Contacts or Glasses for Shooting

[Jessesky]

Hi Guys,

My Vision for the most part is fine, I shoot without glasses often. I have mild astigmatism in my right (dominant) eye. My left eye has perfect vision.

It becomes very apparent when I use a scope since it is relying on my right eye alone. I can still shoot quite well, but the reticle is a bit hazy and blurred. When I shoulder left handed and use my left eye (which feels very awkward) the scope reticle is crisp and perfect. I can definitely see how clearer vision would help (duh).

The big problem is the glasses rim gets in my line of sight when I take a cheek weld. This doesn’t happen with my skeet or sporting clays glasses because the lens is so big and rimless. But of course the skeet glasses aren’t prescription and I don’t know if they make Rx lenses that big. I am thinking of getting contacts or finding the perfect set of glasses.

What are your experiences with contacts and/or glasses. Do you have any recommendations for pairs of glasses frames?

 

[troy fairweather]

Either way you need glasses, a nice custom pair would be nice but your face and eyes change. I seen to us my old tasco glasses there big and dated but after a few seconds i can't feel or see them.

 

[cjwils]

Don't know where you shoot, but most commercial ranges these days require glasses. You might as well use prescription lenses instead of cheap safety glasses.

 

[TimRB]

Two things: One, if you end up with glasses, I recommend Decot. They can make a pair that will fit you in any color or prescription. Two, my experience with scopes is limited, but the ones I have used have an adjustment for reticle focus.

Tim

 

[hps1]

Hi Guys,

My Vision for the most part is fine, I shoot without glasses often. I have mild astigmatism in my right (dominant) eye. My left eye has perfect vision.

It becomes very apparent when I use a scope since it is relying on my right eye alone. I can still shoot quite well, but the reticle is a bit hazy and blurred. When I shoulder left handed and use my left eye (which feels very awkward) the scope reticle is crisp and perfect. I can definitely see how clearer vision would help (duh).

The big problem is the glasses rim gets in my line of sight when I take a cheek weld. This doesn’t happen with my skeet or sporting clays glasses because the lens is so big and rimless. But of course the skeet glasses are n it prescription and I don’t know if they make Rx lenses that big. I am thinking of getting contacts or finding the perfect set of glasses.

What are your experiences with contacts and/or glasses. Do you have any recommendations for pairs of glasses frames?

A good optician should be able to fit lenses to your frames....the blank lenses they use are 2" or more in diameter and they grind them to fit the frames.
I've used the old style Rayban shooting glasses for years for both iron sights and scopes. . https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RA...676781?hash=item59373a9a2d:g:0rsAAOSwQaBdg~Kp If you are seeing your frames, either your frames are too small or the rifle does not fit you properly and you need to raise or lower the comb on your rifle to achieve proper cheek weld.

Adjusting the focus ring on ocular lens on your scope to your right eye should clear up the reticle if your prescription is right.

If you choose contacts, suggest shooting glasses as safety precaution as others have stated.

Regards,
hps

 

[Meeks36]

Safety glasses are a must! Just as important as ear protection. You only get 2 of each. A ricochet, burning powder, shaved lead, or a kaboom. And you can be blind in one or both eyes.

 

[entropy]

Hi Guys,

My Vision for the most part is fine, I shoot without glasses often. I have mild astigmatism in my right (dominant) eye. My left eye has perfect vision.

It becomes very apparent when I use a scope since it is relying on my right eye alone. I can still shoot quite well, but the reticle is a bit hazy and blurred. When I shoulder left handed and use my left eye (which feels very awkward) the scope reticle is crisp and perfect. I can definitely see how clearer vision would help (duh).

The big problem is the glasses rim gets in my line of sight when I take a cheek weld. This doesn’t happen with my skeet or sporting clays glasses because the lens is so big and rimless. But of course the skeet glasses are n it prescription and I don’t know if they make Rx lenses that big. I am thinking of getting contacts or finding the perfect set of glasses.

What are your experiences with contacts and/or glasses. Do you have any recommendations for pairs of glasses frames?

Yes, they make Rx clays shoooting glasses; Google Decot. Pilla and Randolph Engineering make them also. (PIllas are $$$, but supposedly the best.)

RE Rangers are excellent; If I didn't have compound myopia and astigmatism I'd have a pair of those with medium purple lenses for Trap.

If you have an optician fit them, make sure they put the Optical Center (OC) at least at the pupil height; higher than that is better for shooting long guns,(ideally, if you can bring a gun or action in to have the optician mark up the OC while you have it mounted, this gives the best vision for shooting) but this makes them uncomfortable for, and slightly out of focus for other activities.
I actually got my start as an optician fitting a guy who came in to the LensCrafters I worked in at the time with a Zeiss shotgunning frame. He wanted someone who shot to fit him. (I was a lab tech at the time, but shot Trap.)

 

[hps1]

Yep, it pays to make friends w/a good optician.
I made arrangements and took my XTC match rifle in and had him make me one ea. +.25, +|50 and +.75 lenses (not sure decimals in right place ) to fit in my rear sight. Made all the difference in the world sharpening up front sight.
Regards,
hps

 

[Spats McGee]

I'm right-eye dominant with mild astigmatism in my left eye. I'm also 50, with 50-year-old eyes. I see a little better (generally) with glasses, but I prefer contacts. There's not enough of a difference in my vision for the glasses to make any real difference in my shooting, and it's not like I'm shooting for bullseyes on the umpteen-hundred-yard range. The astigmatism prevents me from using daily wear contacts, because I have to have a Toric lens for my left eye and of course, the Toric lens makes contacts a little more expensive. That said, my eyes are also pretty light-sensitive, so I wear sunglasses a lot. I've tried the "Transitions" lenses, but they don't work very well. Contacts allow me to wear real sunglasses.

 

[hso]

make Rx lenses that big.

Yep, even in shooting glasses.

https://www.randolphusa.com/re-ranger/frames/

 

[ATLDave]

I learned to wear contacts a few years ago precisely so I could use them for shooting while using whatever shooting glasses I wanted.

I'm nearsighted, and I find contacts fatiguing for office work, but for the range - USPSA pistol, skeet, long-range rifle, anything - I much prefer them to my regular eyeglasses. They make the least difference for static handgun iron-sighted shooting, so I don't always put them in if I'm just going to the closest range to function test a pistol, but if I care about performance, it's contacts all the way for me.

And it is much, much cheaper to buy contacts and non-prescription high-quality shooting glasses than to get Rx shooting glasses made. Much cheaper. That was also a factor.

 

[jmr40]

It depends on how far off your right eye is. I have a similar problem. My right eye, the dominate one, is slightly less than 20/20. My left eye is 20/20. But as long as I have both eyes open my brain doesn't seem to use the out of focus image for the right eye and I still see fine, at least at distance. I'm 61,and have needed readers for some time to see things within arms reach. Beyond 3' or so I'm fine.

With binoculars I can adjust both eye pieces separately and see fine. With MOST scopes I can focus the scope enough to see perfectly through the scope. But if anyone else picks up my binoculars or scoped rifles the image is blurred. I cannot get all scopes to focus for me though. I struggle with iron sights anymore. Especially with rifles. I can shoot handguns well enough.

My eye doc says he can write me a prescription for glasses but he is about 50/50 on whether or not I need them. He left it up to me and so far I'm not using them, but I've been considering having a pair made just to try and see if it helps.

 

[dogguira]

Wiley x and Oakley are safe to shoot in and can have prescriptions in them. Randolph Engineering is good that is what I am using now.

 

[gunlaw]

I’m nearsighted and have the problems with my vision that comes with being over 50. I wear my contacts for vision a good quality eye protection.