BigDave Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I recently had my eyes checked and I have a slight astigmatism. Right now I am fine without glasses, but eyestrain is a problem and the eye doc said the corrective lenses would help. I was considering going with contact lenses. Does anyone else here wear them for an astigmatism only correction and what do you think? Also, for those of you who wear contacts, does anything weird happen when you put on sunglasses or other protective lenses. I wouldn't think so, but since I'm asking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
short_round Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I have a slight astigmatism but the contacts that I wear don't correct it. My contacts just correct for being near-sighted. The biggest problem I have is that they dry out sometimes. So if you go to wearing the contacts make sure to keep some "re-wetting" drops in your range bag. I also always bring a pair of glasses with me in case I have to totally ditch the contacts. If you are wearing contacts and it's dusty it is really easy for your eyes to start getting irritated. I think it's really a personal preference thing. You just have to try it out and see if it is comfortable for you. I would also check out the Rudy Project line of sun glasses that have the prescription inserts. I know a few people who use them and they don't seem to have a problem with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4045 Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I wear mine for correction only. There is a difference when I shoot with glasses. It takes me a few shots to get used to. I wear sunglasses when I shoot, usually some type of safety lens. I would second the rewetting drops. I don't really have a problem with drying out. When it is very dusty the rewet drops come in handy. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 About the only thing that's going to be effective at truly correcting astigmatism are gas perms (i.e. hard contacts). The good news is mostly trouble-free, crystal-clear vision. Gas perms also last about forever. The only time you buy a new one is because you lose one. The bad news is that they're very dust sensitive. Shooting with contacts in an indoor range is another big loser (for me anyway). The breeze from the vents dries my eyes out so bad it's tough for me to see after 45 minutes to an hour of being in the "wind tunnel". Gas perms also take a long time to get used to, so forget about them for casual wear. You have to put 'em in and stick it out. Nothing weird happens when worn in conjunction with protective glasses or sunglasses - in fact you'll probably wear some type of shield all the time to keep the dust out and to help keep your eyes from drying out. I have a set of yellow lenses to wear while driving - just to keep the air from the heater vents from drying my eyes out during winter driving. You'll also get more sun glare with the contacts, so having a pair of shades with you at all times is pretty much a must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBChaffin Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Hey Dave, Eric's right about Gas Perms being the best way to correct for astigmatism. With soft contacts, you can try a toric lens, which has varying success rates. Here is a little information about toric lens. I have a slight astigmatism in my left (nondominant) eye, but wear soft contacts to correct nearsightedness. I tried a toric lens and never did really like it. Although I could see great sitting still, it never felt right. I had been wearing contacts for years before I needed it, so that may have been a factor. My eye doctor decided to just try to "mask" the astigmatism by adjusting power in the left eye. It has worked great. I see better than 20-20 in my right eye and roughly 20-20 in the left. I have worn soft contacts since approximately 1990. I wouldn't want to have to live without them. I carry rewetting drops but can't remember the last time I needed them. Dust really hasn't been a problem for me either. Maybe I have just been really lucky. I do like sunglasses for glare and have had no problems wearing them or protective glasses to shoot in. FWIW, I have worn CibaVision Focus monthly's for the last four or five years and have been really happy. Good luck. Bryant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 15 years wearing them for correction of both, and last year astigmatism was diagnosed as gone. Go figure that one out.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Dave, If you have no need for corrective lenses except for the astigmatism, I would suggest you get a pair of shooting glasses made with the astigmatism correction. You're going to have to wear glasses on the range anyway, they may as well do double duty. I have in the past and am about to once again begin wearing contacts. (I'll try anything to improve my shooting!) Eric was right on about gas-perms being the best way to correct the astigmatism if you go with contact lenses. If wearing contacts is just a vanity thing get over it, you will most likely be happier with the glasses, avoid the dust and the lost lens and the dry eyes and the contact wearer squint.......previously mentioned. Your myopic and astigmatic AikiDale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyG23 Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I have a slight amount of astigmatism in my dominant eye which my opthamologist elected to not correct. I've worn contacts for the past 8 years and shot for every one of them with no problems. Drying is always an issue as are extremely dusty conditions but so far nothing I haven't been able to handle. Some antihistamines make the drying issue worse but as previously suggested keep re-wetting drops available and you should be fine. I wear Oakleys and haven't had any vision problems. I also were the Focus Monthly contacts and have had good luck with them. FWIW at my last eye appointment I spoke with my Dr. about being able to see my sights as middle age is upon me. He decided to up my contact prescription a bit to allow me to focus at sight distances but also was willing to prescribe a "shooting" contact for my dominant eye if needed to obtain the required focus. Luckily I didn't need it. You might ask your Dr. about the same thing and explain to him, as I did, that you need to be able to focus at a given distance to shoot and see what he says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyro Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 BigDave, I have been wearing Gas Perms for more years that I care to count. I wear them for nearsighted AND astigmatism. I haven't found ANY soft lens that will correct the astigmatism to my satisfaction, so to get the clearest/sharpest vision I choose Gas Perms. As for the contacts drying out, I seem to have that occur most during the dry winter months. During the summer, the humidity here is so high that dryness doesn't seem to be that much of a problem. I don't have that much of a dust problem either. I think that the shooting glasses block most of the wind and dust so that it very seldom is a problem. I however would also say that the ranges I shoot at may not be as dusty as some of the others I have heard of. My ranges have a lot af grass which probably help to keep the dust down. One thing I believe that is caused by my contacts is a little eye dominance problem. When my contact are nice and clear, my right eye dominance is fine, however, it seems if my right contact get a little dirty or irritated my left eye wants to take over. I don't know if any other contact wearers experience this (I'd like to know) but to keep my right eye dominance, I just put a small amount of tape on my left lens so that it ONLY blocks the vision of my front sight. If you do go with any type of contact lens... bring along some contact solution or rewetting drops just in case. You never know when you might need it. Hope this helps, Tyro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranger Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I have worn contacts and shot in competition for years. I have had two instances where my contacts were "jarred" loose by shooting a compensated Open pistol in an awkward position through a low port. Just something to be aware of and think about when you decide on how you are going to shoot a course of fire. I never had a problem in Limited - just the compensated Open pistols. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 No problems with contacts and shooting, except at the end of a long day spent at a dusty range or a dusty dirt bike ride. They sort of weld to my eyeballs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistral404 Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I have worn soft contacts since the mid-1970s. I have an astigmatism. My doc just made the one lens a little more poweful to clean up the focus a bit. I actually went to my doc recently and told him I wanted a sharp focus 4.5 inches from my knuckle of my out-stretched hand. I have a lens just for my dominant eye for shooting. It works great along as the is light when its gets dark or shooting indoors I switch eyes. I shoot in the Southwest where it is windy and dusty, I have some saline solution in the truck but rarely use it. Probably because after 30 years of wearing soft contacts out here my eyes have finally adjusted to the dryness. I actually use the drops more indoors at work during the summertime. Air conditioning blowing on your eyes will dry them out faster than when you are outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Yeah the car AC can be a problem; make sure you adjust the vents away from your face. Worse is having the helmet vents fully open while going through Sears Point's turn 9 at 120-130 mph. Nearly blind for turn 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I wore contacts for 30 years and I was told that astigmatism can not be corrected using contacts. They always take the astigmatism "power" and add it into the base power for the contact lense. In other words, a scrip of: 2.25 axis , 0.25 prism would get you a contact lense of 2.50. Correcting an astigmatism requires that the lense be oriented a certain way to the eye on axis, and most contacts can not do this. I was told they were trying to develop "weighted" contacts so a specific side would always hang down which could allow an astigmatism correction... never seen them, but they may exist. I will tell you this: contacts would drive me crazy for shooting because your focus chnges slightly with each eye blink and the soft lenses "fog over" as you stare at the sights. Wind and dust are also a big problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I wore contacts for 30 years and I was told that astigmatism can not be corrected using contacts. Rigid contacts can because they actually reshape the cornea, unlike soft contacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n2299 Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 I too wear gas perm contacts for both astigmatism and near sighted correction. The only difference with me is that my astigmatism is mainly on my right eye but I'm left eye dominance/right handed. The up side to this is that I can shoot with both eyes open without having any problems with double vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.40AET Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 When shooting outdoors, I usually forget that I have them in. Indoor ranges where the velocity of the air is usually pretty high, I notice alot of drying in the lenses. I allways use the rewetting drops before and after a range session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest justmarie Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 I am nersighted and have astigmatism and have much better vision with gas pem lenses than with glasses. Not enough correction with soft contacts. Nothing is perfect. Regarding the drying issue, you can get your tear ducts plugged (called punctal plugs) which add more moisture to the eye. I had it done and it works. It is relatively painless, takes only a few minutes and is done in the office. Also, there are special rewetting drops out now that they are coming out with over the counter that were previously available only for post-surgical implant patients (like from glaucoma patients whor eceived new implants). A good opthalmologist should be able to tell you about them and the punctal plugs. Wearing eye protection in the range inside is good advice at all times, for contact wearers or otherwise. So much lead and dust blowing around can irritate eyes and cause infectiosn and dryness. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MstngLX50 Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 The military medical system being what it is I didn't have any glasses with a proper prescription so I went to Iraq with a brace of disposable contacts, instead of glasses. After a blast injury(80% corneal laceration/slight penetration) to my left eye I now have a slight astigmatism in that eye. I've been trying the Toric lens for about 4 months now and am pleased with the results. I never really liked hard lenses as I tend to disregard all prevailing wisdom and only replace/remove lenses when one falls out or tears. I understand that this isn't the smartest thing to do. I was forced to wear glasses for several months until my eye properly healed and just don't like them. With contacts I'm not looking around in the mornings for them, and things like swimming, diving, and a generally active lifestyle seem better suited to contacts. I'm now thinking of a Lasik procedure as one of my fathers friends performs them and I personally know several people who are extremely happy with the results. Alan Alan Elam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11.43mm Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Will we compete against these? The Atchisson Assault Shotgun is a firearm first developed in 1972 by Maxwell Atchisson. It served as the basis of several later weapons, including the USAS-12 combat shotgun. Its direct successor is the AA-12 selective fired shotgun, which was featured on the March 19, 2007 episode of Future Weapons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I was told they were trying to develop "weighted" contacts so a specific side would always hang down which could allow an astigmatism correction... never seen them, but they may exist. I had a set 20 years ago. There was a little weight, looked like a flat gold bead, toward one edge of the lens. Theoretically this should have caused that part of the lens to always hang downwards. It didn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter0110 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Just my two cents... I use accuview oasis torics and haven't ever had problems with them... Just takes a minute for the lenses to turn so that they line up correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggieddad02 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Just my two cents... I use accuview oasis torics and haven't ever had problems with them... Just takes a minute for the lenses to turn so that they line up correctly. I likewise have recently begun wearing toric lenses. the first brand I was fitted in were a total nightmare causing all types of eye irritation problems. The second brand were no better. I have just recently begun wearing the accuvu oasis toric lenses and there is a difference between night and day. Just saying that sometimes you may need to work with your eye doctor to work out the little issues. I use my contacts for shooting and hunting and they make it realy easy when using optics or trying to get a full field of view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter0110 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Just my two cents... I use accuview oasis torics and haven't ever had problems with them... Just takes a minute for the lenses to turn so that they line up correctly. I likewise have recently begun wearing toric lenses. the first brand I was fitted in were a total nightmare causing all types of eye irritation problems. The second brand were no better. I have just recently begun wearing the accuvu oasis toric lenses and there is a difference between night and day. Just saying that sometimes you may need to work with your eye doctor to work out the little issues. I use my contacts for shooting and hunting and they make it realy easy when using optics or trying to get a full field of view I also use them for shooting, but I also use them for firefighting, just make sure you blink about twice as much as you normally would, especially on a dry day. I also carry eye drops in my range bag, like almost everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggieddad02 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 +1 on the rewetting drops. I don't go anywhere without them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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