Interesting observations when shooting with or without prescription glasses

[eboos]

About 6 years ago, I got back into shooting and did a few USPSA and SC competitions. One issue that I had noticed is that I was struggling to focus on the front sight (not a discussion on target focus vs front sight focus). This troubled me because I used to have a razor sharp sight picture back in my 20's. Fast forward a few years and I had gotten reading glasses since anything within arm's length was difficult/impossible to focus on. My distance vision beyond arm's length was acceptable. My glasses, I only wear for reading. When picking out my latest carry gun a few months back an absolute was that it must be optics ready. I have no trouble with the optical sight and enjoy the fact that it allows me to remain target focused. Now here is the interesting observation:

Yesterday, I was trying to use a scoped pellet gun; just to screw around in my back yard. I noticed that I couldn't focus at all, and the scope has a fixed focus. I put on my glasses, and voila! I could see (no shit). Then I tried an iron sight pistol; wow! I could see the front sight again. Now here is the strange part. I grabbed my optical sight pistol and it was a blurry mess. Interesting result. The iron sight being in focus makes sense since it is a fixed distance away and within the range of my prescription. The scope result makes sense since my point of focus isn't the target, or even the recital, but a point in space where the scope focuses the image meant to go to my eye. The optical sight result was weird since the "dot" is at a distance that should produce similar results as that of iron sights, but instead made it impossible to use.

 

[HARRYM]

About 6 years ago, I got back into shooting and did a few USPSA and SC competitions. One issue that I had noticed is that I was struggling to focus on the front sight (not a discussion on target focus vs front sight focus). This troubled me because I used to have a razor sharp sight picture back in my 20's. Fast forward a few years and I had gotten reading glasses since anything within arm's length was difficult/impossible to focus on. My distance vision beyond arm's length was acceptable. My glasses, I only wear for reading. When picking out my latest carry gun a few months back an absolute was that it must be optics ready. I have no trouble with the optical sight and enjoy the fact that it allows me to remain target focused. Now here is the interesting observation:

Yesterday, I was trying to use a scoped pellet gun; just to screw around in my back yard. I noticed that I couldn't focus at all, and the scope has a fixed focus. I put on my glasses, and voila! I could see (no shit). Then I tried an iron sight pistol; wow! I could see the front sight again. Now here is the strange part. I grabbed my optical sight pistol and it was a blurry mess. Interesting result. The iron sight being in focus makes sense since it is a fixed distance away and within the range of my prescription. The scope result makes sense since my point of focus isn't the target, or even the recital, but a point in space where the scope focuses the image meant to go to my eye. The optical sight result was weird since the "dot" is at a distance that should produce similar results as that of iron sights, but instead made it impossible to use.

This has drove me crazy over the years as my eyes got worse. I had been on reading glasses since my late forties. Once my distance vision slipped around 60 I needed distance glasses too. This frustrated the hell out of me when adjusting the reticle on my scope as well as looking down range through the scope. I have progressives but they can be tricky. I wear my progressives in the woods now as 40+ yds I need to see. On cold rainy days the fogging of my glasses is so frustrating I wanted to toss them.

 

[allen-1]

You might benefit by speaking to an eye doctor who knows something about shooting. @Idoktr is on this forum, no idea if he's in your general proximity.

I'm fortunate that I live in a gun friendly state. My eye doctor is a member of my club. I have prescription bi-focals that also correct astigmatisms, and as he worked on my prescription, we talked about my optic needs. I wear glasses almost all the time, (everywhere except bed, shower, exercising). I need good eye protection, (range and motorcycle), and I need focal points that work for monitor, (code monkey), and for shooting. I have two pairs of prescription glasses, clears and sunglasses.

As I said, I'm fortunate. My optometrist is a member of my club, so's my PCP and the podiatrist I just went to.

EDITED TO ADD: These are progressive bi-focals.

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

The curvature of your prescription lens is most likely altering your perception of the refracted light on the red dot. And I would only assume the stronger the prescription, the worse the effect.

I've been reading up on this topic because I was considering getting astigmatism correction lenses. There was this one guy on another forum who got different prescriptions in each eye: One focused on irons and the other on the target. Didn't really comment on if it worked.

 

[pastera]

The dot is presented as if it is at infinity
Your fixed focus scope is likely set to present the reticle at some intermediate distance in order to accommodate a larger range of vision issues

Once you put on the glasses for close distance, you no longer can focus at infinity so red dot is blurry.

 

[M1911]

The great thing about red dots is that they are focused at infinity. So I can use my distance prescription, rather than reading glasses.

Getting old sucks.

 

[Davidk]

The curvature of your prescription lens is most likely altering your perception of the refracted light on the red dot. And I would only assume the stronger the prescription, the worse the effect.

I've been reading up on this topic because I was considering getting astigmatism correction lenses. There was this one guy on another forum who got different prescriptions in each eye: One focused on irons and the other on the target. Didn't really comment on if it worked.

Its called mono vision. Primary eye focused on the front sight, secondary eye focused on target. I works, but takes getting used to.

 

[Lefty38-55]

As I age I find progressive lenses to be awful for shooting. I had some shooting glasses made up as traditional bifocals and … yay, I can see the front sight clearly again!

As other said, the ideal viewing window in progressive lenses is so NARROW … you need to be looking directly at the object for it to be clear. But in shooting, our head tends not to be in such perfect ‘straight forward’ alignment and we typcially look through a portion of the lens closer to your nose.

 

[Bearcat996]

This company has helped me a lot, Tactical RX
My setup is a bifocal on the left eye and their "Almost lens" on the right eye. The Almost lens is a upside down bifocal lens. The top part of the lens is for the front sight, normally 26" from nose to the front sight with arms extended. The bottom of the lens is for your distance. I am sure any local optometrist could put something together for you.