Rifle Scopes shooting with glasses

[nnn66]

I wasn't sure which forum to post this in, so I chose this one as it seems most relevant. My question is about shooting with or without corrective lenses. I recently had an injury to my right (dominant) eye as some foreign body got embedded in my eye and had to be removed by an eye doctor yesterday. As a result, my vision in that eye has become blurred. The doctor told me to wait a couple of weeks to see if my vision returns to normal after the swelling of my cornea subsides, so I'm still hoping for the best. However, he said that if my vision doesn't return to normal, I'll need corrective lenses in order to see with clarity out of that eye. This really sucks because I have had really great vision in that eye and now I can't clearly focus on anything.

Now, I'm beginning to wonder how this will affect my ability to see through my scope. Since I have never needed corrective lenses before, I haven't ever thought much about what people who need glasses do when they're looking through a scope. Do you use the glasses in combination with the scope or do you remove them and use the scope to focus your vision? I hope I don't need glasses, but if I do, my ability to see well enough to shoot is a major concern to me, so I'm very interested in learning what you guys with corrective lenses do when using a scope....and what about contact lenses. Is there a need to remove them when shooting?

 

[matt2143]

the diopter adjustment on scopes is to compensate for varying eyesight from shooter to shooter. they generally are only +3 to-3 so if your vision is outside that you will aslo need to wear glasses while shooting.

 

[40xs]

Sorry for your injury, hope everything turns out ok. As far as glasses, I've been wearing them for almost thirty years now and it hasn't bothered me one bit shooting with or without scopes. I think it even increases the magnificaton a little on my scopes when i wear them. Like the previous comment says the adjustments on the scope compensate for that. Once set for your eyes anyone else using youir scope would need to readjust.

 

[Defusion]

Sorry to hear about your injury. I hope it'll be better soon.

I don't like shooting with my corrective glasses as much (but my correction in that eye is only -1.00, so well within what I can correct with a scope objective).
I've read several posts about this on other forums as I'd rather just use my corrective glasses instead of my safety glasses. Apparently it depends on the scope you use. People with corrective lenses can use one scope fine, while it doesn't work out as well with another scope (regardless of price-range of said scope).

If you hunt though, I do suggest making it work with your corrective lenses, as you will want to keep them on during the hunt (too see better at range), but you might not have time to switch to safety glasses.

Please note that I've only got one scope, and haven't been able to verify that it works better with other scopes. Also, I've only been wearing glasses for a few weeks, so it might be something I'll just have to get used too. Then again it might just be a matter of spending a bit more time playing with my objective focus to make it work.

 

[nnn66]

I appreciate all the the quick replies to my inquiry. I suppose it's not the end of the world if I have to get glasses, but I would rather not! I was just thinking about wearing glasses while hunting and how that might interfere with my camo. I've been duck hunting with guys who wear glasses and I've always thought that the glare off the lenses may give away our position to approaching ducks. I sure hope to avoid glasses, but I guess I'll just have to make it work if turns out that I have to have them in order to see clearly. Again....thanks for the input!

 

[40xs]

One thing I forgot to mention is make sure that if you do need glasses that you get lenses large enough that while in the prone position you are not looking at the top cross frame of your lenses. this happened to me and I was either trying to look over or under the top frame. I had to get larger lenses because of it.

 

[lash]

One thing I forgot to mention is make sure that if you do need glasses that you get lenses large enough that while in the prone position you are not looking at the top cross frame of your lenses. this happened to me and I was either trying to look over or under the top frame. I had to get larger lenses because of it.

This.

My current glasses have lenses that are too small (well, they are fine for everyday wear and in style) for comfortable use in prone. I find myself looking over them and adjust the objective accordingly. I have yet to decide whether or not I'll invest in a special pair of glasses for shooting prone or if I'll just deal with it.

 

[nnn66]

This is good stuff to know. I would have never even considered that frames and lenses need to be checked for fit in the prone position. I wonder what they'll think at the optometrist's office when I bring my rifle with me to decide which glasses to order?

 

[Defusion]

Don't know about the US, but there is an optometrist specialised in corrective shooting eyewear in the Netherlands. Seems like a niche though, not sure if there's anything like that in your area.
I did bring my reddot sight with me when I went to the regular optometrist though, as I was having issues with the dot being very blurry. This is what brought my apparently not-so-great-anymore eyesight to my attention.

 

[ahage2]

These guys seem to have the glasses side of it covered....but for me, I wear contacts almost all of the time (besides when I'm in bed watching tv or being lazy and not putting my contacts in). For scope use, I've never once noticed a problem or anything weird with looking through one. Basically it's like having perfect vision....can't feel them in, see clearly, get normal use out of scopes, and you can wear sunglasses or shooting glasses....

So, if you do need to get glasses, you could also look into contacts. It'd feel like you never got injured and no one would notice...besides the fact of having to take them out nightly....

Good luck, and hopefully all will turn out well!!

Adam

 

[lash]

This is good stuff to know. I would have never even considered that frames and lenses need to be checked for fit in the prone position. I wonder what they'll think at the optometrist's office when I bring my rifle with me to decide which glasses to order?

Lol! I'd guess it depends upon the optometrist. I shoot with an eye doctor, so he maybe wouldn't mind.

 

[nnn66]

I actually did mention to the doctor that I was concerned about being able to see through the scope and he informed me that he also likes to shoot, so we had a long conversation about guns. If I do end up needing corrective lenses, I will definitely have my rifle in the truck with me and ask him if I can bring it inside to check for proper fit in the prone position. I also like the idea of contacts. Having had perfect vision all of my life, this is all a very sudden and unexpected situation I find myself in, so I really appreciate the input you guys have had. I, at least, feel like there are good options for me to continue shooting without being hindered by a bad eye. My vision is still quite good when both eyes are open...it's just when I close my left eye that everything becomes a blur. Since the right eye is the one I use for the scope, my main concern is about being able to see what I'm shooting at!

 

[bjay]

This is good stuff to know. I would have never even considered that frames and lenses need to be checked for fit in the prone position. I wonder what they'll think at the optometrist's office when I bring my rifle with me to decide which glasses to order?

Are you going prone for his lady assitant?..she can proly give you a good advice

 

[stickbow46]

I've been wearing Bi-focals fot 15 years,I've learned to get around the short commings but I do have a problem when I hunt as I get nervious with the addrenalin rush so I start to sweat & the glasses fog up.Same thing happens when it's hot out.Most times I have to take the glasses off & rely on the scope dioptic.In this situation I use a small whisper fan or I go home,sucks having to wear glasses,hope you will be ok.Keep it positive...........

 

[oldfatguy]

Good advice posted re: frame size. At least put the rifle in a hard case to take it into the optometrist's office. Fact is after too many birthdays glasses are a fact of life for a lot of people. I wear mine when shooting. Due to an astigmatism I see three cross hairs w/o them.

OFG

 

[M40_A1]

Hopefully your injury wasn't like mine....
I poked bamboo in my right eye which had to be removed (the bamboo, not the eye,lol!). It left a scar right next to the center of axis of vision. That was thirty years ago, and the scar is still there. Light diffracts and the eye sees a certain amount of glare, which took me a while to get used to. My left eye has pretty much taken dominance, and I shoot handgun using my left eye. Keeping my left eye open when shooting rifle is very difficult now.

When I sight through a scope and move my head from side to side, the vertical crosshair jumps as it passes from one side of the scar to the other. It actually forces me to remain "centered" on the reticle (meaning "in line with", not some new-age Star Wars meditation technique), right next to the edge where the reticle jumps.

Target peep sights are a real mess. I see a lopsighted figure-8, and the front sight post jumps from one circle to the other as I move my head. I have to keep the front sight post in the larger, lower right circle. Maybe it helps me to align my sight more consistently, but it isn't actually centered. I can sight in my rifle for my right eye and hand it to someone else, or go to shoot left-handed, and the rifle will shoot a bit left.

Battle peep sights are a little better, as the edges of the rear aperature are further out from the axis of vision. I still managed to score expert in the 220s until some natural, age-related vision deterioration started to set in. Then glasses were some help.

You will need to wait and see. Hopefully if you end up with a scar (and you probably will), it will be smaller or off further from the axis of vision. The blurriness you see now is probably more the result of the surgery, eye drops, and distortion caused by pressure from any bandaging you may have had to wear. Glasses probably won't help correct the distortion caused by the scar, as any such distortion will be irregular.

Oh, and it isn't necessarily the size of the lense that can give trouble sighting, it is the width of the bridge and shape of the lense. Look for lenses (assuming you do need glasses) that have more of a "corner" up near the bridge, and choose a bridge that is as narrow as your schnoz will allow. That will get some lense where you need it for sighting, though you should always strive to sight as straight ahead as possible so you don't strain you eye muscles or tilt your head and affect your equilibrium, causing body sway in the less stable positions. You don't need big, old honkin' glasses as long as you get some lense up in the corner.

Good luck.

 

[nnn66]

The doctor seemed optimistic that my vision would improve after the swelling subsides, but I'm not nearly so optimistic. My eye feels much better today, but I still can't focus any better. He did some sort of scan of my eye and said that he can see that the cornea is swollen and that he expects the vision to improve as that improves. It has only been one day, so I'm not giving up hope yet, but I'm preparing myself in case things don't get better. I have a few hobbies that I'm pretty passionate about, but shooting ranks up in the number one position, so having poor vision in my shooting eye is pretty depressing! I will definitely return to this thread after some time has passed to let you guys know how it turned out.

Since Defusion has chimed in on this thread from the Netherlands, I want to deviate from this topic for a moment to inquire about something in case he might have some insight. I posted this question down in the hunting forum, but since Defusion is here, I want to post it here as well. My wife's family live in Germany and I go there to visit each year and will be there this summer during June and July. She just informed me that one of her friends has a brother who is a hunting guide and he wants to take me hunting while I'm there. She has no idea what species of animal we will hunt for, so I'm wondering what they hunt in Germany during the summer? Defusion: do you have any knowledge of this? Or anyone else? It sounds like great fun, but I don't have a clue. This guy is located not far north of Berlin. Would it be Rothirsch, Rehbock, Wildschwein?? I know that firearms are prohibited without the proper permits, so I don't intend to attempt bringing a gun with me, but I'm sure curious as to what I'll be hunting. Here in Texas, we don't do much hunting in the summer, so this is a new one for me!

 

[Name Enough]

I shoot with glasses and have an old pair that fit real tight so they don't slip down on the bridge of my nose. This is a problem when shooting prone. I wish you " Waidmanns Heil" on you hunt in Germany. Rothirsch would be the berries but I would settle for a Reh or even a Wildschwein.

 

[Defusion]

Since Defusion has chimed in on this thread from the Netherlands, I want to deviate from this topic for a moment to inquire about something in case he might have some insight. I posted this question down in the hunting forum, but since Defusion is here, I want to post it here as well. My wife's family live in Germany and I go there to visit each year and will be there this summer during June and July. She just informed me that one of her friends has a brother who is a hunting guide and he wants to take me hunting while I'm there. She has no idea what species of animal we will hunt for, so I'm wondering what they hunt in Germany during the summer? Defusion: do you have any knowledge of this? Or anyone else? It sounds like great fun, but I don't have a clue. This guy is located not far north of Berlin. Would it be Rothirsch, Rehbock, Wildschwein?? I know that firearms are prohibited without the proper permits, so I don't intend to attempt bringing a gun with me, but I'm sure curious as to what I'll be hunting. Here in Texas, we don't do much hunting in the summer, so this is a new one for me!

Sorry, cant help you with the species department. Though interested in hunting, I haven't done so myself due to the cost involved to get certified. Someday....
There are opportunities for guest hunters to bring their own guns. But your right, there is some paperwork involved. Germany is way less restrictive with hunting then the Netherlands though.

 

[samnev]

One thing I forgot to mention is make sure that if you do need glasses that you get lenses large enough that while in the prone position you are not looking at the top cross frame of your lenses. this happened to me and I was either trying to look over or under the top frame. I had to get larger lenses because of it.

Abig +1 on getting lenses big enough so your not looking thru the top of the frame which happened to me. A real PIA.

 

[slate84]

I wear my fancy cool kid glasses during the day then switch to the old BCG military ones I got in basic when i shoot.

 

[Desert Fox]

Having a 20/10 vision in my younger years, I don't like using corrective lenses when looking through my binocular or riflescopes even though I needed them. I finally gave in and start using my glasses about 3 years ago and never look back.

 

[ArmyJerry]

Being an old bastard, I finally succumbed and went to the eye doc, I am at 2.25 for reading glasses. Got a prescription for transition lenses, has anyone used these ? Are they better than bifocals? Will get corrective surgery in a few years when my eyes are bad enough. I blame living with a laptop for the past 10 years on this.