Prescription glasses for long range shooting (and hunting)

lrgrendel

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May 6, 2012
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Up to now I have not worn my regular prescription progressive glasses when shooting. I have an Oakley frame and it is just too small to see through the scope. I wear regular safety glasses when at the range and nothing when I recently hunted.

I have an appointment with my optician in a couple of days. I want to get the best available. I believe I have 2 choices, both with a large frame. Either a progressive lense similar to what I already have or just a lense for my long distance.

Even though my eye sight is pretty bad, I shoot and see very well through my different scopes without any correction.

What ever glasses I get, they must be as good as shooting with none, no interference with parallax, the reticle or anything to do with the scope.

Just wondering what people are using both in the field and say some form of long distance competition shooting.

Thanks.
 
My recommendation is single-vision (not bifocals or progressive) lenses made from polycarbonate. I've worn bifocals for close to 20 years, but still can't get fully comfortable shooting while wearing them.
 
Another vote for single vision & as large as possible, I use the aviator type (not the best looking but able to see my scope from more angles) .
Also if you shoot with iron sights much they can give you a prescription for that also so your front sight will be in focus.
 
I wear a pair of Oakley's with polycarbonate prescription lenses while shooting and on SWAT call-outs. I have no issues looking through a scope with them.
 
My regular glasses are progressives. But for shooting I have my dominate eye lens set for single vision close and the other set for single vision distance. It can be a bit 'weird' for the first couple of seconds I put them on, but my brain does sort it out quickly. I have no trouble shooting with my scoped rifle or iron sights on my pistol.
 
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If your shooting eye prescription is a high diopter (greater than + or - 2) then using the corrective lens with a scope can allow the position of the glasses to change with respect to your eye lens from shot to shot. If the optical center happens to be in line with the scopes exit pupil then small shifts in the prescription lens position moves the image less than looking off center through your glasses.

The issue with highly corrective lenses is keeping them in line with the scope exit pupil and the center of your eye lens. Same position each and every shot.
If your scope does not have the adjustment range to allow you to use a zero set of shooting glasses (or small correction at the eye) then an auxiliary lens set in the scope eye cup might help.
Having a corrective lens attached to the scope eyecup and using plain shooting glasses eliminates the three way misalignment (exit pupil/glasses/eye).
You still have a two way alignment (exit pupil/eye lens) you need to control.
If you need some correction just to walk around :) wear a reduced diopter pair of glasses and the rest of the prescription power in the scope eyecup.
 
ive tried and tried but i can not shoot with my prescription glasses on...my eye trys to focus back and forth from my glasses to the scope.
I use the hooked ear pieces to keep the glasses in one place it helps to keep prescription in one spot. I learned a lot from an old Camp Perry shooter. I wear the coppers more than the yellows. It’s easier with the hooked arms I promise.
 
I use the hooked ear pieces to keep the glasses in one place it helps to keep prescription in one spot. I learned a lot from an old Camp Perry shooter. I wear the coppers more than the yellows. It’s easier with the hooked arms I promise.

i just shoot without my scrips and ware safety glasses...i have/have had the money for lasik but having a hard time committing...i mean ive only got 4 blanks in the safe what happens if i need another one LOL!
 
I have my appointment tomorrow.

There have been some really good ideas. Some good technical stuff too which I will mention to the optician.

Leaning towards a large lens set of glasses with no prescription in my right eye and my long distance prescription in my left eye or a progressive lens in my left eye. (I am a right hand shooter)

Thanks
 
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I’m just waiting to see a doctor and get surgery done instead. The benefits of the added resolution I see with mine on don’t outweigh the negatives I have to deal with so I dont bother.
But I have medium astigmatism in both so not sure if your eyes are similar.
 
So here is what was decided after a long discussion with the optician.

Large frame with polycarbonate lenses.

Distant vision only in the right lense.
Distant vision with a very small bifocal in the left. (That does not make sense but you know what I mean!)

Since there is a 30 day warranty, if I don’t like the distant vision in the right lense they will swap it out for a clear lense
 
I'm not sure why this is such a project.

I've worn corrective glasses my entire adult life. I shoot with the same ones I put on in the morning every day. I adjust the scope's reticle focus to my right eye's vison and let er rip.

Not sure why it needs to be more complicated than that.
 
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There are these.......
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I think that using a progressive lens will be problematic. In different shooting positions you won't have 'control' over where in the lens you look.

Except that you would be wrong. If you don’t know about something then your opinion is nothing more than a guess. I’ve worn glasses my whole life and do everything with them. Shooting is no different than the rest of life. Don’t treat it as if it’s something weird or special, just do it.

I'm not sure why this is such a project.

I've worn corrective glasses my entire adult life. I shoot with the same ones I put on in the morning every day. I adjust the scope's reticle focus to my right eye's vison and let er rip.

Not sure why it needs to be more complicated than that.

This is the answer. I have progressive trifocals and shoot pistols, shotguns and rifles (both scopes and irons) with the same glasses that I put on every morning. It’s not some big deal.
 
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I think using progressive lenses is more of a personal preference. I wear them daily. But when I put them in my shooting glasses, it drove me nuts. I seemed to always be in the transition area. Went back to lined bifocal for those, and it has worked for me. There are a lot of variables for the shape of your face, the glasses being used, and how you get behind the scope.

The Rudy Rydon glasses don’t have much glass vertically, so that might have been some of my problem?