Older eyes

[prairiefire]

For those of you over 60 who don't have perfect vision - how does your current visual status effect your choice of scopes? Do you prefer certain types of scopes/magnifications/FOV? Have you gravitated to certain scope makers because you feel their scopes meet your needs the best? I am 71 and certainly have experienced radical changes in my vision over the years - rather disgusting state of affairs, which along with being less steady doesn't jive well with my desire to shoot well. I suspect that most scope reviews are done by younger folks and their evals may not correlate well with the needs of us "senior" shooters. I am anxious to hear your opinions - especially if you are an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

 

[DocRDS]

I asked my optomitrist (also a shooter) how best to solve this--he said dial in the diopter/front focus best you can using your prescription glasses. I don't have any optics recommendations. My eyes are still ok, but not what they were.

Its a fight we are all losing.

 

[onetopgun]

If you wear glasses, Optimize your distance Rx for your glasses and adjust your scope’s diopter at Max Power and Focus (Parallax) at Infinity. If you have “Older Eyes” and elect to have cataract surgery, optimize your implants for distance, Optimize your distance Rx and adjust your scope diopter at Max power and Focus/ Parallax at Infinity.

I believe there is a “Sticky” on this site that details the Diopter and Focus optimization process. I’ll see if I can find it and post the link.

Regards
JHC

As Promised: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/posts/6252841

 

[DownhillFromHere]

It makes no difference what brand or price point of scope you have, beyond some will have a more generous eyebox than others. But eyebox size isn't going to fix issues with your visual correction or acuity.

I'm barely on the young side of 70. Had cataract surgery several years ago (both sides). Raw visual acuity is fine; I usually get 2-4 of 5 letters correct on the 20/15 line without any correction (both eyes' lenses optimized for distance during surgery) - biggest issue is post-surgery posterior vitreous separation on both sides added to the floaters I already had, so useful acuity is diminished somewhat by all the debris floating around in there - especially in low light.

So my first word of advice is, if you haven't already done so, get evaluated for cataracts. Mine presented as severe loss of night vision - I realized I couldn't read road signs after dark when driving unless I was FAR too close to them. In daylight, I was ok, albeit with 20/400 nearsightedness since childhood with a lot of astigmatism thrown in.

Otherwise, adjust your scope's diopter as described above. Again, scope brand / price point is essentially irrelevant in the "aging eyes" context.

Good luck.

 

[Steel head]

I’m 50 and my vision is far from good but I definitely like the clean image on the mid to upper level scopes than the lower end ones.
My eyes don’t get tired looking though them for extended periods.
The really primo scope like TT and ZCO are an absolute pleasure to look through.

 

[6.5SH]

One other factor to consider is the shape of your glasses. Most of the current "trendy" designs you will find are too damn small lens wise and you can end up looking at the top of the frame.

Dedicated shooting glasses of an appropriate shape and size and preferably with the ocular center positioned for your shooting style are the way to go.

The shotgun world has been way ahead in this regard for a long time.

 

[Moose]

I’m 50 and my vision is far from good but I definitely like the clean image on the mid to upper level scopes than the lower end ones.
My eyes don’t get tired looking though them for extended periods.
The really primo scope like TT and ZCO are an absolute pleasure to look through.

My 67 year old eyes agree with what you say I run the ZC 4x20 and it is much easier on my eyes.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Great topic. We will never solve all the issues here because every person's eyesight is different. As a welder I had to begin wearing "Cheater lenses" in my welding hood. As time progressed I had to adjust the strength. I've worn glasses for 60 years and somewhere along the way I had to go to progressive lenses... I have not had any eye surgery, just wear my glasses. What ever solution you find is going to change with age. In fact, it will change quicker the older you get. It changes about every 10 months for me. I'm sure you will find the "sweet spot" with your corrective lenses. Be prepared to retest and change annually.

 

[candyx]

At some point you will run out of diopter adjustment which means time to use a shotgun..........