Shooting glasses for older shooters?

[njl]

I have a friend who wears bifocals. He seems to have significantly more trouble shooting indoors vs outdoors...I'm guessing because there's less light, and his pupils are more dilated indoors, so lower depth of field. I thought I'd read about this before, and confirmed, that at least one school of thought on this is to have a set of shooting glasses made where the dominant eye lens is corrected for near vision (front sight) and the other is corrected for distance (target).

I'm curious how well this actually works...and with such a setup, can you actually see well enough to function (drive? walk around without walking into things?)?

I think I read about someone who had a set of bifocals made where the correction was opposite normal (top set for close up, bottom set for distance).

I'm curious what people here recommend.

[okshootist]

I have used a contact lens in the dominant eye and didn't notice any problems with routine activities. It may depend on the amount of correction.

[Bouttime]

I don't wear contact, but do wear blended bifocals. My eye doctor had me bring my gun into the office and he worked with me until we had a set of lenses that worked very well. The dominant eye for front sight, left eye distance, and a small set of bifocals in the bottom for reading. I don't see the holes in the target past say 10 yards, but I depend on my sight picture to tell me where my hits are. My lenses are amber color. I am 68 been shooting USPSA for about three years now and this works great for me.

[wsimpso1]

I normally wear progressive lenses in my glasses, but for shooting iron sights, I wear glasses that have single correction, shooting eye is adjusted for the front sight, non-shooting eye for distance. Works great. Everyone says to focus on the front sight, and with these lenses, I don't have a choice. It allows me to load mags, score keep, write in my notebook, run the timer, serve as safety officer, etc. I frequently drive home with them on.

I recommend it. being as the correction is single (no blending or bifocals) they are relatively cheap too.

Billski

[bigleaf]

My eye doctor had me try contacts a couple years ago with my dominant right eye set to focus about 36 inches away and the left one for distance. He told me about a third of the folks who try them can tolerate them. I can't imagine not having them. They work for me for driving, reading music while drumming, for shooting, and for regular reading of books or computers. And I only wear reading glasses for really fine work, like taking splinters out of someone, or cutting itchy tags out of clothes without cutting holes in the clothes themselves. My backup glasses finally broke, and I'm going to get glasses made the same way.

[gfmun]

I have tried just about all of the above. My problem is that I am right handed and left eye dominent, so I close my left eye ( or squint really tight ) and that does not work with a lot of these systems. After spending a ton of $$ on glasses, contacts, etc. what I have done is:

for iron sights I have gone to a wider opening on the rear sight and a fiber optic ( small ) on the front sight. The bigger opening on the rear helps a bunch.

for USPSA I have gone to OPEN with a C-more red dot. I really like my red dot...works with an AIMPOINT on my carbine also.

hope this helps,

George

[dennisp5]

I had a pair of glasses made with just my distance prescription and a 1.25 magnification in the right lens. I love them! I can see the target good enough and the front sight is clear. I am 54 with very bad eyes, -8.00/-8.25 and can't see my sights anymore. This has allowed me to continue using open sights. The best I can describe having this setup is the magnified lens looks dirty for normal use, but I don't notice it when shooting. Hope this helps a little.

Dennis

[Mr. 10mm]

After reading an article on this situation from Duane Thomas I worked with my optometrist to have a short distance perscription in my dominant eye, and a long distance perscription in the other. While things were a little funky when I first used them, your brain adapts very quickly in transistioning between the two lenses depending on where you are focusing. Basically my eyes switch dominance depending on the distance with this setup. This has worked well for me.

[No.343]

The folks that make the Decot Hy-Wide glasses really helped me.

[Mr. Ed]

After reading an article on this situation from Duane Thomas I worked with my optometrist to have a short distance perscription in my dominant eye, and a long distance perscription in the other. While things were a little funky when I first used them, your brain adapts very quickly in transistioning between the two lenses depending on where you are focusing. Basically my eyes switch dominance depending on the distance with this setup. This has worked well for me.

That is what I did. Got a cheap pair from a Big Box store (Sam's) to try it out. It has worked great, so next time I'll go for a better pair.

Ed

[Wild Gene]

So I have just wasted $3,500 on that custom 6" gun?

[Greg Bell]

Mono Vision setup works great for me. I arrive at the range put on my set of Rudy's and I'm adjusted in just a few minutes. I've even driven almost all the way home before I noticed I still had them on.

[Bwana Six-Gun]

I'm 60 years old, wearing trifocals. Nearsighted in my dominant eye far sighted in the other. I shoot one eye closed,(I'm old school in everything, what can I say). I spoke with my optometrist, who is also an opthalmic (sp?) surgeon and does all my eye exams. He said that as long as I can see the front sight, not to worry. With my eyes, I use non-prscription shooting glasses and the front sight is clear and the target fuzzy. It works for me. If I miss, it is not because I could not see the target. Use what will let you see the front sight clearly, that is what counts. My .02.

[GregJ]

I know I'm new here and all, but I've been shooting IDPA for about 3 yrs, and pistols in general for many, many more. I'm badly nearsighted with progressive lenses. To see the front sight in focus I had to really tilt my head back. A few years ago I had my optomotrist make me a pair of shooting glasses. I'm right handed and right eye dominant, so my right lense was focused about 1.5" past the tip of my right pointing finger when both hands are simulating a free-style grip. This puts the right eye point of focus about to where the front sight would be. My left lens is distance focus, both are single Rx. These glasses are probably the best thing I have done to improve my shooting.

[AndaQuarter]

Rudy Project makes some fantastic shooting glasses.

Try checking out their vendor tent and sending a note to Kevin. The 2Alpha coupon code gets 30% off but I'm not sure if that applies to the prescription lenses.

Good luck.

[smokshwn]

Rudy does make good glasses but they are less than ideal when it comes to playing with custom focused/ monovisioned/ progressive prescription lenses. Even getting the prescriptions correct you are still wearing two sets of lenses...one on the insert and the glasses themselves.

Decot is a much easier choice for your optometrist to work with and you are not hindered by the the dual glasses thing.

[MI_Packer]

I just got new bifocals. I had been going to one of thechains because that's where my insurance coverage was. However, a new jobchanged that and now Dr. Flood (a shooter) is available to me. He added alittle magnification to my progressives and promised I would be able to seeboth the front sight and target well. Talk to your Dr. - the proper Rx will goa long way.

They also Rx'd a new lens called VariLux and it has less distortion areas -very noticeable difference.

I've only shot one 3 gun match since getting these and they are quite animprovement. Dry fire practice has also soon a nice improvement for the sightpicture.

[Greg Bell]

Rudy does make good glasses but they are less than ideal when it comes to playing with custom focused/ monovisioned/ progressive prescription lenses. Even getting the prescriptions correct you are still wearing two sets of lenses...one on the insert and the glasses themselves.

Decot is a much easier choice for your optometrist to work with and you are not hindered by the the dual glasses thing.

Decot has a good reputation but you can also get Rudy Project lenses with your prescription directly ground. You do not have to use an insert.

[rloeb]

I'm just about to turn 70 :-( (Better than the alternative.) Haven't been able to shoot handgun for several years. Finally decided to do something about it. Read just about everything available online, which confused the issue further (and frightened my checkbook). I need glasses to read and a minor correction at a distance, mostly for night driving. Because I need glasses to read, I need slightly different glasses to read a computer monitor. For general wear I have progressive lenses with my reading prescription in the bottom and my distance prescription on top. For computer use I have the same reading lenses in the bottom and a modification of that prescription focused just a little past my fingertips in the top. I can see the front sight with the computer glasses but the target might as well be non-existent. One day I took the glasses apart and put the right computer lens in place of the right lens in my regular glasses. Perfection. I can read, I can see the front sight, and I can see the target, although only one of those at a time. I shoot with my left eye shut, but typically don't shut it until my finger moves to the trigger. Took my "invention" to my ophthalmologist, had him confirm the prescriptions, and then had the optical department make a set using photochromic ("transitions") lenses that darken in sunlight. Work just fine for me, and improved my rifle accuracy a lot, too. If you have your prescription, then any optical company should be able to make a similar glass. Just make sure that the lenses are shatterproof!!!

Your mileage may vary.

Rog

[Rotisiv]

A lot of people have cataracts and don't realize it that's why you can have significantly more trouble shooting indoors vs. outdoors. Cataracts will reduce the amount of light entering the eye. If you decide to have cataract surgery there are lens replacements that are multifocal or you can decide to go mono vision. Mono vision is where one replacement lens is for close vision the other lens is for distance vision. Your brain will condition itself to the difference and because of this conditioning it won't affect your driving, or walking, but will significantly improve your shooting. Have you ever noticed when shooting around a barricade that on one side your shoot placement is good but the other side your shoot placement is poor or you miss altogether that's because on one side of the barricade you are looking through you dominant eye and on the other side of the barricade you are looking through the weak eye Because the barricade has masked you dominant eye your brain switches your vision to the non-dominant eye. That’s just my opinion .