tigerkf Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 As I've aged my ability to see far away objects has diminished. Just recently I found my 25 yard groups spreading out. I started to analyze this and wondered what the solution was. My front sight is nice and crisp but the target is blurry. In my mind, I said this is what you want for proper sight alignment on difficult shots. Upon further analysis, I decided my target was blurry enough to prevent me from fine tuning my point of aim such as the A zone or 10 ring. I went to the range today to try and determine my best course of action to resolve this problem. I shot groups without my prescription glasses, with prescription glasses and with one prescription lense covering my non-dominant eye (I typically squint my non-dominant eye). Shooting with the lense covering my non-dominant eye and both eyes open was the worst, so it's a no go. The groups with the other two were very similar with the point of impact slightly higher without prescription lenses. I think, due to my concentration, I was still able to shoot decent groups with and without the glasses. However, as my eyes get tired my groups without the glasses start to spread out. The drawback to the prescription glasses is they make my front sight slightly blurry. After careful consideration, I've decided a prescription slightly weaker (than my current one) might give me the proper compromise between a crisp front sight and being able to see the target clear enough to determine the center. Anyone who has had this experience have any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Check first and see if it's ok, if so, take your gun to the eye Dr. and explain what you want to accomplish and see what he/she says. You may want the front sight right on the ragged edge of being blurry so you can retain as much clarity at the target as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadoFann Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 My problem was the front sight was blurry but I could see the target clear. Best solution I've found...switch to open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerkf Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Unfortunately, I can't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rack&roll Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Unfortunately, I can't! Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapemeister Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Just guessing, but maybe you are trying to see the target too clearly when focusing on the front sight? The way I see it, and I'm being quite literal when speaking of my own eye sight at 25 yards, if you can make out the general shape of the target and knowing where the center of the A zone is, you should have no problem lining up the sights on the target. After all, the A zone never changes location, no matter how clearly you can see the target. Again, just assuming you have the same problem, when my eyes started to change at about age 40, I had a terrible time with long range targets with multiple scoring rings, especially black silhouette targets with the thin white scoring lines, the kind often used for police qualification. As soon as I stopped battling not being able to see the lines, and just using the general shape of the target as a reference, things got a lot better for me, the frustration went away, and I was scoring just as well as before when I could focus on the front sight and still see the scoring lines. Even if the target, metric or classic, is a very fuzzy brown blob, as long as you line up the sights in the middle of it, you should have no problem.....?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgardner Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I have the same problem and have found that the more I go without my glasses the better things have gotten. When I do need my glasses like when I hunt or drive or work up close with small things and take them off afterwards, my eyes are really blurry. I think that the muscles in the eye must get lazy when I use the corrective lenses and forcing them to work to focus the eye (up to a point where I get headaches) is good for them. I agree with Grapemeister though, I shoot for the blurry A-zone and do fairly well with no prescription glasses. As I've aged I've noticed I need more light to see well so I tend to do better with lighter lenses on my shooting glasses like yellow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 As you get older the lenses harden and the muscles used to focus just don't have the strength to change focus. It's one of the joys of getting older that some things harden and others soften. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reshoot Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 As you get older the lenses harden and the muscles used to focus just don't have the strength to change focus. It's one of the joys of getting older that some things harden and others soften. +1 They do make pills for the other Our eyes loose the ability to change focus, with age. Young eyes change focus, from the front sight to the target, so fast you do not even realize it is happening . . . everything is crisp and clear. There is no getting around it. It will happen to everyone at some point. My doctor was able to help me, when I took my gun to him, but it lasted only about 18 months. That is when I turned my 40 caliber limited gun into an open gun . . . on the cheap. After all, at this point I am only comparing my performance to other seniors / super seniors anyhow. I had to be honest with myself, and accept the fact I am no longer competitive. Actually, I enjoy shooting more now that the pressure of competition is removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) I'm nearsighted (and 53!) and shoot iron sighted pistols in IPSC and Bullseye with a prescription that's almost a full diopter less powerful than my distance Rx. Happily, my street glasses work well enough with aperture-sighted rifles (Highpower and Smallbore) and anything with optics, so I need only two distinct scripts. Ain't aging fun?! Mark Edited February 24, 2014 by redial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biloxi23 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I just had cataract surgery on both eyes, with an Inter Ocular Lens implant in each eye. After being very nearsighted for over 45 years, I have better than 20/20 at distance. The problem now is up close. over the counter readers work very well for reading but front sight distance focus was bad. My doctor prescribed a pair of bi-focals with no magnification in the center part of the lens and a front sight distance focused bifocal at the top. This seems to be the ticket. the front sight is now very sharp and clear, and I can still see the target well enough for A zone hits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerkf Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Thanks for your responses. I recently shot a qualification course with my current prescription and the 25 yard line went fine. The front sight focus took some well...focus! Since the front sight was a little blurry I had to concentrate and not focus on the target too much. I plan on going to the doctor this week and getting another prescription. I'm beginning to think a weaker prescription might even be better for everyday use. I have this effect where I try to look under my glasses while walking since my near vision is fine. If not I find myself a little off balance. MGardner, I have read that the reason your vision is blurry after taking off your glasses is not due to the weakening of your eyes but rather a mind trick. Your mind gets used to seeing things clearly and doesn't adjust back. Without your glasses your mind tries its best to make things clear but may delete details it thinks are not needed. Weird! Not sure if that's true or not. Grapemeister, A blurry A zone (or target) is ok if you know where the A zone (or center) is. If you can't see the target well enough to find the center it's not a blurry A zone it's a ghost A zone. Just for reference, I've been shooting USPSA for almost twenty years. Thanks for the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberacp Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) A blurry A zone (or target) is ok if you know where the A zone (or center) is. If you can't see the target well enough to find the center it's not a blurry A zone it's a ghost A zone. Just for reference, I've been shooting USPSA for almost twenty years. Thanks for the input!I wear glasses and I can not see the holes on the target at 25 yrds. What matters when am breaking the shot is that I focus on the FS. But the target is not that blurry where I can not make it out. BUT (this is just IMO), I would prefer...if I had your dilemma, a clear vision at distance and contend with a blurry FS! Reason, is that you really do not need a clear FS to shoot an accurate shot! But you do need to focus on the front sight, whether it is clear or not, you just need to focus on it and align the FS to where you want to place the shot on the target. As long as you can see the outline of the rear and front sights and you focus on the FS, when breaking the shot, you will hit the target, where you want to. But you have to see the target clear enough to place that shot. And I believe as all as you focus on the FS, even blurry, you will be able to shoot well enough without going to extremes with your glasses. IMO Edited March 3, 2014 by kimberacp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapemeister Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Thanks for your responses. I recently shot a qualification course with my current prescription and the 25 yard line went fine. The front sight focus took some well...focus! Since the front sight was a little blurry I had to concentrate and not focus on the target too much. I plan on going to the doctor this week and getting another prescription. I'm beginning to think a weaker prescription might even be better for everyday use. I have this effect where I try to look under my glasses while walking since my near vision is fine. If not I find myself a little off balance. MGardner, I have read that the reason your vision is blurry after taking off your glasses is not due to the weakening of your eyes but rather a mind trick. Your mind gets used to seeing things clearly and doesn't adjust back. Without your glasses your mind tries its best to make things clear but may delete details it thinks are not needed. Weird! Not sure if that's true or not. Grapemeister, A blurry A zone (or target) is ok if you know where the A zone (or center) is. If you can't see the target well enough to find the center it's not a blurry A zone it's a ghost A zone. Just for reference, I've been shooting USPSA for almost twenty years. Thanks for the input! I apologize. I was doing way too much assuming. After reading your post again, I now have a better understanding of your predicament. I've recently started going through another phase myself where my vision is changing and it's a bit scary. I'm starting to come to terms with it, and it's just one of those things I've got to deal with, but I have to admit there is still a little fear. Except for reading small print, I'm not ready for glasses yet, or put it this way, I'm fighting the thought of glasses. I can still see the targets and sights clearly, so I guess I should be grateful, and not fear what may be the inevitable. Maybe reading post like yours will help me cope with it when the time comes. Thanks, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjb45 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Ha. I have 4 scripts: Shotgun , left eye dominant, 20/300, but right handed IT is over corrected to get a distance focus-remember shotgunning is target focus. Pistol, right eye script to have a right side sight focus. 3G same as my pistol. I just work with what I have. PS: There is some good stuff about vitamins in this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardChrome Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Try contacts or prescription shooting glasses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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