Prescription glasses for shooting with iron sights?

My eye doctor gave me a sample pair of progressive contact lenses. They've worked surprisingly well in keeping the front sight crisp and clear.
 
Sporting Lad said:
Hey guys,
Thx for those helpful suggestions. I'll keep those in mind when I return to the eyedoc next week. At the price of eyeglasses these days I can't afford
to try too many different approaches before I find what works for me.
I'll keep you posted.
SL
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May I suggest a read through this thread?

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ty-Prescription-Eyeglasses-Online-USA-locally


Baal said:
My eye doctor gave me a sample pair of progressive contact lenses. They've worked surprisingly well in keeping the front sight crisp and clear.
Click to expand...

How on earth do progressive contacts work?


Mark
 
I'm still old school and wear glasses to shoot with iron sights, even in the rain. Admit, I don't always connect with the target, but most times I'm close. Low power scopes
are my second option.
 
sunray said:
"...what works/doesn't work..." It's mostly about what you need. You near or far sighted? Once that's established just buy glasses that cover the whole eye. None of the current 'granny glasses' style are any good for shooting. Too small.
All prescription glasses are impact resistant, so you don't need anything else as long as the lenses are big enough. Don't know if the aviator style lenses (a la Raybans) are still available. Been wearing those for eons myself.
"...required to wear glasses for my drivers license..." You very likely need 'em for shooting too. DOT's/MOT's usually don't care if you need specs to read, but they do for distance.
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Have fun finding the aviators. About all you can find nowadays are the size of contact lenses.
 
I'm waiting...

Well, I've ordered new specs from an eyedoc who's interested in shooting. They're due in this week. I'm going with the right lens for distance only,
and the left one with a transition from distance to reading so I can see numbers on the elevation drum, etc. (I can't stand bifocals).
I've been postponing any more shooting (read 'wasting ammo') until I try the new glasses....
 
I once was blind, but now I see!

Sporting Lad said:
Well, I've ordered new specs from an eyedoc who's interested in shooting. They're due in this week. I'm going with the right lens for distance only,
and the left one with a transition from distance to reading so I can see numbers on the elevation drum, etc. (I can't stand bifocals).
I've been postponing any more shooting (read 'wasting ammo') until I try the new glasses....
Click to expand...

I've got these new glasses now; I wore them to our monthly Military Shoot today, and WoW! It's a vast improvement!! I can now see the front sight and the target perfectly, and my sight picture is "textbook". To put it mildly, I'm thrilled. I haven't been able to sight targets this well in many years. They're not 'aviators' or all wrap-around swoopy--they just look like a regular pair of glasses; I adapted to them easily and have taken to wearing them as my 'everyday glasses'. The lenses are clear (un-tinted) plastic--(the type they make industrial safety glasses from) but they're very light and comfortable. The frames are those spring-loaded titanium ones. I also got a pair of magnetized grey-tint sunglasses that click onto the front of the frame for sunny days.
And that brings me to my next question-- They are tossing in another pair of the click-on tinted lenses in the colour of my choice. I wasn't sure, so I said I'd do some homework and let them know my choice next week (not a stock item, they're made individually). They showed me sample lenses in every colour of the spectrum, but their suggestion was either yellow or orange for shooting use. I'm open to input from members who have used tinted shooting glasses. What tint do you use, and what are the pros & cons of yellow over orange & etc?

BTW-- Here in coastal BC we end up shooting on a lot of grey, overcast days--sometimes even foggy. I seldom shoot in very low light conditions.

BTWW-- The added Garand rear sight has a smaller aperture than the stock Norinco (.064" vs .078") which has increased my depth of field markedly,
and has made those weird 'cobwebs' disappear. It's all good!

thx
SL
 
Sporting Lad said:
I've got these new glasses now; I wore them to our monthly Military Shoot today, and WoW! It's a vast improvement!! I can now see the front sight and the target perfectly, and my sight picture is "textbook". To put it mildly, I'm thrilled. I haven't been able to sight targets this well in many years. They're not 'aviators' or all wrap-around swoopy--they just look like a regular pair of glasses; I adapted to them easily and have taken to wearing them as my 'everyday glasses'. The lenses are clear (un-tinted) plastic--(the type they make industrial safety glasses from) but they're very light and comfortable. The frames are those spring-loaded titanium ones. I also got a pair of magnetized grey-tint sunglasses that click onto the front of the frame for sunny days.
And that brings me to my next question-- They are tossing in another pair of the click-on tinted lenses in the colour of my choice. I wasn't sure, so I said I'd do some homework and let them know my choice next week (not a stock item, they're made individually). They showed me sample lenses in every colour of the spectrum, but their suggestion was either yellow or orange for shooting use. I'm open to input from members who have used tinted shooting glasses. What tint do you use, and what are the pros & cons of yellow over orange & etc?

BTW-- Here in coastal BC we end up shooting on a lot of grey, overcast days--sometimes even foggy. I seldom shoot in very low light conditions.

BTWW-- The added Garand rear sight has a smaller aperture than the stock Norinco (.064" vs .078") which has increased my depth of field markedly,
and has made those weird 'cobwebs' disappear. It's all good!

thx
SL
Click to expand...

How much did they cost SL and would they be available for any of us if we gave a basic prescription from any optometrist, or is this something special from someone who understands the need for rifle shooters?
 
Yellow tint is great for contrast, and almost as important, makes a fantastic night driving glass for those rainy fall evenings when thanks to "Daylight Savings Time" everyone suddenly starts driving home in the dark. (Great idea that!) Cuts the glare of oncoming lights dramatically.

The fact is that our eyes can improve a lot with a simple program of exercise. There are books written about this.
 
I've had bifocals since the mid 80's, no problems shooting or falling down stairs. I had more trouble shooting when i had cataracts now just need the glasses for reading but still wear them full time for protection. Don't shoot a lot of iron sights unless i have the 10-22 or handguns out, everything else has scopes. I have more trouble when working on somethoing up close, like laying under a truck and trying to get focused on some wiring or whatever. Them golden years ain't all there supposed to be.
 
"...in the way of glasses..." Whatever your eye guy says you need. You can't focus on more than one thing at a time no matter how old you are or how good or bad your eyes are, anyway. Don't buy the current fad of small lenses though. All perscription glasses have impact resistant lenses so you can pitch your shooting glasses. Not if you buy those granny glasses they're selling now though.
The iron sights on most milsurps(big exception is the peep sight) are crappy in any case. They weren't made for old guys or guys with poor eyesight. Bad eye sight was one medical reason not to be drafted.
 
RememberTheSomme said:
How much did they cost SL and would they be available for any of us if we gave a basic prescription from any optometrist, or is this something special from someone who understands the need for rifle shooters?
Click to expand...

They were surprisingly inexpensive (given today's economy) I'd expected them to be ~$600 something, but they were nearer to 400 "all-in". Anyway, 'the proof is in the pudding'--I'd've willingly paid that 600 to get this resulting improvement in my vision and sight picture! I'm not saying this will be a panacea for every visually impaired shooter, but it's certainly working for me.
Provided you have a competent optometrist and an accurate prescription, any optician could produce these glasses. The Rx is nothing extraordinary but, as you infer, it's nb that your eyedoc understand your needs. At the eye exam I was quite specific re my shooting requirements. While my doc is not a shooter, he's a good listener, and he knows his eyes.
btw-- My eyes adjusted to this new Rx immediately--there was not "break-in period". I put them on, I drove to the range, I saw the sights, and I fired. '0)
 
RRCo. said:
Yellow tint is great for contrast, and almost as important, makes a fantastic night driving glass for those rainy fall evenings when thanks to "Daylight Savings Time" everyone suddenly starts driving home in the dark. (Great idea that!) Cuts the glare of oncoming lights dramatically.
The fact is that our eyes can improve a lot with a simple program of exercise. There are books written about this.
Click to expand...

thx. I'll have to try the yellow for night driving. I'm not a fan of driving on those dark and stormy nights, oncoming headlights and wotnot.

Exercises?? Ach, I hate doing exercises! ;0D
("Just gimme them glasses!")

("Exercise: What is it good for...? Absolutely nuttin'!")
 
'Here's your sniper rifle...'

sunray said:
"...in the way of glasses..." Whatever your eye guy says you need. You can't focus on more than one thing at a time no matter how old you are or how good or bad your eyes are, anyway. Don't buy the current fad of small lenses though. All perscription glasses have impact resistant lenses so you can pitch your shooting glasses. Not if you buy those granny glasses they're selling now though.
The iron sights on most milsurps(big exception is the peep sight) are crappy in any case. They weren't made for old guys or guys with poor eyesight. Bad eye sight was one medical reason not to be drafted.
Click to expand...

Right. I may not be able to focus on more than one thing at a time, but at least now I can SEE one thing at a time, which I couldn't with my old kit.
My peep vision is no longer fuzzy the way it was before (mind, I'm now using that smaller aperture as well) and I'm eager to see how things look over the iron sights of my other milsurps.

I know-- I failed to heed the cardinal rule of diagnosis and prescription: (" Change one thing at a time"). I chose instead the scattergun approach--"Change everything you can--something will probably fix it!"

And pity those poor Russian infantrymen afflicted with poor eyesight in WWs I & II! I don't imagine their medical plan included glasses to correct their vision.
Maybe that's where a lot of those hundreds of thousands of sniper Mosin-Nagants went--to blind guys who could at least see thru a 'scope! :shotgun:
 
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