For the "Older Shooters"

[texasref]

I discovered and was simi confirmed that shooting/sighting through the bifocal portion of specs helps.

It was suggested that I get a pair of readers with the same add (full frames) and shoot with those.

It makes sense, having a heck of a time finding that front sight.

Anyone doing this and having success?

[Steve RA]

Not exactly, the most popular remedy seems to be having the dominant eye prescription adjusted so the front sight is just in the back edge of the clear focus area and the other eye lense adjusted for the best distant vision. Some people can't adjust to this combination or are "blessed" with headaches. This seems to be a small minority from all the information I've seen.

This is what I've done for years. If you go this route, I'd suggest you put these glasses on when you get up on a day when you plan on going shooting.

[mickd1]

well when this happened to me i just went over to the dark side of open div and love it

[texasref]

I might try the cheaper route.

When I tried it with my regular glasses, that fiber optic was clear as a bell.

Seems like a less than 30.00 bet.

[Brooke]

I did a similar thing. I brought a stick on lens of the proper strength (actually bought three because I did not know what I needed) and put one in the center of my dominate eye glasses. The stick on lens are cheap and work well.

So now I can see my front sight clear as a bell and the target from the non-dominate eye. I had no trouble adjusting. Another guy in my club tried it and just could not adjust. Gave up.

Now if I can get someone to hold the gun while I pull the trigger I'll be all set.

BTW.. I also got a pair of glasses strictly for this use and had them tinted yellow to enhance contrast. If you shoot outdoors in bright sunlight this will not help, but on cloudy days or indoors the yellow glasses help a lot.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Brooke

[Shadow]

I discovered and was simi confirmed that shooting/sighting through the bifocal portion of specs helps.

It was suggested that I get a pair of readers with the same add (full frames) and shoot with those.

It makes sense, having a heck of a time finding that front sight.

Anyone doing this and having success?

That's what I did. Got older and couldn't get a good focus on the front sight. Tried a combo of close in right lens, far in left lens. Didn't work. Finally went with 1.75 readers. That was the best solution for me.

[mgardner]

I'm 62 soon and wear bifocals but shoot with shooting glasses with no prescription. Makes hits at longer ranges difficult sometimes. Maybe I should get some special shooting glasses. Might be able to break into A class if I wasn't blind.

Edited May 5, 2014 by mgardner

[Reshoot]

well when this happened to me i just went over to the dark side of open div and love it

+1

[JackinSD]

I might try the cheaper route.

When I tried it with my regular glasses, that fiber optic was clear as a bell.

Seems like a less than 30.00 bet.

I went to fiber optics as well. I wear contacts though. I don't know why but it definitely changed things for the better.

Edited May 5, 2014 by JackinSD

[robport]

I'm trying some ATS sights (for IDPA shot indoors). Bought them the day after my eye doctor said I had 20/20 vision, but cataracts. Bright light is fine. As the light level drops, it gets fuzzy and starry. Already had to change the rear color due to it being too bright (artifacts obscuring the front sight). I haven't shot a match with them yet and I'm not quite sure they will work, but we'll see.....

I figured it was worth a try anyways.

[basman]

Bifocals worn here, so I got glasses where I could see the sights clearly, targets are fuzzy. I put them on when i'm the on deck shooter for my final walk through, and back off before I reload my mags.

I brought just my slide to the eye doctors office, and used it to show the doc exactly what point i wanted to focus on and see clearly. I held it and looked at the front sight while she did the "which is better, 1 or 2 " routine.

Edited May 6, 2014 by basman

[texasref]

Thanks for the input guys.

I'll be trying this out at the range and hoping for some good results. From the sound of it I'm on the right track.

[JKF159]

Full frame readers are what I use. I first tried 1.25 and that will work but it does make the targets slightly fuzzy. That is what I used until I found a pair of 1.00 full frames at Walmart. That is what I shoot with now and the fuzziness at distance is barely detectable. A friend of mine that wears glasses tried the 1.00's and bought himself a pair.

I've noticed that my eyes are worse in the morning and get better as the day goes on. 1.25's in the morning are just about perfect and have little fuzziness at distance but in the afternoon the fuzziness is noticeable but useable.

[Sandbagger123]

interesting topic. i just bought some reader at the dollar store to try out. my stregth is +1.00. now my front sights are sharp, but far is fuzzy. So those that already do this, has doing this improved your scores?

[eric nielsen]

If you have glasses or contacts already, you have a prescription on file (by law). Find yours or ask your optometrist's office to send it to you. These help explain it; if you have any presbyopia at all, you will get the near-vision numbers like in the first link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyeglass_prescription

http://news.essilorusa.com/stories/detail/decoding-your-eyeglass-prescription

I suggest for shooting:

1. Find the NV (near vision) number for your shooting eye (the one you align sights with) and take away just a little of the Add power, to account for arms-length shooting, especially the occasional one- handed shooting where most of us hold the gun out a few inches farther away than freestyle. So if you shoot right-hand, right-eye and your OD NV says +1.75, I'd back off to +1.50 or +1.25 for your right eye, as a single-vision lens with NO cylinder and NO prism.

2. Find the DV (distance vision) number for your non-shooting eye. This eye will not see sights in front of it. Use that number, OR, minus just a little bit from it (1/4 to 1/2 diopter) to make the targets appear just a little sharper than your normal glasses. So if that eye's Distance Vision number is -1.75, go to -2.00; if it's +0.75, go to +0.50. Again, use NO cylinder and NO prism and ignore the Axis number. Also, ordering rimless or semi-rim glasses will take away a vision obstruction as you look down to do a mag change, watch your footing, whatever - more like having a pair of Oakley or Rudy glasses which are semi-rim.

Having prism and cylinder to correct for astigmatism is okay for getting a perfect image out of one narrow center section of your glasses; it makes all your off-center scanning for additional targets look through a distorted picture, that's why I suggest simple spherical lenses for both eyes. Edit: the PD or pupillary distance number is important for getting the best image with any glasses, so use it.

If you're curious, the Diopter (strength) is called out in 1/4-D numbers but at the drug store it's just about impossible to find readers that have less than +1.00 power. I'm just starting to get "old" so my current shooting glasses are: Right +0.75, Left -0.25. Link for ordering your own shooting glasses without arguing with the eye-doctor staff (they tend to insist on the written prescription):

http://www.zennioptical.com/

And...

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=184713&page=2 post 34

Edited May 6, 2014 by eric nielsen

[Jerome]

I wear 1.0 di insert in my Rudy's . Enough to see the front sight sharply without to much target blur. Right eye only. Without it the front sight is a blur.

[holdcenter45]

I went the shooting glasses route with enough adjustment to see the front sight clearly.....works like a champ except at long range 50 yard targets.

[Jman]

Check out www.optx2020.com

You "stick" these on the inside of your basic shooting glasses...with water. This allows adjustment in any direction. Find the magnification that brings that front sight into focus and blast away.

[mgardner]

If you go to Amazon (Ritzy Optical, they had great reviews too) you can find readers that come in .5, .75 too. Sooo because of this thread I bought two pairs and will flip the lenses in one eye to have my distance and reading or close enough to improve my sight picture. I went to the drug store and tried some and found that 1.0 (that was the lowest they had) gave me what I needed to see the sights and hopefully .5 will put me close enough to see the targets clearly enough. No I didn't pull the pistol out in the store I just looked at some letters at 2 feet. LOL

[tkheard]

I have great distance vision, astigmatism, and my arms have gotten very short. I wear bifocals (progressive) full time. My optometrist adjusted my dominant eye to have my reading prescription less 1 diopter in the main lens so I can focus on the front sight. The readings lens has an adjustment so it is full strength. The non-dominant is like my regular glasses. I have insert lenses for my Rudys with lined bifocals. I love them. When I first put them on, I'm a little wobbly for about a minute and then the brain adjusts to them. The doc told me that he's done a similar set for the sheriff. I couldn't be happier. Well, if I could shoot faster, it would be great, but glasses won't help that...

Edited May 11, 2014 by tkheard

[waynes_world_45]

well when this happened to me i just went over to the dark side of open div and love it

Lol...I just did that...bought my first open gun...it'll be here this week

[motosapiens]

interesting topic. i just bought some reader at the dollar store to try out. my stregth is +1.00. now my front sights are sharp, but far is fuzzy. So those that already do this, has doing this improved your scores?

I use about half the strength for shooting that I use for reading. For me, that means .50 power readers, which are hard to find in stores, but easily available on the internet. I even found a place where you can get them tinted, or have a different strengths in each eye (for $30-50). So I got a pair that are uncorrected in my weak eye and .50 power in my strong eye. The front sight is MUCH clearer than without glasses, and the targets are still plenty clear enough. The biggest difference for me has been that it's easier for me to look at the front sight now instead of having my focus dragged out to the targets simply because i can't see the front sight clearly. I've been practicing and doing other stuff too, but the glasses are part of why my scores have improved significantly in the last 6 months.

I would recommend using the weakest power you can get away with, to minimize the fuzziness of far-away targets.

[Dogbarian]

I wear bifocals (not progressives), and have been having some troubles. Haven't been doing too bad with pistols as I get used to them, but the front sight is not in sharp focus. Rifles have been very difficult (as least with iron sights). I may just have to put optics on all of them.

The post above about stick-on lens is a good thought, I may explore that. I was thinking what I needed was to get a pair of glasses with the dominant eye (right) set up similar to what I use as computer glasses (with short vision in the 18" to 30" or so range). I also have some contacts with one short range and one long, have not tried shooting with them yet.

Good thread and glad to know I'm not the only one having issues like this.

[TGO]

interesting topic. i just bought some reader at the dollar store to try out. my stregth is +1.00. now my front sights are sharp, but far is fuzzy. So those that already do this, has doing this improved your scores?

I use about half the strength for shooting that I use for reading. For me, that means .50 power readers, which are hard to find in stores, but easily available on the internet. I even found a place where you can get them tinted, or have a different strengths in each eye (for $30-50). So I got a pair that are uncorrected in my weak eye and .50 power in my strong eye. The front sight is MUCH clearer than without glasses, and the targets are still plenty clear enough. The biggest difference for me has been that it's easier for me to look at the front sight now instead of having my focus dragged out to the targets simply because i can't see the front sight clearly. I've been practicing and doing other stuff too, but the glasses are part of why my scores have improved significantly in the last 6 months.

I would recommend using the weakest power you can get away with, to minimize the fuzziness of far-away targets.

I'm closely online with this program. I'm 53 and had had phenomenal vision my whole life. Like off the scale good. Could read an eye chart 20-05 easily. Could see .22 holes in target at 100, .30 caliber on black targets at 200..... My readers are 2.00 and I am bouncing around between 1.25 for Speed events (IPSC,USPSA) and 1.50-1.75 for Accuracy (NRA Bianchi Cup, Bullseye, CMP) in my dominant, right eye. In left I use less for Speed, usually .25-.50 less, and .25 less or same as right eye for Accuracy.

I can tell you the decision to get correction was hard for me, made me feel old, but I immediately saw improvement in my aiming. Have been able to stay competitive since.

I work closely with Dr. Kerry Pearson in Mesa Az, and Robert Lewis at Decot sport optics in Phoenix Az. I would recommend you get in contact with them. Dr.Pearson is a Gm shooter and uses correction himself and Robert can give you great real world advise and even my whole complete opticalRX history.

Keep up the fight!!!

[BillR1]

My shooting glasses have a 1.50 correction in my right eye and are plano in the left one. It works very well during the match, but I need to have them on a little while before I start shooting for my eyes to adjust. No headaches so far...