Aging eys and prescription shooting glasses

[Bkreutz]

I'm looking for options for shooting glasses for USPSA and IPSC.
I'm sure I have a lot of company with the same problem, need a crisp focus for my pistol sights at arms length but still need to be able to see my target.
I'm at that point where I finally broke down and surrendered to bifocals but still adapting. Tried using the bifocals for shooting and I can see my sights but target is pretty blurry. Tried shooting with my single vision readers and same problem.
Totally blew a comstock stage last night, clipped two hits in the no shoot but didn't know I did as I didn't see the hits so had two mikes and two no shoots for one target.
Has anyone found a solution for aging eyes, sights, target, quick acquisition, etc?
Been shopping online, one site is Tactical RX, I'm sure there are others.
Bifocal for dominate shooting eye, different prescription for other eye? Recommendations for companies?
Need help, any recommendations?

I screwed around with various prescriptions and all the homebrew solutions. I finally gave up and went to a red dot optic. If I can focus on the target, the dot is just as sharp (some kind of optical illusion) I've never looked back. Try borrowing (or renting) a pistol with dot, you will be amazed.

BTW, I shoot USPSA Open division for the past 3 years (or so)

 

[fredj338]

I'd like to know the answer to this too.My distance vision is bad enough that without glasses a pop can at 25 yards is invisible.With them, the front sight is a blob.

My eyes at 60 are probably worse than most. With a partial detachment & then cataract surgery, good prescription shooting glasses are a must. I am right handed, but my right eye sees close, left eye sees far. So while I can function w/o glasses, shooting fast & accurate is problematic.
I went with a large safety eyeglass, ground for a blended bi-focal, setup just for shooting distance, hard focus on the front sight. The larger lens allows a wider blend of the bifocal, so I don't have to search for the front sight or target, my eyes make an instant adjustment. You can't hit what you can't see so get someone to do your glasses that understands your shooting needs. Monovision works too, just my eyes are backwards & not willing to screw around trying to relearn my monovision. A blended bi-focal works great if done properly.

 

[TAC]

I'm looking for options for shooting glasses for USPSA and IPSC.
I'm sure I have a lot of company with the same problem, need a crisp focus for my pistol sights at arms length but still need to be able to see my target.

Recommendations for companies?
Need help, any recommendations?

Don't go to a shopping-mall junk peddler, like Len's-Crapters. Go to a 'good' ophthalmologist, if you haven't already done so. Explain your needs, and the problem you're having, they should be able to help. Have you been checked for cataracts? They're very common as we age, and can be fixed, and the difference is like being born again!

 

[tmont]

I ordered a set of Decot prescription glasses at Shot Show a few years ago. Right lens for front sight left lens for distance. Takes a minute for my eyes to adjust after putting them on but makes a big difference shooting indoors and trying to find front sight with lineless bifocals.

I also went with Decot, same setup as Toyman. Excellent company and products. Have been very satisfied with results and product. I ended up purchasing two separate RX lenses for my shooting eye, which are quickly interchangeable in the shooting frame. Use one for iron sights, one with scope.

When you call Decot, you speak with optometrists who assist you with your order and are familiar with shooting requirements. Should mention the lenses I purchased are tinted to help with target acquisition. Hope that helps.

 

[JamesArthur60]

Mine are totally different. I asked to have the eye doc (actually his assistant) place my try-focal lens on the top and my bi-focal lens in the normal bottom position. In other words, the top lens is for front sight focus and the bottom lens is for reloading magazines. The entire lens is to my normal prescription. They look weird, but for me the design works amazingly well. Think about it, when you aim your handgun you tilt your head slightly downward. That's when the top upside down lens comes into focus on the front sight.

 

[RussellD]

I had a set of glasses made just for shooting. Held my favorite handgun and measured how far the front sight was from my clasped hands. Then went to the ophthalmologist and explained exactly what I wanted for shooting. Results are a very mild pair of reading glasses in oakley frames. I can wear them and see the front sight in perfect focus and the target is only mildly blurry.

Groups on target show they work. Trying to shoot in my bifocals only makes things worse for me.

 

[silentflyer]

My far vision is still excellent, at arms length the sights are a blur. After trying a number of different lens/glasses combinations I gave up the fight and installed Burris Fastfire's on my revolvers. No they aren't "pretty" in the traditional sense, but now I can hit what I aim at again....most of the time...

 

[dwever]

To get it right, I finally went to a local optical shop and had them custom made. Ended up with tinted, safety, shatterproof prescription glasses that work oh so good and didn't cost an arm and a leg either.
You do need to be careful, however, that they know these are for pistol shooting rather than, say, trap shooting so they can get to focal point in the right place...for pistols, out about where the front sight on a long barrel revolver when held at arms length. Some optical techs are knowledgeable but to others, shooting is shooting and they do not dirrerentiate between pistols, shotguns and 1000 yard rifle shooters.
At age 70 with aging eyes, this investment has put the fun back into shooting!!!

Nice! I may look in to that, and for the moment I have found shooting Nirvana with an Aimpoint T-2 Micro on a TRR8. Wow!

 

[DIYguy]

Latest update to the shooting glasses journey.
Started swapping e-mails with Tactical Rx back in September. What they needed, how to do the measurements, etc.
Picked three frames to try on, paid for the three frames and they shipped me the frames. Did the measurements based on the torn off half sheet of paper received, shipped the frames back with two prescriptions from my optometrist, (one for the bifocal and one for distance) PD measurements, distance from lens to front sight, etc.. Was surprised they did not make any provision for shipping glasses back to them, on my own to pack and take to UPS. Received my glasses back five weeks later and they were completely wrong! When I tried the glasses on it was like swimming under water, everything had sort of a moving, distorted look. The bifocal I could NOT focus with at all and was in the wrong location. I had to tip my head down so far my chin rested on my chest and I had to look up to look through the bifocal window. Took the glasses to my optometrist to have the lenses checked and he confirmed, left lens was close to correct, right lens was incorrect and bifocal wasn't even close to my prescription. The difference between two different prescriptions for my main vision is what was causing the underwater distortion.
Tactical Rx agreed to redo the lenses, I sent them back and five weeks later received my glasses back. This is now thirteen weeks from the start when my credit card was first charged.
Good news is, the glasses now work. Take some getting use to but main prescription for the main part of the glasses is for distance so good in the 20'++ range. The bifocal is at the top of the right lens in the correct location so now when I tip my head down slightly for my sight picture I'm looking through the bifocal and can focus on my front sight. Tip head up slightly and regular lens comes back for full vision and targets.
I feel better having actual ANSI rated safety shooting glasses rather than a pair of computer glasses and so far the lenses seem to be doing what they are supposed to do. Haven't had a chance to shoot a match yet as we are on holiday break for our league shoots.
In summary, Tactical Rx has a good idea but the fulfillment was not very professional. E-mail is a yahoo account, instructions are a torn piece of paper printed from the website, e-mail responses can take up to three days. $473 pair of glasses and no case, just draw string sock. No shipping, tracking info so "where's my order?". S-L-O-W. Took nine weeks from first credit card payment to receipt of glasses the first time, another five weeks for corrected glasses.
I'm sure hoping my scores improve......

 

[MajorD]

Target. Needs to be blurry to begin with and sights sharp and the instant you discharge the pistol you should know where you bullet will land and regardless of a match or practice should never try to spot holes in targets with your naked eye. Trying to spot your holes on target causes several problems it takes your eyes off the sights where they should be, wastes time, strains the eyes and can cause you during courses of fire to subconsciously look over your sights to the target. Sights sharp the target a furry blob is exactly what you need to see. Whatever RX does that for you is correct, or as otherwise mentioned a sighting lens that makes your sights sharp and a non sighting lens to help with target index.

 

[kpoesq369]

I actually went with contacts. They offered bifocal, in either glasses or contacts, then sort of mentioned that they could set up contacts with my dominant eye having a focus point right about 30" from my eye, about where the sights are. Then they focused the left eye for distance viewing. Took about 3 days to get used to, but it's worked great for 15-20 years or so.

 

[DIYguy]

Latest and greatest update.
Was not happy with the bifocal shooting glasses so went a different route. After checking with a couple fellow run-n-guners in the Carry Optics division I was able to check out their guns. I was immediately sold on the Carry Optic idea. M&P9 CORE 5" with Vortex Viper red dot. Waiting on Oakley Flak 2.0 XL single vision prescription shooting glasses from my optometrist to arrive.
The combination of the CORE and the Viper I'm able to co-witness the sights plus the red dot. With the red dot I can focus on the target and still have a sharp dot on target.
Haven't had a chance to shoot a match yet but couple hundred rounds at the range so far and I'm liking it. Next live match is this coming Thursday, I'll find out then.

 

[StakeOut]

I started out my shooting career using Ray Bans with glass lens.They had the little circle in the middle.

In the mid 80s I switched to Decot Shooting Glasses with changeable lenses with no prescription.I now need a +1.25 correction for the eye to front sight distance and Decot makes them also.

 

[ronal.a.marshall]

I had the same problem went to my eye doctor and told him i would like a prescription that provide focus on the front site to long distance.

 

[H Richard]

At one point several years ago I did take my International Air Gun to my optometrists, office (called to make sure it was permissible first), and he measured the distance to make the front sight very clear. That worked for a period of time. As my eyes changed I went to no line trifocals, and had a very bad time for awhile. The red dot sight saved me from quitting bullseye altogether. As you age your eyes lose a lot of their elasticity and therefore your focus changes. The red dot equalizes that. I have a shelf full of different red dots I've used, and currently it is the Burris FastFire 3.

 

[Umami13]

Shooting glasses

I found a pair of glasses that have my reading glass precipitation mounted in the top part of the glass so I tilt my head slightly down and can pick up my sights and then look at target and fire works very well thought it would take awhile to get used to but not at all worked great for me now if I can remember what company it was. Bought on Amazon so shouldn't be hard to look up and cost was about 15.00 dollars so didn't break the bank...

 

[prairieviper]

I can still shoot iron sights pretty well with my regular, everyday progressive bifocals up to about 15 yards. After 15 yards, a red dot sight is a must. There is just no way I can look through bifocals at the clear front sight and see even a reasonable target image. I have tried compromises such as different prescriptions, special glasses, etc. to no avail. I finally decided that as far as target shooting goes, why fight it, use the red dot.

 

[ChiefStealth]

I have my bifocal Rx set so that I see a computer clearly at about 3ft. That also is the right focal distance to see my pistol sights clearly. I had the Optician raise the bifocal up 3mm from standard, so I don't have to tilt my head back when shooting. Works well for pistol. I would need something else for rifle. So, for rifle, I went to red dots.

 

[BAM-BAM]

I've got some shooting glasses with a bifocal in the upper left corner...... good for "targets" not so much for "action" shooting like IDPA......... as I move the target crosses the bifocal line and I see double..........

 

[CA Escapee]

I've worn progressive lenses for years. The problem I was having was I would tilt my head back for mid-distance through the progressive lens, to see the sights, or tilt my head down to see the targets out at the top part of the infinity lens. My nose was tilting up and down.

The shop I went to to fill my perscription used a WD-22 bifocal lens. The WD-22 has two fields. It has a bifocal shaped like the old style bifocal, flat line at the top, rounded at the bottom.

Old school bifocals normally sit at the bottom of the distance or infinity lens. Then you'd normally glance up or down to use either lens. With the WD-22 lens the bifocal can be moved anywhere on the infinity lens or even up side down. (rounded edge up)

The optical shop said plumbers and electricians use the WD-22's so they can glance upward to see their close work above their heads without having to tilt their noses at the ceiling like they would with a progressive.

On mine I had them move the bifocal lens, flat edge up, closer to the top of the infinity lens. That way I can hold my head level, use the mid-distance lens to look at the sights, then drop my head slightly to look out at the targets through the infinity lens. I can even look under the bifocal and see brass on the ground.

The WD-22 lens can be made up with a combination of lenses, reading/mid-distance, mid/infinity, reading/infinity, etc, with the bifocal placed anywhere on the lens.

It's worked pretty good for me, no raising my nose up and down, just a slight tilt.

Bill