Bifocal shooting?

[Hussky]

This is a rough draft but it works. I went over to the oil change store and ask if I could buy some stickers that they put on your wind shield to write the millage down. They gave me three of them. I cut a very small corner off one of them and cut a small square hole about the size of a BB. Make sure the patch you cut out is not transparent. I stuck it to my glasses above my line of sight and when I want to shot I just lower my glasses and look through the square and the gun sight and the target are not blurry. The small patch comes off easily. If you would want to try this just use a small piece of paper and put it over you eye and look at you sight and the target, it's like magic.
Of course you would not do this in the defense mode; all I do is use the dot on the laser.

Everthing looks so much better when it is clear. Doug from Florida

 

[Hussky]

One thing i forgot to mention is you have to try different size holes. i need a fairly small hole. the BB size works for me but a little smaller is better for me. Good luck. Doug from Florida

 

[Old cop]

While I'm only 64 I've dealt with this problem for awhile. During my LEO days my doc moved me to the transition, or no line, trifocals and they work great. The other suggestion that may work for a "young" fellow like you would be the drug store reading glasses that bring your front sight into focus. Best of luck . . . . . .

 

[Hussky]

That makes me feel good being a young fellow at 70. I have transition bifocals and my vision on the sights is OK, it's the target that is blurry with my glasses. but for some reason looking through a small hole brings both sights and target into focus. i will probably buy a Merit Optical Attachment unit. For me looking through a hole seems to work. I am sure this won't work for everyone. i can't wait to try it at the range.

 

[snowman]

Hussky,

I began to experience the same thing several years ago and ran across the Merit device on the internet and bought one. I couldn't believe the difference it made. It does the same thing as your stickers do; but it has a dial which adjusts the size of the aperture until everything comes into focus. The only shooting I do without it is defensive shooting.

I'm sure you'll find a satisfactory solution.

Andy

 

[Hussky]

Hussky,

I began to experience the same thing several years ago and ran across the Merit device on the internet and bought one. I couldn't believe the difference it made. It does the same thing as your stickers do; but it has a dial which adjusts the size of the aperture until everything comes into focus. The only shooting I do without it is defensive shooting.

I'm sure you'll find a satisfactory solution.

Andy

Thank You Andy
I really appreciate your comment. It is nice to see clearly, I am sure it will help my accuracy. Doug from Florida

 

[GrumpyBear]

Bifocal Shooting

Hussky, Thanks for asking about this.Although I'm a few years
younger(55).I have been wearing blended bifocals for about 10 years and fighting with them when shooting my pistols.Thanks to all the other posters for all the helpul information G.B.

 

[Moonman]

I use cheap reading glasses. I also have WAREHOUSE I believe they call them, safety glasses, they have the magnification at the bottom bi-focal location and also at the top of the lens. You just tilt your head slightly forward to see the front sight, instead of tilting your head backwards.

 

[Frailer]

I'm surprised this topic doesn't come up more often. I started wearing bifocals a couple of years ago, and learning to shoot passably well with them was tricky--and I'm still not completely satisfied. I may try a set of "computer glasses"; sounds like this might be just the thing.

 

[Hussky]

I'm surprised this topic doesn't come up more often. I started wearing bifocals a couple of years ago, and learning to shoot passably well with them was tricky--and I'm still not completely satisfied. I may try a set of "computer glasses"; sounds like this might be just the thing.

Have you tried looking through a tip of a pencil size hole in a piece of paper and then put it up to your face and point your pistol at a target and see if you can see the sights and the target as clear as a bell? I am just wondering if i am one of the lucky ones that this works for or isn't anyone else trying this? Just curious? Doug

 

[OKFC05]

Have you tried looking through a tip of a pencil size hole in a piece of paper and then put it up to your face and point your pistol at a target and see if you can see the sights and the target as clear as a bell? I am just wondering if i am one of the lucky ones that this works for or isn't anyone else trying this? Just curious? Doug

The idea is at least couple of hundred years old, and special apertures for shooting aids have been made in many forms, including attachment to eyeglasses. They "stop down" your eye much like with a camera lens, giving more depth of field. They are pretty much limited in usefulness to stationary shooting in bright light, since they also dim your view.

http://www.eabco.com/cgi-bin/shopper.exe?preadd=action&key=110-010

"The Merit eyeglass aperture attaches to your eyeglasses or shooting glasses and has an adjustable peep hole. Turn the outside and the hole gets larger or smaller. It allows you to fine tune your sight picture with open sights for the best clarity and visibility in all brightness conditions. It works exactly like a camera aperture or the pupil of your eye. Using no lens, the Merit adjusts the size of its hole or aperture you're looking through, changing the amount of light admitted to lengthen or shorten the depth of field."

 

[GyMac]

Lots of good ideas. I don't wear bifocals and was having trouble seeing the sights. The target was in focus, but not the sights. I read the suggestion to go back a prescription or two and give the old lenses a try. I dug out an old pair and Bingo! It worked fine. They are also the glasses I use for reading the computer screen.

 

[Hussky]

The idea is at least couple of hundred years old, and special apertures for shooting aids have been made in many forms, including attachment to eyeglasses. They "stop down" your eye much like with a camera lens, giving more depth of field. They are pretty much limited in usefulness to stationary shooting in bright light, since they also dim your view.

Merit Eyeglass Shooting Aperture

"The Merit eyeglass aperture attaches to your eyeglasses or shooting glasses and has an adjustable peep hole. Turn the outside and the hole gets larger or smaller. It allows you to fine tune your sight picture with open sights for the best clarity and visibility in all brightness conditions. It works exactly like a camera aperture or the pupil of your eye. Using no lens, the Merit adjusts the size of its hole or aperture you're looking through, changing the amount of light admitted to lengthen or shorten the depth of field."

I wasn't aware this idea was around that many years. i will probably buy the Merit system. but for now i am going to try the small piece of stick on plastic just above my line of sight and when i am shooting i just drop my glasses a 1/2" and i am looking through the little hole. i just bought a leather Punch at Lowe's that has several different size holes ($9.00) and it works fine. so right now i have $9.00 invested and i don't have a contraption hanging from my glasses. i hope it works. if it doesn't well i just went on a diet and i hope i will need a leather punch for my belt size reduction, but don't bet on it. Thanks for all the info on this subject it is interesting reading. Doug

 

[Deanintemp]

I just thought of someting; has anyone ever tried contacts with mono vision? Thank You Doug from Florida

I use contacts with mono-vision and love it. I am near sighted and am able to read up close and see far away without any time delay and/or issues. I recently purchased bi-focal for the first time and had them replace the lenses with regulars...I only use my glasses for emergency!

 

[Hussky]

I went to the range yesterday and tried out the small circle patch on the glasses and it works. i could see the front, rear sight and the target all clear. I am shooting tighter groups now, it could be just more confidence when the target is clear. It just seams like an easy fix. I also desided that i want to go all 9mm, so i am looking for a small 9mm pocket gun and i am selling the New Sig P238 (380mm). Thanks for all the comments Doug

 

[Richbmw]

I also found that my computer glasses work perfectly for target shooting. The distance to the screen is almost exactly the same as the distance to the front sight. And you can buy them for under $10 in most drug stores or in Sam's club (4 pair for under $20.)

 

[Hussky]

I also found that my computer glasses work perfectly for target shooting. The distance to the screen is almost exactly the same as the distance to the front sight. And you can buy them for under $10 in most drug stores or in Sam's club (4 pair for under $20.)

Thats great Rich. Is the target also clear? Thanks Doug

 

[JohnnieB]

I had cataract surgery on both eyes a while back and chose to have near perfect distance vision and continue to wear glasses for reading and computer work.

YMMV, but I find glasses that bring the sights into sharp focus at arms length, throw the target so far out of focus at anything beyond ~7 yards, that hitting anything smaller than a softball is more accidental than intentional.

I haven't tried the Camera Obscura trick yet, but I've gone to plano lenses in my eye protection and have been learning to shoot at clear targets through slightly fuzzy sights.

What has helped me the most so far is adding a light-colored "U" to the rear blade and a small light-colored dot to the front blade of the open sights that don't already have them, or something similar.

If I was going to shoot competitively, I would most likely try some other things, but shooting for fun, like I do, clear targets and fuzzy sights are good enough for my purposes.

Also, I haven't seen this method mentioned yet. Jerry Miculek has one lens for near vision, one lens for distance vision and keeps both eyes open.

John

 

[Hussky]

I had cataract surgery on both eyes a while back and chose to have near perfect distance vision and continue to wear glasses for reading and computer work.

YMMV, but I find glasses that bring the sights into sharp focus at arms length, throw the target so far out of focus at anything beyond ~7 yards, that hitting anything smaller than a softball is more accidental than intentional.

I haven't tried the Camera Obscura trick yet, but I've gone to plano lenses in my eye protection and have been learning to shoot at clear targets through slightly fuzzy sights.

What has helped me the most so far is adding a light-colored "U" to the rear blade and a small light-colored dot to the front blade of the open sights that don't already have them, or something similar.

If I was going to shoot competitively, I would most likely try some other things, but shooting for fun, like I do, clear targets and fuzzy sights are good enough for my purposes.

Also, I haven't seen this method mentioned yet. Jerry Miculek has one lens for near vision, one lens for distance vision and keeps both eyes open.

John

John
just for the heck of it try putting a BB size hole in a piece of paper with a pencil and hold the paper up to your face and then look down at your sights and pick a target to point your sights at about 20 feet away and see if that works. it sure works for my old eyes. boy that was a long breath.

 

[Spence the Elder]

Bifocals just don't cut it when shooting a pistol. Trifocals work better but in all honesty, if I'm shooting at targets 20' or less I take my glasses off. I focus on both front and rear and while the target is a bit of a blur, if I aim at the same spot of the blur each time I get a fairly consistent 3-4" grouping at 15-20'.