Author Topic: Glasses vs. contacts (Read 589 times)

volshooter · « **on:** June 17, 2005, 01:25:22 PM »

As an old cat I find that I cannot hit running rats with my pistol (shot shells) wearing my glasses as well as wearing contacts. Is any one else having trouble quick shooting with glasses?
Rivk

Castaway · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2005, 01:38:53 PM »

Happened to me a few years ago. I'm wearing bifocal contacts now and prefer them over my glasses. Not nearly as well as when I didn't need glasses, but a compromise I can live with. Biggest problem with the contacts for me is shooting an aperture sight at a target. The bull is blurry and "cat -eyed" with the top and bottom okay, but the sides blurry. Like I said, I can live with it and prefer the contacts to glasses when outside.

Special Ed · « **Reply #2 on:** June 20, 2005, 02:11:03 AM »

My glasses are rather thick & make straight things have a bow in them if you are not looking exactly thru the center of the lens.
I don't have any problems other than my shooting ability when wearing my contacts.

unspellable · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2005, 02:48:53 AM »

Special Ed,

You need to think about the base curve on your glasses. The base curve is the curvature on the front side of the lense. The blanks are sold with the base curve already on them and the precription is ground on the back side. Otometrists usually do not include the base curve as part of the prescription. The optician looks at the prescription and then chooses a base curve from a chart. How ever this does not account for the distance from the eye to the lens which varies with the individual.

An incorrect base curve will cause distortion, that is if you look at a straight horizontal line through the top of the lens it will appear to be curved.

I use less base curve than the chart calls for and have my optometrist include it in my prescription.

Special Ed · « **Reply #4 on:** June 22, 2005, 03:11:11 AM »

Thanks! :grin:
I never knew anything about that. I'm about due for a trip to the eye Dr. so I will look into that.
Ed

unspellable · « **Reply #5 on:** June 22, 2005, 06:58:29 AM »

As the distance from the eye to the lens increases you want a flatter base curve. I have a long head and deep set eyes so a fairly long distance from eye to lens and a flatter base curve.

The other consideration is the prescription. I am far sighted which calls for a positive power (The spherical part of the prescription.) in the lens, making it thicker in the middle than at the edges. So far, so good.

The majority of people are near sighted which calls for a negative power, the lens is thinner in the middle than at the edges. Eye to lens distance aside, the chart will call for a flatter base curve with this type of prescription, so these people may already have a fairly flat base curve.

If your lens is fairly close to your eye then you may want a steeper base curve.

If you have an extremely large correction for astigmatism (The cylinder part of the prescription.) that may interfer with the choice of base curve.

A large prism component (For eyes tending to look in two different directions.) may also interfer but relatively few people have this problem.

jro45 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2005, 05:49:52 AM »

I don't have any problem with my eye glasses. While being checked for a change in my vision I tell him or her that I need to be able to see clearly at 100 yds. Cause I shoot in compition. So they do whatever it is they do and I don't have any problems.