Reading Glasses/Bifocals

[steve4102]

For those of you that need reading glasses or Bifocals, what do you ware for eye protection when shooting your handguns?

I need reading glasses and I have Bifocal shooting glasses. The upper part of my shooting glasses is just plain, no magnification or correction. When handgun shooting I can look the the top portion of my glasses and see the target, but not the sights, If I use the lower portion I can see the sights, but the target is pretty fuzzy. Not to mention the odd/uncomfortable head position needed to see through the bottom of a pair of shooting glasses.

So, what do you all use for handgun shootin eye protection/magnification?

 

[svxapeal]

I don't wear Bifocals. But have you looked into getting dedicated shooting glasses. With one eye lens for close up and one for far away? I am not sure if it would work..but it seems like it would be easier than trying to do it all with head movement.

Caryn

 

[LightningMan]

Some folks I have talked to have said they talked to their eye doctor and the he/she will get the best perscription (lense correction) glasses for shooting with. (You may have to have seperate glasses for shooting). LM
PS. Be sure to tell your eye specialist that you need to be able to see your sights of your gun. I know of one person that couldn't see their rifle sights and the Doctor told them to bring in the gun so he could measure the distance from their eye to the front sight.

 

[Jim Watson]

I wear shooting glasses with the right (master eye) lens ground to focus on the front sight. Approximately a trifocal intermediate prescription. Clear sights are more important than a fuzzy target. This will increase the cost of your shooting but will improve your accuracy and enjoyment.

 

[Claude Clay]

bi-focals and they are polycarbonate lenses. i shot with my last pair so that my newer don't get scratched by the vicious 9mm cases.

 

[svtruth]

Duluth

makes safety glasses with a magnifying part.
At the hardware store, I have seen little stick on magnifiers for safety glasses.
Good luck.

 

[JimmyN]

I use the OPTIX stick on lenses. They are a soft vinyl like plastic, which you wet then stick on the lens and they stay. I've never had one fall off.

They are a half circle shape and available in different strengths. I use a 1.25 on the right lens of my shooting glasses (dominant eye). But instead of putting it at the bottom like normal, which forces me to tilt my head back, I put it on the inside edge. Looking straight ahead it's not in my line of vision, but if I turn my head just slightly to the right I am looking through the lens so my front sight is in focus. Sort of like a sideways bifocal lens. You can trim them with scissors to get the exact size you want.

 

[oldtexan]

I wear bifocals and shoot with them. The sights on a handgun are fuzzy, but I see well enough to hit where I want. If I tilt my head back at an unnatural unbalanced position, then the sights come into sharp focus. That's a no-go.

I don't want specialized shooting glasses because I don't expect to be wearing them when I have to use a gun to defend myself. I expect to be wearing my normal glasses so that's what I wear while training.

Now that I think about it, I should do some training without my glasses.

You'll fight like you trained. So train how you want to fight.

 

[hso]

I wear bifocals and I had a dedicated pair of prescription safety glasses made for shooting that has the front sight in focus. The target is a bit fuzzy, but then it's going to be anyway if you're focused on your front sight.

I just change glasses from my standard bifocals to the shooting prescription glasses.

 

[rbernie]

Rather than use bifocals, I have my glasses set up for mono-vision.

I have the right lens set up for distance work, with clear focus starting at about 18". The left lens is set up for close up work, and it loses focus at about 18".

This allows to have a single pair of corrective glasses that I can use for shooting any time, since I always wear them. This also helps deal with my left eye dominance - since my brain always picks image from the eye with the best clarity, I no longer have to deal with my left eye being dominant and yet me shooting right handed.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

But have you looked into getting dedicated shooting glasses. With one eye lens for close up and one for far away? I am not sure if it would work..

As I got older, I became far sighted in my right (master) eye and near sighted in my left eye. I retrained myself -- simply cocking the head to see the sights with the left eye.

With practice, I re-learned how to shoot with both eyes open, the left eye seeing the sights crystal-clear and the right eye seeing the target the same. The brain learned to superimpose the sights on the target, and I shoot better than ever.

 

[paradox998]

Here's a trick. Get a pair of reading glasses in the strength you need for easy reading. Take some electrical tape and cut a small circle out of it, about the size on the hole in notebook paper. Take a small punch and punch a hole in the center (put the tape on a piece of wood and just tap it). Put the tape on the glasses about where you look through to line up the sights. The small hole will act like a pinhole camera and everything will be in focus! You will see the rear sight, front sight, and the target.

 

[FiveFiveSixFan]

These do double duty. Great for shooting or the workshop.

http://www.aaaindustrialsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=74

 

[Isher]

I wear seamless trifocals, I'm astigmatic to say the least. They take some getting used to. However, pistol shooting and shotgun shooting is absolutely clear & bright, rifle shooting - iron sights - the rear sight is a tad fuzzy. On the other hand, I'm up for my yearly checkup, and I'm going to have the eye doc shorten up the focus range for the lower third of the trifocals.

isher

 

[rcmodel]

As long as the front sight is in focus, the rear sight & target doesn't matter.

You cannot possibly have all three in focus, even with perfect vision, and the front sight is the only thing that makes a huge difference in accuracy anyway.

rc

 

[Furncliff]

I am near sighted, and wear multi-focal no line glasses. Have always had problems with iron sights. Last eye exam I spoke to a new Optometrist who's husband happened to be a gamer. She knew exactly what I needed. It's like night and day.

 

[Just One Shot]

I have been practicing at the range without my glasses. If I'm ever caught in a situation that I don't have them on (in bed at night for example), I want to be able to handle it without first finding my glasses.

 

[camper1]

If I can't get my glasses on first, I'd better grab the shotgun!! Is there anything out there that replaces blurry white dots with something brighter. Fuzzy yes, but at least maybe I could see it.