My eyes really suck bad, so I either have to wear contacts or glasses to see. I’m thinking about wearing exclusively glasses because I feel like my eyes need a rest from contacts for a while, and I was wondering what effect putting an eyeglass lens between your eye and some high dollar scope glass would have on image clarity, CA, parallax, etc. Not to mention all eyeglasses also have tons of coatings on them for anti glare, non-scratch, and the like. Does anyone have experience with negative effects of wearing eyeglasses while shooting through scopes? I couldn’t find this topic anywhere, so if you have any good info, let me know.
-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
Rifle Scopes Eyeglasses and Scopes: Does it make a difference?
- Thread starter calamjn
- Start date
My eyesight is only a little bit crap but I wear contacts or glasses 99% of the time.
Other than glasses being a pain in the arse I've not noticed a difference between the two, definitely prefer contacts from a practical perspective as once they are in I don't need to worry about them.
Unless you have been told specifically to have a break from contacts I don't see any reason to ditch them all together.
I don't have the best relationship with contacts, so wear glasses a lot of the time and only use contacts at times when glasses are nuisance.
Provided you give your eyes a break at a minimum of a few hours each day, you should be fine.
Unless your optometrist says you need to stop wearing them.
Other than glasses being a pain in the arse I've not noticed a difference between the two, definitely prefer contacts from a practical perspective as once they are in I don't need to worry about them.
Unless you have been told specifically to have a break from contacts I don't see any reason to ditch them all together.
I don't have the best relationship with contacts, so wear glasses a lot of the time and only use contacts at times when glasses are nuisance.
Provided you give your eyes a break at a minimum of a few hours each day, you should be fine.
Unless your optometrist says you need to stop wearing them.
Yes you will still shoot fine with the exception of maybe struggling with prone. I actually just picked up a brand new grind with -8.0 and have astigmatisms and about 2 years out from cataract surgery. Back in November my right eye had a full vitreous detachment and I have 2 giant floaters that constantly require me to move my eye around to get them out of the reticle center. The biggest delay for me b/t shots the last few months has been re-orienting my floaters out of my target and yet it's a PITA, but I still see 20/20 out the exact center of my glasses. Not saying it's easy, but even with all this I can still shoot fine. Problem I fight is up until about 3 years ago I could look through any part of my lens and still see relatively well. Now I have to be looking through a spot about the size of a dime at most to get 20/20.....beyond that margin clarity is just awful hence my struggles with prone. I will say this it's made me really really good at nailing the exact same head position/rifle/shoulder every single time it has to be spot on the money my margin for error ain't much.
Good God man, I thought I had it bad. All my doctors did was tell me I wasn’t a candidate for LASIK. I’ll likely be in the same boat as you though one day. But thanks for the advice. What type of reticle do you use? War Eagle by the way!
Yeah, my because of my high prescription and astigmatism, the contacts I wear use a thicker and less breathable material than most others. I’ve been wearing them now for 20+ years and because they don’t breath my corneas have grown additional blood vessels to get oxygen. So my optometrist told me I need to alternate days with contacts and glasses. One day on, one day off. But as long as it won’t effect shooting I’m ok with glasses most of the time.
WAR EAGLE! I use the SCR-mil on a Burris XTR II. Dial elevation and hold windage....tried several tree reticles and I could certainly use one, but just prefer the look of the tree-less. Through all this I also learned how to adjust parallax properly thanks to my buddy @Mike Casselton who gave me a great lesson in how hugely that can effect outcomes down range. I don't know if it's more pronounced with my issues or not, but man it's my go to move every time to patiently dial in parallax until I get no movement. We are limited in distance right now so we've chosen to make smaller targets our goal and have a rack of golf balls hanging on strings at 300....this was the greatest parallax lesson ever.
these aren't the cheapest , nor the most expensive I have seen online
www.esseyepro.com
not positive if it was these or another that you could get your eye glass prescription added to the lenses . good luck which ever brand you go with .
ESS Eye Pro - Ballistic Goggles - Ballistic Sunglasses - Military Eyewear - Eye Protection - Shooting Glasses | ESS EyePro
ESS ballistic sunglasses, eyeshields and goggles for Military, Law Enforcement, Firefighting, Shooting and Hunting. ANSI Z87.1 eye protection.
www.esseyepro.com
I know that it’s often hard to search the exact topic you need, but we have had a number of threads addressing in this topic here. At least once or twice a year. Bottom line in all this is that once you get your scope(s) set up right for glasses, assuming you don’t have other major issues like @8pointer, you will shoot just fine with glasses.
As said above, controlling parallax is important, though I think it just manifests more with glasses and some people without glasses are missing this point at times. The other very important part when using glasses is to make sure that your diopter is set correctly in your scope(s).
I have progressive trifocals and have used glasses my whole life, so for me there was no option. I just learned how to make it work for me and moved on. A couple of hints to make scope setup easier:
As said above, controlling parallax is important, though I think it just manifests more with glasses and some people without glasses are missing this point at times. The other very important part when using glasses is to make sure that your diopter is set correctly in your scope(s).
I have progressive trifocals and have used glasses my whole life, so for me there was no option. I just learned how to make it work for me and moved on. A couple of hints to make scope setup easier:
- Depending upon how low your current scope is on the rifle, you may benefit from a set of higher scope rings/mount. Many shooters have a really low cheek mount on the rifle and squash their head down to get a sight picture.
- Don’t be afraid to raise up that scope and your cheek rest a bit. Get a more square relationship between your scope and your eyes so that you don’t have to look through the topmost portion of you lenses all of the time.
- Depending upon the scope lens prescription, diopter setting can sometimes be tricky at first and it could take you a couple trips to get the diopter adjusted just right for your eye, eyeglass, scope combination. Steiner scopes gave me a fit at first, but once I got the diopter right, all was good with the world.
- Like all other system setups, with glasses or without, get your rifle set up properly to ensure that every time you get on glass the picture is just right without having to play turtle to get a good sight picture.
ive tried several times to shoot with my glasses on and can not do it...my eye focuses back and forth from the scope to the glasses if that makes sense.
That’s because you are setup to shoot without glasses. You do have to adjust your scope and setup specifically for your glasses or you handicap your chances negatively in favor of your original setup without glasses. It’s a commitment thing.
ive set the scope up with my glasses and its the same out come every time it just dont work for me....my right eye is bad.
I’d have to see exactly what you are doing in order to help out, but I’ll just say that when you are set up correctly for glasses and scope, you shouldn’t be able to actually see you glasses lens. How far away from your eye do you wear your glasses anyway?
With a proper setup, the only thing you should be able to see at all is the through-the-scope sight picture. If you are wearing your glasses correctly, you should not be able to “see” your glasses.
This is not a criticism. It’s an observation based on experience and deeper knowledge gained from learning from my optician wife. You are not alone. My shooting buddy doesn’t wear glasses much, but really needs to be wearing them now. His lack of commitment to wearing glasses leaves him unable to adjust to shooting with them. It’s largely mental on his part and he really won’t let me work with him because I think he is still not happy with the fact that he now needs to use them. It’s a common reaction to the change.
In any case, I’m sorry that you cannot make it work for you. Though if I worked with you one-on-one with that specific goal in mind and you truly wanted to be able to shoot with your glasses on, I’m sure that it could be accomplished.
With a proper setup, the only thing you should be able to see at all is the through-the-scope sight picture. If you are wearing your glasses correctly, you should not be able to “see” your glasses.
This is not a criticism. It’s an observation based on experience and deeper knowledge gained from learning from my optician wife. You are not alone. My shooting buddy doesn’t wear glasses much, but really needs to be wearing them now. His lack of commitment to wearing glasses leaves him unable to adjust to shooting with them. It’s largely mental on his part and he really won’t let me work with him because I think he is still not happy with the fact that he now needs to use them. It’s a common reaction to the change.
In any case, I’m sorry that you cannot make it work for you. Though if I worked with you one-on-one with that specific goal in mind and you truly wanted to be able to shoot with your glasses on, I’m sure that it could be accomplished.
I have been barreling this issue for years. In the past I have just used contacts. I have now switched to prescription safety glasses.
Contacts
Pros:
No figment issues with respect to rifle
No additional potential surface to clean
cons:
Poor optical clarity
Still need safety glasses (if you care)
Sensitive to dust and dry weather
glasses
Pros:
No need for additional poor optical clarity safety glasses
Superior optical clarity
Not subject to dry conditions
cons:
Subject to wet condition issues
Can interfere with rifle figment
High cost
for me the pros of glasses outweigh the cons. If you need corrective lenses, there is no good answer. You will have to decide for yourself. For me I choose to have eye-protection, so the choice is much easier.
Contacts
Pros:
No figment issues with respect to rifle
No additional potential surface to clean
cons:
Poor optical clarity
Still need safety glasses (if you care)
Sensitive to dust and dry weather
glasses
Pros:
No need for additional poor optical clarity safety glasses
Superior optical clarity
Not subject to dry conditions
cons:
Subject to wet condition issues
Can interfere with rifle figment
High cost
for me the pros of glasses outweigh the cons. If you need corrective lenses, there is no good answer. You will have to decide for yourself. For me I choose to have eye-protection, so the choice is much easier.
I just have normal glasses since the sixth grade, I’m no freak of vision, but once I set my scopes up they are good to go. It may not be optimal for the next guy to look through it but he can get his own rifle, this one is mine and it’s set for me lol
That's really funny b/c both of the guys I shoot with weekly wear readers, but have their glass set up so they don't have to wear any readers. Should someone who has 20/20 look through their glass they say 'what the heck?'. Like......ME who has hilariously bad vision w/o correction, but with glasses I'm 20/20. That's why when someone wants to shoot my rifle and they say 'your reticle is all messed up I can't see it clearly' I know they need some magnitude of vision correction. I will let anyone shoot my rifle......AS IS. No cheek riser, LOP or glass changes. Hard enough as it is to get it right!
I've worn glasses since I was 22 and I've always been into the shooting sports. Recently, I've had to change the size of frame of my glasses, from medium/lighter to a larger/heavier style, (the mid-frame style, cut the ocular in half, when looking thru scope). I've lined up behind a scope for quite a few years and only minor issues. Once my eye relief and ocular are set, I'm GtG. The only issue I encounter now, is sometimes when I'm behind the gun, my glasses will slide down my nose and I'll have to push them back up (tried every variation of nose pads, same results), more of an annoyance, really. Other than that, I can see (pardon the pun), if you are a "run & gun" type, then something custom, as mentioned above, I think, would be the way to go. Good luck! Mac
Dont know about eyeglasses....but i can tell you a tale of sunglasses. Made the mistake of shooting with them on and didnt realize it. Rounds were striking about 3 inches to the left. Made the adjustment, went to shoot the conformation group, and i was shooting way to the right. I was seriously scratching my head.
My 14 year old son said “you shot the first group with your glasses, the second without.” Sure enough, that was the problem.
My 14 year old son said “you shot the first group with your glasses, the second without.” Sure enough, that was the problem.
so i tried again today and you are correct in i must of been doing something wrong in the past...i did not play long but did adjust scope and fire a couple of rounds and im 99% sure i could adjust i just need a pair that are taller and the top or bigger around because im looking half through the glasses and half over the top of them when on scope...thanks for the tips!
I’m worse than @8pointer as I have -10.5 eyes, astigmatism, had had glasses since 2 grade, and floaters FOREVER. Just got word that I am developing cataracts too. Weeeeeee…
The floaters have really gotten bad lately (not retina detachment bad, don’t worry). I’m starting to notice them even when night driving. And I sympathize with having to flick your eyes around to get a short clear, floater-free view.
But, I can hit stuff, and so will you.
The floaters have really gotten bad lately (not retina detachment bad, don’t worry). I’m starting to notice them even when night driving. And I sympathize with having to flick your eyes around to get a short clear, floater-free view.
But, I can hit stuff, and so will you.
D
Deleted member 10043
Guest
I've had a number of times when I've sighted in a rifle wearing my eyeglasses and then when I shoot wearing contacts the scope zero has shifted 2-3 inches low-left. I came to the conclusion looking through the curvature of my eyeglass upper lenses might be the cause. As previously suggested, I try to be more conscious of looking through the "center" of my eyeglasses when shooting.
Didn’t see anyone address this so I’ll be the guinea pig. I have always had 20/15 vision and never required glasses until about 2 years ago. Now I have to wear readers for anything closer than about 12-15 inches. I was also given a prescription for nighttime that makes distant objects during night AND day look like I went from a tube TV to 4k - I see more fine detail. That being said, when I setup my scope I don’t wear any glasses, I adjust the diopter for my eye until things look sharp and reticle in focus. Is this wrong? Should I be wearing my distance (my ignorance of proper terminology shows hear) glasses when I adjust my diopter as well as when I shoot? I always thought that was part of the diopter adjustment - to correct for any vision issues?
to the OP, most shooters shoot with safety glasses which most likely are less quality than your prescriptions, I’d say you should have no issue with your glasses messing up the IQ of your scope. My only thought would be with progressive glasses and the distortion they create between the transition zone.
to the OP, most shooters shoot with safety glasses which most likely are less quality than your prescriptions, I’d say you should have no issue with your glasses messing up the IQ of your scope. My only thought would be with progressive glasses and the distortion they create between the transition zone.
In my opinion, you should set up the diopter while wearing the glasses that you will be shooting with. It’s simply that when you put on your glasses, you change the focal point of your eyes to the corrected focal point. Yes, diopter is used to fine tune to your specific eye, but that correction is for you as you will be shooting.
Think about it for a minute. The typical diopter adjustment range in a scope might be about +/-3.00 and cannot correct for astigmatism. Many prescriptions are way higher/lower than 3.00. Also, you are introducing another lens into the system with your glasses. To be correctly set up, that lens needs to be part of the system setup.
Think about it for a minute. The typical diopter adjustment range in a scope might be about +/-3.00 and cannot correct for astigmatism. Many prescriptions are way higher/lower than 3.00. Also, you are introducing another lens into the system with your glasses. To be correctly set up, that lens needs to be part of the system setup.
With regards to shooting with progressive lenses, which I do, it’s not much different than anything else. In that you have to set up on the stock the same for every shot, as much as is possible. This is really no different than shooting without glasses. That’s why setting up your rifle and scope to fit you properly is always so important, whether using glasses or not.
That’s good info. I guess I’ll make my eyes happier and switch to glasses.
Used to wear glasses but had Lasik years ago which resulted in very good distance vision but need cheaters to see up close. Left eye is not as sharp as before and wound up getting a pair of Ranger Edge bifocal glasses for shooting. Lots easier to read the turrets and and other things. Most of the comps require eye pro be worn and in the habit of just wearing them when I shoot. Don't like wearing sunglasses especially polarized when shooting.
funny you mentioned about giving your eyes a rest from contacts. I’ve worn contacts exclusively for about 8 years, and due to work (construction) I’ve stopped using contacts and started using glasses because I was prone to eye infections from dust, saw dust, etc.
I’ve been wearing glasses now for a year, very happy I made the switch, I’ve learned to get over having glasses on my face and they even make prescription safety/shooting glasses. Never noticed a difference from the switch between glasses and contacts in regards to a scope
I’ve been wearing glasses now for a year, very happy I made the switch, I’ve learned to get over having glasses on my face and they even make prescription safety/shooting glasses. Never noticed a difference from the switch between glasses and contacts in regards to a scope
i know it's nuts, but i'm kind of ready and not ready for my cataract surgery. i *should* see like a stud after, but with my roundish eyeball shape i'm a high risk for detached retina. i had a ton of flashes with my vitreous detachment on right eye they are gone now for the most part.....had a couple of check ups looks to be pulling away from retina cleanly and it's been 4ish months. apparently once i have the cataract surgery my chances of a retinal detachment go waaaaaay up for the rest of my life.
Interesting. My father, after his double cataract surgeries (one of which was botched, misalignment, caused great vision stress) he had three retina detachments. He has eyes like mine. The eye that fell apart twice never was the same. The vision was like a puzzle that was pulled apart.
You said “round” eyeball…I think you mean football shaped. People with extreme nearsightedness have loooong football shaped eyeballs; extreme farsided people have flatish ones. If the eye is too long or too short the lens can’t compensate to align the light rays on the retina. Aaaannnd then you need glasses.
People with good eyes have eye shapes in-between; more round.
And a side note to this post, which is already a side note: You might ask, why do extreme nearsided people have more risk for retina detachment? It’s the football shaped long eyeball. As the eye gets more nearsighted, the retina doesn’t keep pace and stretches (gets thinner/less strongly attached). And gravity pulls stronger on the retina’s top section as it slowly, over time, becomes more parallel to the ground due to “footballing”.
I know that any eye surgery increases retina detachment risk, but I had never heard that the risk goes up and stays up one’s whole life. Is that what you mean? And why? Is it something to do with cat-surgery + vitreous detachment, or just about cataract surgery itself?
You said “round” eyeball…I think you mean football shaped. People with extreme nearsightedness have loooong football shaped eyeballs; extreme farsided people have flatish ones. If the eye is too long or too short the lens can’t compensate to align the light rays on the retina. Aaaannnd then you need glasses.
People with good eyes have eye shapes in-between; more round.
And a side note to this post, which is already a side note: You might ask, why do extreme nearsided people have more risk for retina detachment? It’s the football shaped long eyeball. As the eye gets more nearsighted, the retina doesn’t keep pace and stretches (gets thinner/less strongly attached). And gravity pulls stronger on the retina’s top section as it slowly, over time, becomes more parallel to the ground due to “footballing”.
I know that any eye surgery increases retina detachment risk, but I had never heard that the risk goes up and stays up one’s whole life. Is that what you mean? And why? Is it something to do with cat-surgery + vitreous detachment, or just about cataract surgery itself?
Last edited:
correct i think elliptical was the word he used....not enough coffee in yet sorry. i was told once i have the cataract dsurgery my risk for detachment goes up and that risk won't go away. not that it get a higher chance of a detachment every year just that once i have that surgery my risk is X.....and it stays there til the end. i go back in june so will get more clarification on the cataract/retinal detachment risk. since last fall i've been more in tune with the 2 giant floaters that settled right in the middle of my vision from the detached vitreous. since i'm still a couple years out from cataract and htere is nothing I can do about it i'm 'oh well' about it currently.
It's been my experience that getting "older" and shooting RDS's and scopes changes over the yrs depending on what eye conditions you may, or may not have. In my case I was diagnosed with Keratoconus, so a misshapen cornea, the cornea continues to form into a "point" rather than stay the shape of a "dish". The treatment is to use a riboflavin solution and using UV light harden the cornea and stop it or at least slow it down. I have a fairly advanced astigmatism in my left eye, and I am an armourer by trade so shooting both pistols, and rifles with optics and RDS's was an everyday operation.
My doctor fitted me with scleral contact lens (Google it, that's easier), so the short answer is that the contact lens sits on a layer of saline only and few microns thick. The saline fills in the surface of my cornea, and enables the lens to have a clean slate to correct the "flaws" in my cornea. Fitting took a bit of time as my optometrist was somewhat inexperienced in prescribing them. However after using them for a couple of yrs, I couldn't see me doing my job without them. I still wear "cheaters" to see the front sight on pistols, however scopes and RDS's are OK, with the latter, I'm usually using the BUIS or a magnifier to "clean up the dot".
It's not a 'magic bullet" but it it's a huge improvement over glasses, and I have 20/20 vision. I had a medical condition which I didn't know about, so I caught it late in life, however those were the cards I was dealt.
I've tried prism sights, however once the etched reticle was illuminated it wasn't that "crisp" for me. YMMV.
Good Luck.
My doctor fitted me with scleral contact lens (Google it, that's easier), so the short answer is that the contact lens sits on a layer of saline only and few microns thick. The saline fills in the surface of my cornea, and enables the lens to have a clean slate to correct the "flaws" in my cornea. Fitting took a bit of time as my optometrist was somewhat inexperienced in prescribing them. However after using them for a couple of yrs, I couldn't see me doing my job without them. I still wear "cheaters" to see the front sight on pistols, however scopes and RDS's are OK, with the latter, I'm usually using the BUIS or a magnifier to "clean up the dot".
It's not a 'magic bullet" but it it's a huge improvement over glasses, and I have 20/20 vision. I had a medical condition which I didn't know about, so I caught it late in life, however those were the cards I was dealt.
I've tried prism sights, however once the etched reticle was illuminated it wasn't that "crisp" for me. YMMV.
Good Luck.
Last edited:
As usual, it depends. My experience with glasses and my prescription using progressives caused a shift in my "true" sight alignment and how my eye saw the target in relation to the reticle as it moved when dialing the turret and moving the erector assembly. I was fortunate in finding this out and did so when doing a scope turret test and seeing all of my impacts moving higher and more right the more elevation and windage I dialed with the turrets. Evidently when dialing and moving the location of the reticle with the erector assembly, the image of the reticle was moving to a different location on the progressive lens causing me to have a different sight picture and thus a different POI from my POA. I remedied this by not wearing my prescription glasses when shooting and using regular safety glasses; downside is that I cannot see well enough without my prescription glasses to read the turrets so I have to hold more often than most.
Again, this was my experience wearing progressives. Hopefully you will have less issue with learning to shoot with glasses. One more thing, depending on how you position your head in relation to your cheek weld, your lens size and glass's frames can sometimes cause issues by obstructing your field of view. YMMV
I wear no line bifocals and my eyes are changing a lot lately as I'm developing cataracts. Actually my vision is improving and my eye Dude called it "Second Sight" as the cataract develops it changing the shape of the eye lens such that my vision is getting better until I develop a full blown cataract maybe another 15 years out.
Anyway, I have to change my prescription every year and that means new glasses and an adjustment to the scope to compensate. I was having a problem with throwing one shot out of 5 and I knew it was my fault but couldn't figure out why until I switched to in-the-ear protection and gave up the muffs.....the hearing protection muffs were exerting enough pressure on the temple of my glasses to very subtly move my glasses so that even when my head position and cheek weld was exact, the glasses and thus my vision were changing due to tiny shifts caused by the muffs contacting the stock.
Changed to in the ear hearing protection and got rid of the intermittent fliers. All due to shifting of the glasses and the "sweet spot" for the near vision.
Just passing it along.
VooDoo
Anyway, I have to change my prescription every year and that means new glasses and an adjustment to the scope to compensate. I was having a problem with throwing one shot out of 5 and I knew it was my fault but couldn't figure out why until I switched to in-the-ear protection and gave up the muffs.....the hearing protection muffs were exerting enough pressure on the temple of my glasses to very subtly move my glasses so that even when my head position and cheek weld was exact, the glasses and thus my vision were changing due to tiny shifts caused by the muffs contacting the stock.
Changed to in the ear hearing protection and got rid of the intermittent fliers. All due to shifting of the glasses and the "sweet spot" for the near vision.
Just passing it along.
VooDoo
My eyes, glasses and shooting frustrate the hell out of me! I also have a strong astigmatism. I wear progressives glasses, but they didn't work for me shooting. For shooting...I've set up my strong side lens at 'front sight' distance...approx 24" and my support side lens for distance. Single vision. This way I can actually see my reticle and turrets and attached DOPE card. It seems to work well within 600yds. After that, no amount of parallax adjustment brings the target image sharp. And the reticle lines are just too small under about 8x.
I'm not sure how to address that.
I'm not sure how to address that.
So, if I’m understanding correctly, your right lens is set for 24” (pretend you’re right handed) and your left is set for distance.My eyes, glasses and shooting frustrate the hell out of me! I also have a strong astigmatism. I wear progressives glasses, but they didn't work for me shooting. For shooting...I've set up my strong side lens at 'front sight' distance...approx 24" and my support side lens for distance. Single vision. This way I can actually see my reticle and turrets and attached DOPE card. It seems to work well within 600yds. After that, no amount of parallax adjustment brings the target image sharp. And the reticle lines are just too small under about 8x.
I'm not sure how to address that.
- Do you ever actually use iron sights?
- Maybe try this turret magnifier, write larger on the dope card, and use regular lenses? https://mkmachining.com/product/turret-magnifier/
- Or instead of writing larger, you could use a flip down magnifier that clips on your glasses (or ballcap brim?), like those cheesy sunglasses. I use these when woodworking. Perhaps you could use them only on one eye? You could still use the turret mag. Here’s an example, no idea on quality: https://www.amazon.com/Flip-up-Magnifying-Reading-Glasses-Diopter/dp/B002ULI5SQ
- You could also jury rig a flat plastic magnifier over your dope card with some standoffs: https://www.amazon.com/ZXUY-Credit-...qid=1583769826&sprefix=flat+plastic+ma&sr=8-8
- Sounds like you use a FFP scope. Either you need thicker lines and tapered main stadia (like a Leupold CCH, aka combat competition hunting) or a SFP scope.
Not my pic. I’m guessing 10x-12x (I own a Mark 5 5-25x56mm with the CCH).
I’m guessing around 5x. Let me know if you want me to check my scope.
I actually don’t like the CCH because it’s too thick for prairie dog shooting. Might up up your alley, though.
Last edited:
My ophthalmologist just set me up with one-a-day contacts with astigmatism correction. Technology finally caught up to my rx. I only use contacts for skiing, but with these I might try them for shooting.
I really like your explanation about muffs moving one’s glasses. At my rx, fractions of mm make a difference. Hmmmmmm…I’m not giving up muffs though.
I was fortunate enough to enjoy 20-10 to 20-15 vision until I hit 40, then had to buy readers. I was stubborn about dealing with changing vision, and tried tiny little lenses in the aperture of my AR15 Service Rifle, then gave up on them and went with Knobloch shooting glasses. Optical quality with correctly ground lenses was very good with the Knoblochs, but it was so easy to accidentally bump the lens and get it all out of whack during rapidfire strings. Thankfully, I finally legged-out, and so decided to leave shooting AR SR to younger shooters. But by the time I hit 55, I started having all sorts of problems seeing match sights on my 30" bbl'd prone rifles, even after the NRA changed the sight rule and allowed lenses in both front & rear sights. I'd bought a pair of DeCot HiWyde shooting glasses at SHOT in 2007, so having good eye protection w/o the issue of trying to see while looking through the top edge of the glasses was eliminated by the DeCot's adjustable height nose bridge. But no matter how much time I spent trying to get the adjustable dioptor lenses set in front & rear apertures, I was still having lousy results on target with irons. Finally, last fall, I called DeCot to order a set of lenses with my latest prescription ground in them. Even included the lower bifocal scrip, so I could see & read knobs on irons and scopes. I had good enough results with irons so that it convinced me to wear these glasses while shooting scopes too, and as long as I set the ocular bell on my scopes for a sharp reticle while wearing these or my regular prescription glasses, I'm G-T-G.
@carbonbased
So, if I’m understanding correctly, your right lens is set for 24” (pretend you’re right handed) and your left is set for distance.
Thanx for the suggestions!
1. The set up for my glasses...single vision close on the right/strong, distance on the left/support...was actually initially set that way while I was shooting USPSA Production. So, yes...with iron sight. I've moved towards PCC and Carry Optics and the glasses seem to work fine with both.
2. I'm not a fan of the turret magnifier because it looks like you have to reach over it to adjust the turrets.
3 & 4 - I will look into these suggestions
5. Yes. NF ATACR FFP
So, if I’m understanding correctly, your right lens is set for 24” (pretend you’re right handed) and your left is set for distance.
- Do you ever actually use iron sights?
- Maybe try this turret magnifier, write larger on the dope card, and use regular lenses? https://mkmachining.com/product/turret-magnifier/
- Or instead of writing larger, you could use a flip down magnifier that clips on your glasses (or ballcap brim?), like those cheesy sunglasses. I use these when woodworking. Perhaps you could use them only on one eye? You could still use the turret mag. Here’s an example, no idea on quality: https://www.amazon.com/Flip-up-Magnifying-Reading-Glasses-Diopter/dp/B002ULI5SQ
- You could also jury rig a flat plastic magnifier over your dope card with some standoffs: https://www.amazon.com/ZXUY-Credit-...qid=1583769826&sprefix=flat+plastic+ma&sr=8-8
- Sounds like you use a FFP scope. Either you need thicker lines and tapered main stadia (like a Leupold CCH, aka combat competition hunting) or a SFP scope.
Thanx for the suggestions!
1. The set up for my glasses...single vision close on the right/strong, distance on the left/support...was actually initially set that way while I was shooting USPSA Production. So, yes...with iron sight. I've moved towards PCC and Carry Optics and the glasses seem to work fine with both.
2. I'm not a fan of the turret magnifier because it looks like you have to reach over it to adjust the turrets.
3 & 4 - I will look into these suggestions
5. Yes. NF ATACR FFP
When you are on your rifle and scope, addressing a target, what part of your lens are you naturally looking through? Chances are it’s the distance portion, though some will be looking through the mid range portion. It does no good to have to scrunch down or stretch up in order to look through another part of a lens. If you find you see better one way or the other, make sure to adjust your cheek rest and scope up or down to make things work.
I would assume the distance part but could be wrong...
Am wearing glasses at the request of my surgeon, cataract surgery coming up. The exam to measure the eye and get the right lens for
the surgery requires no contacts be worn for 2 weeks before that appointment. It's tough as I've worn contacts since 1969. I went out to the range yesterday and slipped the contacts in for the hour I was gone. Figured I was just trying to get the cornea curvature back to normal and an hour wouldn't hurt. I knew I'd have scope problems if I didn't. After surgery, who knows... I'm sure the replacement lens will change everything so am taking nothing for granted.
Am wearing glasses at the request of my surgeon, cataract surgery coming up. The exam to measure the eye and get the right lens for
the surgery requires no contacts be worn for 2 weeks before that appointment. It's tough as I've worn contacts since 1969. I went out to the range yesterday and slipped the contacts in for the hour I was gone. Figured I was just trying to get the cornea curvature back to normal and an hour wouldn't hurt. I knew I'd have scope problems if I didn't. After surgery, who knows... I'm sure the replacement lens will change everything so am taking nothing for granted.
I am near-sighted and was having issues at the range. I went in to get a new Rx and told the optomitrist about the issues. My eyes focus at different distances so I ended up with reading glasses and 'far' glasses. A huge difference in looking through a scope. Could use them driving but for now the live in the range bag. Much much more comfortable to see at distance.
It's a wonder what we will do to keep shooting. I'm an old Vietnam vet who was left-handed but had lost most of my sight in my left eye, so changed and started shooting right-handed. Now it's become second nature, and I won't give up shooting until the day I drop walking down range. So, you will find a way........
Biggest issues with glasses is going prone and having the time of the frame in the way. Other than that carry on.
Exact same thing here, just have not had the cat removed yet. But trying to get that floater out the way center ret is a PITA.
Similar threads
