OK to shoot with eye glasses?

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Mastrogiacomo

Mastrogiacomo

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I have a shooting session coming up for a job I'm trying to get. It's an 8-4 session. I "must" qualify although I'm getting the impression candidates can bring their own firearm for this -- but this hasn't been confirmed. Assuming it's true and I can use my 9mm Beretta -- I'm near sighted, left eye dominant and right handed...is it alright to keep my regular glasses on when shooting? The last eye doctor said he was surpised I didn't "because it would help" and besides, eyeglasses are made of plastic not glass. Obviously, if I had time to get Oakley in prescription for shooting I would but no time. I won't even have the custom fitted ear plugs I'm waiting on so I guess it's those foam plugs for now with muffs...

My gun club doesn't let us shoot closer than 50 ft. which I find excessive. I don't know what the distance they'll be using at this training range, but just to cover myself I don't want to miss because I was squinting to see the target. I'm not Clint Eastward -- or even Gena Rowlands...advice?

Laura
 
I always shoot with my eyeglasses on. Don't know how your vision is, but I would try to practice and/or qualify the same way I would work if I were in your shoes.

BTW, I always wear either glasses or contacts, so YMMV.

Also, there is an advantage to wearing the plastic protective shooting glasses over the regular vision glasses. The sides of your eyes are not protected with regular vision glasses and it is possible for either flying brass or burning powder from another shooter to get you from the side :uhoh: .
 
I bought a pair of "Fitovers" from Cabelas (Link )

Nice yellow color, they work great and are comfortable.

These should fit over all but the biggest glasses. Mine are 52/20 which are pretty big anyhow (big face!)

Don't see why anyone who would want you to carry a gun for a job would want you shooting without your glasses if you needed them . . . . is this a joke?

Also don't see how any range would allow you to shoot without hearing and eye protection so you'd be wearing something anyhow . . .
 
I used to shoot with just my eyeglasses and they worked pretty well. They deflected quite a few spent cases. But then I wised up and asked myself if it was such a good idea to be using $100+ dollar glasses to deflect hot pieces of flying brass. From then on I either didn't wear them (my eye sight is good enough to see the target out to 20 yards) or I wore protective shooters glasses over them.

Side note. The range I go to allows regular eyeglasses in place of the standard eye protection.
 
I may have to wing it until I can get some Oakleys. I won't have time to get this for a while yet as money is very tight -- and even if I could afford it, no time. Hopefully, if I get this job glasses are among one of many things I can afford. Not sure what the training range allows with regard to eye protection -- guess I'll find out the hard way....
 
I always shoot with my prescription glasses, since I'm quite nearsighted. I don't have a separate set of shooting glasses. Actually, the idea never occured to me.

My glasses have shatterproof plastic lenses, FWIW.
 
I always shoot with my prescription glasses on.

Made sure when I ordered them I got the polycarbonate lenses.

Im in the same boat. Left eye dominant, right handed. Just learned to shoot left handed is all.
 
You guys had better be behind some serious cover if you make me shoot without my glasses. Just have someone there to point me in the general direction of the target :D .

Greg
 
Ask your optometrist..................

or whomever actually makes your glasses about making sure your glasses can be used for shooting. I don't mean the prescription but treating the lenses so that they will provide protrection and also not get scratched. My personal optometrist is also a shooter and so I have always told him to just "take care of it" whenver I get new glasses. So, my everyday glasses are also my shooting glasses. Good shooting;)
 
I have a pair of prescription glasses just for shooting. They have inexpensive frames and very large polycarbonate lenses so I'm not looking over the top of the frame when I'm shooting my compound bow or an iron sighted rifle from a prone position.

My wife calls them my 'geek glasses' and hates them, but I will not shoot without them- they saved my eyesight once already.;)
 
Safety goggles with the elastic strap will go on right over your eyeglasses and can be had for less than 10 bucks. I'd definitely recommend wearing your glasses while shooting.
 
I got polycarbonate lenses when I ordered my glasses specifically so I could shoot with them. They work great, though I can understand wanting to get fit-overs if your prescription glasses don't have the greatest coverage. :)
 
Eyeglasses

What Beetle Bailey said. Practice with what you will have on when you NEED the gun.

Your eye doctor was right. Unless you are only slightly near-sighted (about a diopter or so's worth), or in your 40's or 50's, you will see best for shooting with your glasses on. When you get old and can't focus close any more, a lower segment for bifocals for shooting should be probably +1.25, or maybe +1.00 if you're not very old yet.

Good luck with the job!

520
 
Mastrogiacomo, do you pay for your glasses out of pocket or does your health insurance cover them? You can get Z87.1 prescription glasses with the side sheilds, if your insurance will cover part of the cost they might be worth looking into.

I'll probably get a set when I get around to having my eyes checked, however safety glasses are required where I work. If you just need a set for shooting they might not be worth it. Just a thought.
 
My job requires safety glasses and pays for my prescription safety glasses. I lucked out on both counts, free street glasses and safety/shooting glasses.
Safety lens have a different treatment than a regular poly lens. The main point is they are made to be shatterproof under heavier pressures.
 
Zach -- my health carrier covers nothing -- eyes or dental -- just the very basic medical care. If I get this new job, I'll be looking at better health coverage within two months of working there.

I don't know how to define my vision but the eye doctor said there wasn't any reason why I couldn't shoot with them on. Maybe I'll do that just for the day and plan to get the prescription Oakleys as soon as possible.
 
What are you looking at the target for anyway? :scrutiny: You're supposed to be looking at the front sight. Just put that fuzz ball or fuzz sihouette around your front sight--the center of mass thing. ;)

I always wear prescription polycarbonate aviator glasses with computer distance focus so I can see the front sight. Can't see the holes in the target even at 7 yds and at 15 yds a bullseye is fuzzy.
 
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Of course I wear my (plastic lens) glasses! Without them I couldn't see the gun, let alone the sights.

Put on your glasses. Pick up your Beretta (or whatever). Face a blank wall and see if you can focus on your front sight. While the wall , or anything on it, may be a blur the sights on your pistol should be in sharp focus. If so, you are good to go.

Can't get to the range? O.K., dry fire - - after being absolutely sure the pistol is unloaded. Put up a blank piece of paper on the wall. Take a stance, point the gun, pick up a sight picture with you focus on the sights, and hold on the piece of paper while pulling the trigger. Keep your attention on sight alignment and keep your focus on the sights while you pull the trigger.

Doing these thing will make you a better shot in a very short time, and cost you nothing. Have at it.
 
Mastrogiacomo:

Stay cool. You have some heavy hitters behing you here, and they're all pulling for you on this. Your Beretta is good for hits on a silhouette target out to 100 yards and beyond - but nobody's going to ask you to do that. The only thing that will keep you from qualifying is if you get flustered. There are a number of ways to solve the eyeglasses thing that aren't expensive. You can do this because WE will do it together.

They don't call us "The High Road" for nothing.
 
You guys had better be behind some serious cover if you make me shoot without my glasses. Just have someone there to point me in the general direction of the target
Click to expand...

Same with me. I'm so nearsighted I can't even see the front site without my glasses on.

BTW, have any other folks that are near sighted tried shooting when you don't have your glasses on & can't see? When I tried it I did my best shooting (all shots within a 5†group at 7 yards) by putting the notch of the rear site where I want to hit.


I bought a pair of "Fitovers" from Cabelas
Click to expand...

I'm curious how well they work as I've tried many different types of shooting glass & they all have fogged up on me.
 
No one else has pointed it out, so I will. Prescription lenses MUST meet minimum standards for ballistic resistance. Maybe not as stout as polycarbonate lenses, but plenty useful enough, assuming they give adequate coverage. Shoot with your prescription, assuming they're not minimilist "granny glasses" or something.
 
I always wear eye glasses when shooting with out them every thing is fuzzie after 20 feet. I could never shoot 50 yds without them unless it was the size of a car.
 
I see a number of people saying their eyeglasses cover them as shooting glasses - not without side protection they don't. At least not at any range worried about their insurance.

Also, most saftey glasses fall under an ANSI spec and the lenses are usually stamped as such. I'm not sure that just being Polycarbonate is enough to meet the spec.

The fitovers I recommended above are $17 plus shipping . . . . not expensive and cover you flush to the face. Worth the money, confortable for me to wear all day. Yellow seems to cut down glare as well.

Good luck with the job!
 
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