Author Topic: Shooting With Glasses (Read 3248 times)

bulletstuffer · « **Reply #30 on:** November 23, 2011, 11:55:43 AM »

I guess I just wasted my time today too shooting 75 rounds trying to answer your question

I'm still having to look through the top part of my glasses

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Bulletstuffer

.22-5-40 · « **Reply #31 on:** November 23, 2011, 02:45:19 PM »

Swampman..I feel your pain! I used to be heavy into IHMSA..when I quit, I didn't fire a handgun for nearly 20 years..imagine my surprise when I took one out one day, got all set up...& couldn't see the sights!
I had a Merit diopter in my box..this is adjustable for apature size..suction cup secures it to lens.
This worked OK off bench..in offhand...not so much..maybe more practice?
Anyway..when the weather turned cold..the darn thing took so much pressure to get it to stick..I popped a lens out!
Now I use a Gehman..from Champion Shooters Supply...clips to frame.

jcn59 · « **Reply #32 on:** November 23, 2011, 03:49:42 PM »

Sights? What sights? I just line up those fuzzy things on top of the revolver and then shoot.

greenrivers · « **Reply #33 on:** November 24, 2011, 02:28:12 AM »

Until it happens to others, they will not understand. I bought a peep that a fellow member here makes. The price is very right and they work. My front sight is now clear again. Try one and you will be very pleased.

MePlat · « **Reply #34 on:** November 24, 2011, 02:48:46 AM »

"Until it happens to others, they will not understand. "

My sentiments exactly

jcn59 · « **Reply #35 on:** November 24, 2011, 04:23:55 AM »

I tried the peep insert on my Blackhawks and wasn't satisfied, but I understand it works for some people. Maybe my eyes are too far gone. My most consistent shooting is done with a front sight I made with an ivory insert on a 4 5/8" barrel. The aperatures that attach to glasses were okay for targets but obviously were useless when walking in the woods with my dog.

I was reading an article written by Hamiltom Bowen recently about "Superfocus" glasses with an adjustable focus that might be the best answer yet. Do any of you have any experience with these?

chefjeff · « **Reply #36 on:** November 24, 2011, 07:44:54 PM »

Well, worse come to worse,you still have the 870 mag unless of course you traded for that 1k bag of pistols.

painted horse · « **Reply #37 on:** November 25, 2011, 07:22:45 AM »

Sometimes, knowing the proper sight picture (sights versus target) and doing the proper/accepted method are not the same thing. Some of us evidently have the same problem, focus on the front sight and everything beyond not only is blurred, but is sometimes not even seen. Proper or not the only way I can shoot a handgun is to focus on the target and blur the front sight. Yes I can still line up the front and rear sights but they are fuzzy. To those of you that don't wear them, you have no idea how challenging bifocals can be. Try wiring a ceiling fan on a ladder, not only is going up and down the ladder a challenge but you can't tilt your head back far enough to see the da** wires. Forget lying on your back under the sink to fix a leak. I could go on and on.. Ahhh...youth, to bad it's wasted on the young...

greenrivers · « **Reply #38 on:** November 25, 2011, 09:51:12 AM »

I have but one gun left with open adjustable sights and it will hopefully be going to Mr. Harton shortly. Amongst other things, I hope to have a tritium dot on front to look through the rear peep at and give me a chance. The others are either scoped or "instinct", close range guns that I am growing more and more attached to. Don't give in, just adapt to what works for you.

McDerry · « **Reply #39 on:** November 25, 2011, 11:36:31 AM »

Ditch the bi-focal lens on the non-dominent eye. When looking down the barrel your dominant eye will see the nice crisp sights. The non-dominent eye looking through your distance lens will be able to see the target clearly.

greenrivers · « **Reply #40 on:** November 26, 2011, 02:36:32 AM »

painted horse, you had me laughing at your remarks. Working in positions under a sink, or over your head can get challenging. Thank the good Lord for phillips screws. With them the brail method works.
Hopefully what ever you come up with Swampman will work for a long time. Unfortunately we continue to change as we age and will have to further adapt again. Better than the alternative!

poorcountrypreacher · « **Reply #41 on:** November 29, 2011, 05:55:12 AM »

I will echo those who say you can't understand this until you have to experience it yourself. I had excellent vision until age 40; much better than 20-20, and I was thankful for it. At age 40, I started having trouble reading and had to use reading glasses for about 12 years, getting them stronger every few years. I didn't wear them unless I was reading. When I was 52, I went to get my shotgun out to prepare for turkey season, and was shocked when I looked at the tru-glo dots on the rib. Instead of 3 dots, there were 9! I solved that with a holographic scope, but shooting any kind of a handgun was challenge.

I had to go to bi-focals after that, and I could not figure out a way to accurately shoot any gun with open sights. I eventually switched to a progressive lens and that has somewhat restored my ability to hunt with an open sighted handgun. The idea of the progressive lens is that there is a point on the lens that you can see any particular distance, you just gotta find the right spot.

I have to tilt my head back more than a normal shooting position, but when I get it just right, the front sight comes into sharp focus. The rear sight and the target are blurred, but by raising and lowering my head I can make sure everything is lined up. It took me a long time to get used to the progressive lens, but now I wouldn't be without them. Every eye is different, so it may not work for you, but it did for me.

Duke0313 · « **Reply #42 on:** December 01, 2011, 07:36:21 PM »

Only thing you can do is admit that you're far too old to be shooting anymore, give up the sport and send all your firearms to me!
Glad I could help...

Ranch13 · « **Reply #43 on:** December 02, 2011, 03:27:57 AM »

You guys fighting with the bifocals and shooting really need to try a pair of lined bifocals. The problem with the proggressives is there's a spot, generally right where the transition starts that is neither fish nor foul as far as your eye is concerned. I've got much improoved scores since going to the lined bifocals. A friend of mine that is a constantly top finisher in national, local and regional competion, told me about how things improoved for him after Hansens had him try their lined bifocals.
It's worth your time to take an old pair of frames to the nearest Walmart vision center and have them cut you a pair of lined bifocals.

Mike in Virginia · « **Reply #44 on:** December 04, 2011, 04:35:07 PM »

The answer is sooooooooooooo simple: When you renew your glasses prescription, get progressive lenses, and not bifocal. With progressive, there is a place in the lens that allows you to see the sights, although the target is a little blurry, which is okay. That's the way we learned to shoot. Focus on the sights, let the target be blurry. At age 64, with progressive lenses, I can easily tilt my head to where I'm looking through that part of the lens that puts my sights in sharp relief. I can honestly say that my groups from the bench and my hunting success has not diminished since before I even need glasses.

One caution: The last time I got glasses, I bought small, narrow lenses. Even though they are progressive, the area where revolver sights are sharp and clear is much smaller than with larger lenses.

It's true that progressive lenses take some getting used to. For me, it takes about 2 days.

I recently had surgery on my right eye (replacing the eye lens), giving me 20-20 without glasses in that eye. Sometimes when I shoot without glasses, I find myself tilting my head back, looking for that perfect place in the glasses lens that ain't there.

The point is, if your are a pistol shooter, bifocals are useless for that particular endeavor.

poorcountrypreacher · « **Reply #45 on:** December 04, 2011, 04:36:33 PM »

Quote from: Ranch13 on December 02, 2011, 03:27:57 AM

You guys fighting with the bifocals and shooting really need to try a pair of lined bifocals. The problem with the proggressives is there's a spot, generally right where the transition starts that is neither fish nor foul as far as your eye is concerned. I've got much improoved scores since going to the lined bifocals. A friend of mine that is a constantly top finisher in national, local and regional competion, told me about how things improoved for him after Hansens had him try their lined bifocals.
It's worth your time to take an old pair of frames to the nearest Walmart vision center and have them cut you a pair of lined bifocals.

Ranch, its interesting that your experience is so different from mine. I guess it reinforces the idea that eye problems are unique to each person. There was no way in the world I could shoot a handgun with lined bi-focals. The top of the lens was for distance vision - something had to be several yards away to be perfectly clear. The bottom part was set for reading - 15 inches or so from my eye. With my arms extended, the sights on a handgun were blurry no matter what part I used.

It isn't really accurate to call a progressive lens a bi-focal; its more like an infinite focal. No matter how far away something is, I can find a spot on the lens where it is in focus. That was impossible for me with regular lined bi-focals.

Ranch13 · « **Reply #46 on:** December 04, 2011, 05:46:31 PM »

preacher the best I can tell you is taking the advice of other shooters who had been advized to drop the progressive or no lined bifocal, has helped my shooting from handguns to 1000 yd bpcrs.I can keep my head in a better position and not having to fiddle around with that nomans land on the lense. Yes you can see the sights better thru the bifocal part, but if you don't have a good target definition, you'll be lucky to hit your azz with both hands, and getting target definition past about 15 ft is impossible thru the bifocals.
Also getting away from photogrey and going with the brown lense has helped alot.

poorcountrypreacher · « **Reply #47 on:** December 07, 2011, 06:53:55 AM »

Quote from: Ranch13 on December 04, 2011, 05:46:31 PM

preacher the best I can tell you is taking the advice of other shooters who had been advized to drop the progressive or no lined bifocal, has helped my shooting from handguns to 1000 yd bpcrs.I can keep my head in a better position and not having to fiddle around with that nomans land on the lense. Yes you can see the sights better thru the bifocal part, but if you don't have a good target definition, you'll be lucky to hit your azz with both hands, and getting target definition past about 15 ft is impossible thru the bifocals.
Also getting away from photogrey and going with the brown lense has helped alot.

Ranch, I am by no means trying to argue with you, but I would like to understand better what you are saying. I'm always interested in any info that will improve my shooting, and dealing with glasses and poor eyesight is something I've been very interested in for several years now.

My personal experience is like what Mike posted above, but if there are good shooters having better results with lined bifocals, then I'm very interested in understanding a better way.

So are you looking at the sights thru the top part of the bifocal or the bottom part? I don't understand this statement: "I can keep my head in a better position and not having to fiddle around with that nomans land on the lense. " For me, using the top part of the lens brings the target into clear focus, but the sights are nothing but a blur. It would be impossible for me to use the sights when looking thru the top part. All that I could do would be to point the gun and shoot instinctively, and I am not skilled enough to hit anything doing that.

The "nomans" land for me with the progressive lens doesn't exist. I can see any object at any distance, as long as I find the right place on the lens. But on the lined bifocal, there is a pretty large nomans land. When I used to wear them, I could not clearly see the faces of people when sitting around a table. They were too close to use the top part and too far away for the bottom part. The sights on a handgun fell into this nomans land as well.

I guess it would be possible to get a lined bifocal with a very weak reading lens that might allow me to focus on the front sight using it. Such a pair of glasses would be useless for reading or close work, but it ought to be possible to get a lens made that would focus a little further out. But it doesn't sound like this is what you are doing. If I understand correctly, you are looking thru the top part. Is that right? If this is correct, then all that I can figure is that people doing this have much better eyesight than me and have a weaker lens in the top part.

Sorry I'm so dense; any further info would be appreciated.

Ranch13 · « **Reply #48 on:** December 07, 2011, 07:06:41 AM »

No offense taken or intended.
What I find with the progressive/noline bifocals theres a spot that isn't quite bifocal nor distance right over the top of the bifocal, so what I seem to find is that I have to tilt my head back and forth to be able to see the sights and target the way I need to.
With the lined bifocals cut low in the lense I can look right over the top of the line and keep my head in it's normal uprtight postion.
I've found that when you have to lean or tilt your head, it's seldom in the same spot twice, so you're not getting the exact same sight picture each time, and that will affect groups size especially when going past 200 yds.

Graybeard · « **Reply #49 on:** December 07, 2011, 12:12:19 PM »

There is no one size fits all approach to how to use iron sights once your close up vision goes. We all have to play around with it and find what works best for us. I have several methods I use and some work better on one day than the rest but none are very satisfactory for hunting use but work well on the target range.

I long ago picked up a pair "glasses" that instead of lens have sections of black cardboard punched with loads of tiny holes. In use ya just pick the hole that lines up for you and it clears things up nicely. They are a PITA to wear tho but do clear up things beautifully.

I also long ago picked up an aperture device that is adjustable for size and attaches to your glasses or shooting glasses by a clip. Works similar to the Merit device but was much cheaper.

I also have some reading glasses with +1.25 diopters of correction. Some days they clear up the sights nicely without blurring the target so badly I can't see it. Other days the target blur is just too much.

Heck some shootinng sessions my eyes even work right and I can actually see that front sight with no help. Too bad those days aren't more common.

clum sum · « **Reply #50 on:** December 07, 2011, 12:30:30 PM »

Life's a hoot, try lined bifocals with the last 4 vertebra in your neck fused. Can't focus, can't bend just shoot. Wish I could afford a full auto, bet I could hit something.

Keith L · « **Reply #51 on:** December 07, 2011, 03:04:22 PM »

My right eye is almost blind now and so rifle shooting is as good as done. Pistols still work because I can move the pistol over and sight with the left eye as long as it still works. This getting old is not for sissies!

SteveHawaii · « **Reply #52 on:** December 07, 2011, 03:32:29 PM »

I just use my reading glasses when shooting handguns. I have a fairly large pair that seem to work well, and give some eye protection too.

bubbinator · « **Reply #53 on:** December 07, 2011, 07:57:22 PM »

Take Heart Swamp Man-My eyes were so bad I was legaly blind in LA-but well corrected with glasses since 8th grade. About age 50 I got bifocals then trifocals later but never had an issue qualifying with top scores because I was always taught the front sight was clear/target blurred/don't look for bullet holes! Now I've had double cataract surgery and see 20/20 at distance. Simple reading glasses have replaced my 20/400 monsters. handgun sights are clear at arms length but I really enjoy target shooting with Red-Dot sights and both eyes open. On a rifle @ 100 yds an EoTec is like a 12X on a target with the approriate aimer.

poorcountrypreacher · « **Reply #54 on:** December 08, 2011, 04:27:27 AM »

Thanks for the reply, Ranch. All I can figure out is that your vision is better than mine and allows you to still see reasonably well up close when looking thru the top lens. Mine is too far gone to do that. I can't even begin to tell if the front sight is centered inside the rear, or level with it. I can barely see that there are sights on the gun. I'm just gonna have to keep tilting my head and trying to find the place on the lens that gives me a clear front sight.

Lots of other good ideas in the thread. Seems like everybody that reads here is old and going blind. I guess the young guys all shoot Glocks.

tacklebury · « **Reply #55 on:** December 09, 2011, 02:54:56 PM »

There's a write-up in the digital copy of American Handgunner:
Not sure if this link will work right, but if it doesn't, you can click on the digital copy and read it there. Page is 64/65.

http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHJF12/