I have shot long range out to 1200 yards for several years. Consider myself fairly decent shooter. I don't compete but love to shoot. Am going to be 53 this summer. About 3 years ago had to get glasses. Went out and shot on private farm I use today and was so disappointed. In matter of few months I struggled GREATLY to see through scope. No matter what I tried nothing worked. Tried glasses (bifocals) and can't make that work since hard to get eyes straight behind scope. And won't work well now without glasses. ANY ideas or have I hit an age and time sell out? By the way my optics are tangent theta so that's not an excuse.
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Eyesight Failing - How to continue shooting?
- Thread starter bbowles
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Look into exactly WHAT is wrong. Presbiopia, is correctable, but inevitable. A trick I learned from an Air Conditioning guy, is he had his bifocals ground with the mag part on the upper edge, not the lower edge, since he is always working overhead. Made a world of difference. If your optician is a shooter he will have at least a hint of what he needs to specify for where to grind the lens so you can use the scope.
You can also adjust the focus of your optical lens on some scopes. (near end).
Also look into lasik or other laser type remedies, but be sure to specify the application ("I am a long distance shooter", for example), that will help him decide what type of adjustment is appropriate for you.
So, exam first, physical intervention if appropriate, and/or lens special grind for you.
Some Silhouette shooters I know, have a pair of glasses with the left lens blacked out (tape), and their right lens ground either in the middle edge or top edge to account for head positioning. Good luck.
You can also adjust the focus of your optical lens on some scopes. (near end).
Also look into lasik or other laser type remedies, but be sure to specify the application ("I am a long distance shooter", for example), that will help him decide what type of adjustment is appropriate for you.
So, exam first, physical intervention if appropriate, and/or lens special grind for you.
Some Silhouette shooters I know, have a pair of glasses with the left lens blacked out (tape), and their right lens ground either in the middle edge or top edge to account for head positioning. Good luck.
I'm your same age and have had glasses since like junior high. I have zero trouble shooting handguns, shotguns, and rifles while wearing glasses without which am almost legally blind.
You need to find a different optometrist because this is NOT that hard.
Identifying the problem is first and foremost, as others have said. Then it's a matter of getting the corrective lens aligned properly when positioned behind the scope. That's tricky, especially for those of us who have strong prescriptions. I've found that raising the scope is quite helpful, although stock adjustments will be required to maintain proper check weld. Your situation may dictate a different approach.
Thanks guys. I was actually assuming my days of long range shooting is over. Hope not. Will go to a new eye dr but real hard to find someone who is a shooter and a dr. They should at least be willing to listen to my predicament. Getting older sucks. Ha. Actually I am very blessed. If this is worst thing that happens to me I shouldn't complain. Just was so shocking that i struggled so bad shooting. I was terrible. Couldn't get focused well at all and couldn't even see my hits or misses.
Have you tried running through your optics setup recently? What I mean is starting from scratch to re-align and focus your optics:
1. Close your eyes, get comfortable behind your scope (in a typical shooting position be it prone, bench, etc), open your eyes and make sure your cheek weld is good, eye relief is set, etc.
2. Looking at a white background, parallax set to infinity, max zoom, adjust your diopter so the reticle is clear while taking breaks to rest your eyes
3. Move out to further ranges and adjust your parallax..
4. etc.
My brother in law has bad eyes, but we did this for his rifle and he sees great now. You can try this with or without your glasses. You didn't say if you were near sighted or far sighted so perhaps you can set up your scope for use with only safety glasses.
www.snipershide.com
1. Close your eyes, get comfortable behind your scope (in a typical shooting position be it prone, bench, etc), open your eyes and make sure your cheek weld is good, eye relief is set, etc.
2. Looking at a white background, parallax set to infinity, max zoom, adjust your diopter so the reticle is clear while taking breaks to rest your eyes
3. Move out to further ranges and adjust your parallax..
4. etc.
My brother in law has bad eyes, but we did this for his rifle and he sees great now. You can try this with or without your glasses. You didn't say if you were near sighted or far sighted so perhaps you can set up your scope for use with only safety glasses.
Rifle Scopes - Setting up a FFP rifle scope - A simple PSA on Diopters
bohemr13 X96 MONTHS Premium Member First Sergeant Rating: 3.6/5 this site 7824 posts this site Setting up a FFP rifle scope - A simple PSA on Diopters 03/02/2015 Last edited 03/03/2015 by bohemr13 (9 votes) I recently had a somewhat disgruntled customer return a scope because he complained of...
www.snipershide.com
Thanks Yerman! Actually that is exactly my next steps to do in next few days when i get time. I hope it works. Discouraging to think that i would have to sell all my stuff cause I am too blind to see. I actually have bifocals to help with both problems. I use readers to help for close up all day at work. That works just fine. Hoping a revision to my scope setup will fix this.
I'd have your cheaters handy as well and try those. As a matter of fact, you might have a couple different pairs of various levels to try and find one that works well for you. You'll figure it out. Worst case scenario you need another trip to the optometrist to get a dedicated pair of shooting glasses, but I doubt you have to stop shooting.
Don't trust your optometrist get a second opinion from an eye surgeon.
Especially get checked for cataracts.
If you are having troubles at night or have to add extra light all the time.
Optometrists will string you out long as they can.
The eye surgery centers will sort it out toot sweet.
If you have any insurance cataracts are considered medically necessary.
You must be very careful when answering the pointed questions so insurance can not deny treatment.
Pm me for details
Especially get checked for cataracts.
If you are having troubles at night or have to add extra light all the time.
Optometrists will string you out long as they can.
The eye surgery centers will sort it out toot sweet.
If you have any insurance cataracts are considered medically necessary.
You must be very careful when answering the pointed questions so insurance can not deny treatment.
Pm me for details
Look into "office lenses". They are damned expensive, but what they DO is digitally model, and front-and-rear digitally surface ("grind"..even though that's not how it's actually machined) the lens material to match what YOUR face/eye needs for THAT frame, such that there is
1) no "line" from a progressive or bifocal, and
2) completely smooth field of vision from edge-to-edge of the lens, much like a contact.
By doing that, you can get a 1/3 to 3/4 dipoter "add" in the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the lens, that is perfectly BLENDED, so you can see your data book and magazines, but still have a regular distance script in the top half... or whatever you want.
There IS a lens solution for you, but you may have to self-advocate, educate yourself, and even find an optometrist that gives a shit about shooting.
The same digital surfacing technique can take into account astigmatism, prism, etc.
So you see why they are expensive?
Other tips:
1) use as hi-index a material as you can. Trivex, etc. The lenses end up pretty thick out on the edges, do to the curvature of the models. Works great, but of course adds material.
2) GET AR/Scratch coat, and the best you can afford.
-Nate
1) no "line" from a progressive or bifocal, and
2) completely smooth field of vision from edge-to-edge of the lens, much like a contact.
By doing that, you can get a 1/3 to 3/4 dipoter "add" in the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the lens, that is perfectly BLENDED, so you can see your data book and magazines, but still have a regular distance script in the top half... or whatever you want.
There IS a lens solution for you, but you may have to self-advocate, educate yourself, and even find an optometrist that gives a shit about shooting.
The same digital surfacing technique can take into account astigmatism, prism, etc.
So you see why they are expensive?
Other tips:
1) use as hi-index a material as you can. Trivex, etc. The lenses end up pretty thick out on the edges, do to the curvature of the models. Works great, but of course adds material.
2) GET AR/Scratch coat, and the best you can afford.
-Nate
Neither am I. It doesn't matter. Ditch this guy and get someone else. My glasses are normal, everyday lenses and I can shoot everything just fine.
Look into "office lenses". They are damned expensive, but what they DO is digitally model, and front-and-rear digitally surface ("grind"..even though that's not how it's actually machined) the lens material to match what YOUR face/eye needs for THAT frame, such that there is
1) no "line" from a progressive or bifocal, and
2) completely smooth field of vision from edge-to-edge of the lens, much like a contact.
By doing that, you can get a 1/3 to 3/4 dipoter "add" in the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the lens, that is perfectly BLENDED, so you can see your data book and magazines, but still have a regular distance script in the top half... or whatever you want.
There IS a lens solution for you, but you may have to self-advocate, educate yourself, and even find an optometrist that gives a shit about shooting.
The same digital surfacing technique can take into account astigmatism, prism, etc.
So you see why they are expensive?
Other tips:
1) use as hi-index a material as you can. Trivex, etc. The lenses end up pretty thick out on the edges, do to the curvature of the models. Works great, but of course adds material.
2) GET AR/Scratch coat, and the best you can afford.
-Nate
That's what I use
They're are $270 - $300 a pair when I need new ones but you know what, it's my vision. I'll pay whatever it takes.
Yes indeed. I was impressed with how I can shoot irons with them. 20” radius, and for all the work I did with special lenses and olympic frames and whatnot...these digitals give me a crystal clear, ROUND sight picture at almost any angle through the lens.
Crazy good.
My vision has been going south for years. Astigmatism, presbyopia, prisms to correct for double vision in both planes, and I am now developing cataracts. With a scope like a TT you can probably mess around and manage to get the reticle, parallax, and target focus all good enough to still shoot really well. As others have stated, find an optometrist that will work with you. Don't give up hope, I am 64 and haven't been able to see iron sights for over a decade, but I can still shoot just fine with optics.
Technique question... When I try my progressive glasses or my readers my eyes look right thru middle of top of glasses frame. My head naturally heads down hill considerably which puts line of sight thru frames. No matter what I manipulate in my setup same result. I have shot effectively for years like this without glasses and even had some long range training at couple big names. Now I will have to use glasses and need to figure this out. Am I doing this wrong or does my glasses sit too low or cheek weld wrong? I use a KRG chassis on both customs and can adjust about everything. I WILL be getting eyes checked but glasses won't help if can't see thru lenses.
You need different glasses. A frame with a greater lens height, and/or a frame that is adjustable to push the lenses higher in prone... that's what you need.
The Randolph Ranger and Decot Hy-Wyd are generally at the top of the list. I don't own a set of Decot, but the Ranger XL I have has a nosepiece that is adjustable, and literally pushes the frame higher when you want it to, or lower for Offhand, etc.
Also take a look at Bob Jones' shooting frames...they look strange, but are built to do specifically what you need.
Those are my recommendations (along with a custom lens set for them) until such time as you want to go full-stupid with something "Olympic" like a Champion or a Knobloch frame.
The Randolph Ranger and Decot Hy-Wyd are generally at the top of the list. I don't own a set of Decot, but the Ranger XL I have has a nosepiece that is adjustable, and literally pushes the frame higher when you want it to, or lower for Offhand, etc.
Also take a look at Bob Jones' shooting frames...they look strange, but are built to do specifically what you need.
Those are my recommendations (along with a custom lens set for them) until such time as you want to go full-stupid with something "Olympic" like a Champion or a Knobloch frame.
Always been near sighted with strong prescription. 58yo now and needed readers. Shooting was a problem because you constantly need to see stuff within arms length, so readers on, readers off.....
Shooting iron sights in IDPA was even worse, trying to find the sweet spot to see sights and target. Thought I was done shooting. I've seen old dudes try to shoot pistol with readers. Takes 3 days to line everything up. They would be dead in a gunfight!
Told my optometrist and he was a shooter, told me to bring my pistol in with me. So he set me up with mono vision so I read with one eye and see distance with the other. With 2 tweaks to the usual setup.
1. Most mono vision is set up with dominant eye for distance. My dominant eye is my reading eye which allows me to see my sights. With both eyes open I see my sights in focus, and target in focus with non dominant eye. Even young eyes cant do that!
2. We set the correction for reading so that my pistol sights are clear. Lastly I adjust focus on scope to account for dominant eye correction.
Problem solved. Works great for all other activities. No readers, no stupid glasses for anything.
Shooting iron sights in IDPA was even worse, trying to find the sweet spot to see sights and target. Thought I was done shooting. I've seen old dudes try to shoot pistol with readers. Takes 3 days to line everything up. They would be dead in a gunfight!
Told my optometrist and he was a shooter, told me to bring my pistol in with me. So he set me up with mono vision so I read with one eye and see distance with the other. With 2 tweaks to the usual setup.
1. Most mono vision is set up with dominant eye for distance. My dominant eye is my reading eye which allows me to see my sights. With both eyes open I see my sights in focus, and target in focus with non dominant eye. Even young eyes cant do that!
2. We set the correction for reading so that my pistol sights are clear. Lastly I adjust focus on scope to account for dominant eye correction.
Problem solved. Works great for all other activities. No readers, no stupid glasses for anything.
I solved that problem by putting a Trijicon RMR on one of my pistols. Now that something I'm going to do to every single one I have.
Thanks again guys! Makes me feel a lot better. I need to get to eye expert but actually a little afraid to do that right now with all the COVID crap. But will soon. HATE NOT getting to shoot! Especially when it is so nice out here. Will look into these different glasses with the choices you guys recommended.
I have one (dressed as a SIG Romeo5) on a carbine. Works pretty good.
I'll have to look at their newer pistol offerings this year. Up until now they were too bulky for my liking.
This is all new to me. I can see how adjustable the champion and knobloch are. Is the Randolph Ranger and Decot Hy-Wyd anywhere near that adjustable? Would prefer not looking like an alien from outer space. Ha. Also, what is the way to do all this? Got to an optometrist (or whatever you suggest) and then take that prescription to one of these companies to get lenses and glasses?
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I'm 65 and I had my optometrist prescribe me a set of glasses just for shooting. They deal with distance and nothing else.
I had cataract surgery about 5 years ago (62 now). Had the implants specified to focus at infinity, which meant I'd have to wear reading glasses for up close. Easy surgery, it patient, might take care of the other issues. One caveat- after cataract surgery, if you see a lot of "floaters" or peripheral "flashes" , get to your current IMMEDIATELY; your retinas may be detaching. I did not know this at the time, and now I have to shoot left handed. After almost 50 years of shooting RH, I had to relearn everything, and relearn habits...
