Rifle Scopes Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

[Tactical22]

Unfortunately, my eyes are not perfect. Not bad, but not perfect (I would love to get surgery some time, but anyway). 25-50yds and in with irons, I'm probably better off shooting without glasses, as I feel they slow me down as I try to accomodate to focus on the front sight and I can still easily ID a target at 25-50 without glasses. With a red dot it is a bit of a wash, because while I feel it is faster without glasses, I have a small astigmatism, and the red dot tends to bloom on me without glasses.

Also, when I use rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and binoculars, my preferred tendency is to remove my glasses and adjust the optic to fit my vision. My reasoning here is that there is little point in paying for good glass if you are looking through cheap, , dirty, scratched up lenses on your glasses. However, when I use these magnified optics, I am looking at something far away

and it would be nice to be able to SEE it when I am not looking through the optic...

Any advice? What do you do?

 

[Redmanss]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

Get contact lenses. With my astigmatism I use the gas permeable types and my vision corrects to 20/12. They're a pain to get used to, you have to take them out nightly and they're not dust friendly at all, but I'm incredibly annoyed now by only 20/20 vision with my glasses.

Another benefit to the rigid contacts is they slow/stop your eyes from getting any worse. Basically they hold our eye in place preventing it from getting any further out of shape. I've used the same contacts for years at a time.

In any case, you should still be looking through some type of lens on your face when shooting, that is if you like your eyesight at all. Use eye protection...

 

[oldfatguy]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

Less then perfect vision is a fact of life for many over 40 and most over 50 - and it only gets worse.

I used to take my glasses off and focus the eyepiece on the scopes. That worked until my eyes got bad enough that I ran out of adjustment on the scope and couldn't read or see detail up close anyway.

The astigmatism makes the Eotech red dots pretty big and fuzzy so I wear my glasses with them also.

Might as well accept the condition of old eyes and wear the glasses. Besides, they do serve as eye protection as well.

OFG

 

[Tactical22]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Might as well accept the condition of old eyes and wear the glasses. Besides, they do serve as eye protection as well.
</div></div>

Haha, this made me laugh - I'm 23

 

[Tactical22]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

Red - I hate contacts. I have tried them, hated them, went without them, tried them, hated them, went without them, etc. several times. Between all the dust at work in the cabinet shop, and active outdoor lifestyle, I just don't think they are for me

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

A few things:

1) Get your eyes checked regularly. When I was your age, my eyes were changing rather rapidly. Now that I'm in my mid-30s, they've settled down quite a bit.

2) Find an optometrist that understands your needs, and make sure you are clear in communicating those needs. I ask my eye doc for two separate prescriptions - a "weaker" one that is optimized for close-in work (such as sitting at a computer), and a "stronger" one (about -0.75 beyond the close-in one) for driving and shooting. You're young enough that you might get by with a single set of eyewear... for now

Make sure that your eye doc understands the importance of eye relief, and sets up your corrective eyewear accordingly.

3) Make sure that your lenses are in good shape, obviously. Learn good cleaning habits - treat them as you would a fine piece of optics, because they are. I highly recommend high-index lenses and the best anti-reflective coating that you can afford. Since you work in a shop, get a separate set of glasses that can be sacrificed to the scratches that come with dirt/dust/grime, and keep a pristine pair for the range.

4) When looking through a scope, get your head position correct such that you are looking through the optical center of the eyewear lens. If you don't, you will not get proper image correction. This is really important!

 

[Tactical22]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

Thanks.

Any advice on specific frames/lenses?

 

[Twitch2120]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

most eye places will set you up with prescription lenses in just about any frame you want. a friend of mine has a script in his oakley's. i know for shooting the ideal lens has a yellow/orange tint to it but i dont know the specifics.

 

[Guns4570]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

Been there done that. Part of it depends on how bad your eyes are. If you have really bad eyes...you cannot put lenses into Oakleys etc..that wrap around your head. They cannot gring the optical center to work in those kind of frames. Don't ask me how I know. Probably the best thing is to get single vision Rx into a Rx set of shooting frames. They make them. I should do the same. With at bad as my eyes are and as dry as they are...contacts and Laser surgery are not options.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

Do what you can to correct your vision seprate from the shooting optics, They are oprimized for normal/corrected vision.

Be aware that the average shooter is actually looking up at a higher angle through corrective lenses into their shooting optics than they would otherwise be in daily life, and this can affect how the corrective lenses are configured regarding their optical center, nosepiece adjustment, and lens dimensions. Most optometrists undestand this and can help you with this at the time your eyes are examined for their proper prescription, and when you come in for final fitting

Greg

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tactical .22</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thanks.

Any advice on specific frames/lenses? </div></div>

If you are using these solely for shooting, you can get a number of different frames intended for safety glasses. You won't win any style points, but they can be had rather inexpensively. My local eyewear place will get you out the door with a pair of prescription safety glasses for around $60 if you forgo fancy high-index lenses and coatings, and you can find stuff online for even less.

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Do what you can to correct your vision seprate from the shooting optics, They are oprimized for normal/corrected vision.</div></div>

Yep - or at least true for optics. When you get to iron sights, it may be better to get a prescription that is optimized for focusing on the front sight.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Be aware that the average shooter is actually looking up at a higher angle through corrective lenses into their shooting optics than they would otherwise be in daily life, and this can affect how the corrective lenses are configured regarding their optical center, nosepiece adjustment, and lens dimensions. </div></div>

I've found this to be true for shooting rifles from the prone position, but I tend to look through the center of my eyeglass lenses when standing or sitting. If you shoot from a variety of positions, it may be best to set up your eyewear so it is "neutral", and instead make the adjustments elsewhere (such as coming up off the ground a bit in the prone position).

Like everything else involving corrective eyewear, it's all a matter of picking the least-bad compromise

 

[Just Jim]

Re: Shooting techniques with imperfect vision

I'm in the same boat, but I'm in the mid "fifties," so it's not much of a surprise.

Behind the rifle, I dial the scope's diopter adjustment so I can see the reticle crisply without glasses. I find it vastly better to shoot without eye protection - but I don't do so. I found some safety glasses with a small bi-focal lens.

It's an imperfect solution, but I can see through corrected lens for running the elevation turret and mildot master, etc.

Don't shoot without those protective lenses!

Cheers... Jim