Anyone Using Bifocal Reader Safety Glasses For Shooting?

[otisrush]

I think I'm concluding I need to get some reader level magnification in order to get a clear focus on the front sight.

Are any folks here using bifocal shooting glasses? I'm not looking to get anything fancy - in fact it appears what I think I want can be had for $14-$30 either at Amazon or other places.

I'm mostly interested in hearing from folks about the dual purpose. I'd like to be able to go from scoped shooting (no eye correction needed) to pistol/open sight rifle without changing glasses. For those using readers - do you typically find placement of the bifocal usable for shooting? Or do you have to tilt your head too far back to make using the reader portion for sighting practical?

Thanks.

OR

 

[Nightowl]

I have my Optometrist set me up with glasses that focus on the front sight of my most used gun, a 6 inch gun with Patridge sights. This is for my right eye. My left eye is set to a normal correction, both right and left lenses have reading bifocals so I can see up close without changing glasses. This has worked for me for about 15 years after I had Lasik surgery. It works for Cowboy Action and PPC style shooting. I have found it works fine for scopes and red dot sights without changing glasses.

The lenses are not exactly cheap, but I get the safety frames, which are very inexpensive. Don't know if that helps or not, but I can tell you I tried shooting with Varilux reading glasses and by the time I got the sights in focus I was looking at the moon. NO go!

 

[rockquarry]

Worn readers for a long time. For me, they won't work for open sight or aperture sight shooting at all. Bifocals work fine. The ones I use now are about a five- or six- year-old prescription. Not necessary to tilt head much if at all; never really thought about it.

 

[PeterJ]

I have been trying to figure this out for awhile. I put on the readers and the target goes all fuzzy, while with no glasses, the sights are all fuzzy. I seem to do best though with no glasses and fuzzy sights,,, go figure.

 

[Big Cholla]

My wife uses blended bi-focals that are sunglasses. She does not use the reader part of the lens for her front sight as she sees it just fine thru the upper distance part of the lens. She uses the reader portion for her gun handling/reloading needs. ........

 

[otisrush]

Thanks for the responses. For true reading (i.e 18" or so from my eyes) - I don't know how much I need - but I need something. I've done a bit of experimenting and for the 26"-30" distance (where a sight would be either for pistol or rifle) I just need 1.0 correction...much less than what I need for closer work. I bought some 1.0 readers today to experiment with using with my laptop when on my lap (26" distance) and they help immensely.

I just experimented with a few of my guns and the 1.0 magnification is great. AND they work fine with my scoped guns.

So I think I'm going to give these a go. They're safety glasses with the whole lens at 1.0 magnification. There are also top & bottom bifocals (clear in the middle, mag on the bottom, mag on the top) which I would bet would work well. It was very apparent when sighting an open-sight rifle looking through the bottom for a bifocal would be darn near impossible. But a top-of-lens bifocal might work very well.

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Elvex-Magnification-Ballistic-Microfiber-WELRX500C-1-0KIT2/dp/B01GZ2R6M6/ref=sr_1_59?ie=UTF8&qid=1501894919&sr=8-59&[/ame]

 

[Jebus35745]

I use a Merit optical device. I first used it on my shooting glasses and one day I tried it on my bifocals. Used it on the top distance part of the glasses. It's was actually better. Never tried it on my reading glasses. It's an easy piece to loose so be aware of it being there. I concentrate on the front sight only. Larry

 

[cfplinker]

I used the whole lens readers for years before my cataract surgery. Even then I often used a 5/64 diopter to increase the depth of field so that the target was sharper. After the cararact was removed I found that I could get by with just the diopter because the implanted lens took care of most of the correction.

One thing that I noticed is that the positioning of the diopter is different for rifles and pistol.

 

[rwsmith]

Use whatever it takes.....

I'm lucky in that as bad as my eyes are, after cataract surgery, I can shoot w/o correction because the gun sights are in good focus. I'd wear anything to be able to see to shoot.

 

[mtgianni]

I use prescription lenses with a line right at my front sight. I can move very slightly and have the focus vary between front sight and target. My optometrist had no problem with me bringing in a revolver without a cylinder.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I wear my bifocals at the range for eye protection and because if I'm ever attacked, I'm pretty sure I will be wearing my glasses.

For HD and SD I concentrate on point shooting so I don't really rely on sights.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

I'm cheap!I think that I better tell you right off the bat before any of you tell me!
Now for the subject...I had my wife measure up the distance from my face to the front sight of my 6'' model 14.I gave this to my optician telling her(and yes she is cute!!!)to make the tempered glass focused for that distance and to make the left eye tempered glass completely frosted so that I could shoot with both eye open.Now,for the ''I'm cheap'' part,I told her to mount the glasses in some old mounts I had saved.Total cost:if I remember correctly around $70.My scores went up by quite a few points.I can't leave home(for the shooting range)without it!
Qc

 

[paul641]

Keep em coming. Very good replies

 

[otisrush]

This might be "the bomb" product......

The set comes with lenses of the power you specify, as well as no-magnification lenses.....and they're switchable independently. So you could have correction for your dominant eye and no correction for the non-dominant eye.

And the magnified portion of the bifocal is on the *top* of the lens. I'm now pretty convinced that is the way to go....especially when you have your cheek down on the stock of a rifle. For both pistol and rifle I presume it'll be a lot easier to use magnification at the top of the lens rather than the bottom.

Top Focal™ Clear Interchangeable Kits – SSP Eyewear

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[swsig]

I had my bifocal prescription set into the lenses of my safety glasses. I use them for yard work as well as for shooting. The only value of the readers for me is for inspection and marking of my targets. I use the distance correction exclusively when I'm shooting. I have to tilt my head too far back to use the readers when shooting, and I shoot mostly between 15 and 25 yards where the readers would be useless for me. I'd need a trifocal lens with a middle distance correction to bring my sights into perfect focus, and it's not worth the trouble.

On a related issue, if you normally wear glasses, even ones with high impact lenses, you can't count on them to fully protect your eyes. My range allows the use of street glasses, but I discovered they can be dangerous. One time, I forgot to put on my safety glasses, and an ejected shell landed in the open space between the hinge of my street glasses and my eyebrow. Needless to say, I haven't forgotten my head-hugging safety glasses since!

 

[brigham33]

I have trifocals lenses, close for reading (or rifle scope), arms length for revolver sights and computer monitor, and traditional distance lenses.

 

[VNK971]

A couple of years ago, after I retired, I was using my regular bi-focals. As my eyes relaxed from not looking a a computer screen all day I didn't need the distance correction out past arms length and beyond, and my computer glasses worked. After reading some threads here I went from my computer glasses to Walmart 1.0 reading glasses. After reading this thread I ordered full reading safety glasses last night. My eye sight seems to be improving, probably to make up for my failing hearing.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I use a Merit optical device.

I wear my bifocals at the range for eye protection and because if I'm ever attacked, I'm pretty sure I will be wearing my glasses.

For HD and SD I concentrate on point shooting so I don't really rely on sights.

I wear no-line tri-focals all the time.

I tried someone's Merit device once, and found it dramatically increased my clear depth-of-field, the same as a tang aperture. If I was a bullseye shooter, I'd get it.

My M.O. is the same as Rusty's, and my point-shooting results at 7-10 yards are close enough to those from aimed fire that I'm satisfied.

 

[vytoland]

my latest pair of eye glasses are prescription bifocals with Trivex lens...they work fine for shooting and distance and the Trevix lens provide safety......but they are expensive.....

 

[Tex1001]

These have worked great for me for years. I also teach refrigeration classes at the college level, so I need them a bunch. I don't think you can beat the price.


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