.

In my opinion, red dots are why more than just a craze or just for commandos. I'm able to pick up the gun and hit cards out to 20yds without my prescription glasses.

I do ok (not good and never was) with my progressive bifocals and my handgun at short range. A while back I tried my old single shot 22 rifle with sad and less than satisfactory results. I shoot a scope without my glasses. I really want a spotting scope.

Vern56 said:

In my opinion, red dots are why more than just a craze or just for commandos. I'm able to pick up the gun and hit cards out to 20yds without my prescription glasses.

Click to expand...

YEP!
My hits went way up when I started using a red dot. My home defense pistol now has a red dot and a laser. Red dots can be tricky to learn - sometimes that dot just doesn't appear unless you're positioned just right; hence the laser. But we're talking what...5-7 yards in a home defense situation? I could probably handle open sights at that range LOL.

There's a FRONT SIGHT on those things?!!

I wear line-less bifocals all of the time, but thanks to laser eye surgery a few years back, I no longer need any correction at all in the upper lenses, and only a little in the lower lenses for reading. It's worked out great for me when it comes to shooting. I no longer struggle with not being able to see long distance (like when hunting) without my glasses, and not being able to see my front sight, or even through a scope with my glasses. Nowadays, I claim "I just wear my glasses for the eye protection." But the truth is, after 30 years of wearing glasses all of the time, I just kinda got used to it. Besides, I detest having to look for a pair of reading glasses every time I want to read something, and my regular glasses actually do afford me a little eye protection - not as much as my impact resistant safety glasses with side-shields do, but a little.

Riomouse911 said:

I had to get progressive bifocals that are for reading at the bottom, “computer screen distance” in the middle and for regular distance on top. These work great for shooting, as “computer screen distance” is perfect for a crisp front sight picture, but with a slight nod of my head I can see the target clearly.

Good luck with your search for a clear sight picture .

Stay safe.

Click to expand...

For years, I used 'computer distance' glasses I'd bought (using my then-current prescription) off the internet (gasp!), and they worked very well for handguns. I've since gotten to where no correction is actually better for seeing the front sight, and I just randomly shoot off into the distance, since I can't see anything way out there anyway...
(That's joking; but I do struggle to see small targets well enough to shoot accurately with this method.)

Larry

If you like Merit Optical you can create the same by drilling a 1/16" hole is a piece of electrical tape. The trick with both Merit and my creation is to find where it should go on your glasses. It ends up higher and closer to the nose bridge than you think.
I have asked my optician to increase the magnification of my reading part of my bi-focal which helps a lot in pistol shooting. Most people don't really know how far away they hold a book when they read. I also asked him to shift the distance portion higher and to the inside to help me in trap shooting. And it did help. He shoots 9mm and understood what I wanted. I told him when the zombies attack, I would protect him.

1KPerDay said:

I wonder what's in it for them? I mean, I see the point of making sure prescription eyewear is sold by people who know what they're doing. but if I have a legit exam/prescription from a local ophthalmologist, why should my state care where I purchase? Is it some kind of state kickback racket?

Click to expand...

The state optical lobbying group likely pushed through that law to “protect” local opticians.

I am nearsighted as well; went from 20/15 as a kid to 20/350 and 20/450 so even the E on the chart is a blur. My scrip allows me to see the target clear while my sight is a blur in my peripheral - and I like it that way. Tried taking glasses off so sight was crisp and target blurry and shot groups from handguns tripled or better in size; focus on the target and groups went back to being small. Lot of years shooting shotung where your focus is NOT on your sight but on the target works well for me.

drband said:

The state optical lobbying group likely pushed through that law to “protect” local opticians.

Click to expand...

How would they know if you went to Zenni? I get mine there and they are a LOT less than the $500 frames the optician wants to sell you.

BigSteve57 said:

At my last visit to the ophthalmologist I was told I'm starting a small cataract in my right eye. One day, like many of us, I may need surgery. There is a newly approved lens, called an Extended Depth of Focus lens that can be implanted that will act like the MIso allowing you to see near AND far simultaneously. REF: https://eyewiki.aao.org/Extended_Depth_of_Focus_IOLs

Click to expand...

Delay, if you can without too much loss of function. There's a new generation of accomodative IOLs in the pipeline that will make everything currently on the market obsolete.

Mike OTDP said:

Delay, if you can without too much loss of function. There's a new generation of accomodative IOLs in the pipeline that will make everything currently on the market obsolete.

Click to expand...

Good to know. Thanks!

entropy said:

the glasses were undercorrecting them, becoming in effect intermediate range glasses. (AKA computer glasses) The front sight is at about the same distance a computer screen is usually viewed at.

Click to expand...

I've been in progressive bifocals for many years. As my prescription changed every year or two. It was becoming harder to focus on the front sight.

Ive had a set of computer glasses for a few years now and had the exact same thought pop into my head.. (distance)

They work perfect for pistol ranges.

Like some others responding to this post I have glasses made up with a progressive bifocal in the right eye and my normal "see long distance" lense in the left eye position. Tilting my head a little brings the sights into focus with my right eye and the left eye sees the target and my poor old brain puts the images together. Works pretty well but my ultmate solution was a red dot holo sight! I cannot shoot 3" 50yard groups with ANY iron sights on a handgun but I CAN with a holo sight! I deer hunt with an semi-auto handgun and I will never go back to just plain open sights on a hunting handgun...

1KPerDay said:

I don't have terrible vision; around -0.25 in one eye and -0.75 in the other, but I just got my prescription updated, which was at least 2 years old. I'd lost my previous pair of glasses so had been wearing my 3-year old ones for matches/target shooting, and they're fine. I can see the front sight clearly. At distance things become more blurry, but whaddayagonnado...

Anywho, I put my new prescription glasses on and went to the range, and.... what the heck? Why can't I see the front sight? Ah. Lifted my glasses up to my forehead, and lo and behold, the front sight is sharp again.

I used my old prescription glasses in the past couple matches, and I've tried shooting at the range using my new ones, with mixed results. If I have a bright FO front sight on a gun I can mostly hit the plates at 18 yards but the front sight is definitely not sharp.

I guess I'll just use my old glasses for matches until the frames break or the lenses get too scratched up. Maybe I'll order a pair of glasses using my older prescription specifically for shooting.

Like my dad used to say... getting old isn't for wimps.

I'm not even 50 yet. This sucks. LOL

Click to expand...

welcome to my world. i have always shot with a blurred front sight. in my videos you will notice i sometimes tilt my head up to check the alignment and then correlate that with the fuzzy front sight i see when i bring my head back down.

Laphroaig said:

Has anybody tried the Merit Optical Device?

http://www.meritcorporation.com/products.html

Looking thru the aperture sharpens the focus on the front site. I use one for open site target shooting and it helps.

Also good ideas about moving the optical center on your shooting glasses.

Click to expand...

i have one but stopped using it. when you tilt your head the diaphragm / pinhole moves out of alignment from the way you set it up. i think for bullseye type shooting it would work better. standing exactly the same way...just for plinking where you tend to move your head it doesn't work for me.

the diaphragm takes out the Errors of Refraction(EOR),of course, allowing you to see the front sight better albeit dimmer.

1KPerDay said:

Well I gotta figure something out for bench/groups shooting. I tried to evaluate some .38 specials today and I can either see the target sharp with my new specs on or I can see the front sight height/light with my specs off, but then the target is so blurry I can’t be confident I’m shooting the same POA every time.
This sucks.
For dynamic shooting, plates, etc I’m still effective enough as long as the pistol has a bright front sight. The HD type works best. But for fine sight work/groups I’m SOL.

I feel like this all happened at once LOL

Click to expand...

What you stated is EXACTLY my issue and why I went with the sight as a blur and a sharp focus on the target. What good is a sharp in focus front sight if you can't see the intended target? And think of an encounter where you might need to use the gun for SD. Odds are you'll have those glasses on, right? Might as well learn to shoot with them on

George P said:

What you stated is EXACTLY my issue and why I went with the sight as a blur and a sharp focus on the target. What good is a sharp in focus front sight if you can't see the intended target? And think of an encounter where you might need to use the gun for SD. Odds are you'll have those glasses on, right? Might as well learn to shoot with them on

Click to expand...

same here. i was able to get some clip on diopter reading glasses that brought the front sight in crisp focus and the target was really blurred. it just gave me a headache and I shot worse.