Prescription eye wear

I stopped shooting BE and PPC about 20 years ago because my eyesight was changing rapidly.  Seemed that every gun required just a slightly different prescription lens.  At one point I had three separate lenses in my gunbox.  In the mean time I took up Cowboy Action, and have been having a blast, as the sighting isn't nearly so critical as in BE.

Recently, an old BE shooting buddy got me talked back into shooting BE, mostly in club matches.  I started out with a .22 with a red dot.  Had a new lens made for the shooting glasses.  Now, I'm trying to break out the old Model 52 with open sights.  The old problem has cropped up again.  The new prescription, while perfect for the red dot on the .22 is absolutely useless on the M52.  Being retired, I can't afford to buy a different lenses for each gun, every year.

Are there any devices similar to what the opticians use to check prescriptions, specifically desined with the shooter in mind to address this problem?  

Any other thoughts?

Try using an iris on your glasses.  There are adjustable ones and there are the stick on kind like EyePal.  I have used both for bullseye but settled on the EyePal, I still use an adjustable one for air pistol.

The smaller the iris is "stopped" down the greater your depth of field, but at a cost, low light conditions may become challenging.

- Dave

dronning wrote:Try using an iris on your glasses.  There are adjustable ones and there are the stick on kind like EyePal.  I have used both for bullseye but settled on the EyePal, I still use an adjustable one for air pistol.

The smaller the iris is "stopped" down the greater your depth of field, but at a cost, low light conditions may become challenging.

- Dave

Thanks Dave.  This is new to me, so sorry for the dumb question.  Can these go on an existing prescription lens?  How do you select the approproate aperture if they are fixed?  What brand adjutable do you use?

Not a dumb question at all and yes they can go on a prescription lens. They are also called apertures.  EyePal comes in rifle and pistol size.  The master set has one of each.  

http://www.eyepalusa.com/ 
 

The adjustable iris I use fits on a special pair of shooting glasses (Knobloch).

Gehmann makes one that CC sells, it flips up - I have no experience with it.
http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=390

- Dave

dronning wrote:Not a dumb question at all and yes they can go on a prescription lens. They are also called apertures.  EyePal comes in rifle and pistol size.  The master set has one of each.  

http://www.eyepalusa.com/ 
 

The adjustable iris I use fits on a special pair of shooting glasses (Knobloch).

Gehmann makes one that CC sells, it flips up - I have no experience with it.
http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=390

- Dave

Thanks again Dave.  I use a set of Jaggi Nova frames.  I'll start doing some research there.

Long ago when I used iron sights I used the Merit optical device.  Still available here:
http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=DOA

Dr.Don wrote:Long ago when I used iron sights I used the Merit optical device.  Still available here:
http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=DOA

Will add it to my research.  Will these devices help with minimizing the frequency of changing shooting prescription lenses?

I do not like China stuff but for $11.90 shipped for a #419111 metal frame and single vision prescription lens from Zenni Optical what is not to like.  

Add a Merit suction adj aperature from BullseyeGear and you are good to go. Delivery from Zenni is about 2 weeks.  

I have bought about 15 pair over the years and never a problem.  And if you have a problem they are so cheap you don't care

For a red dot, I use my regular distance prescription, but for irons, I needed one for about 30" (whatever the distance is from your eye to the front sight). These are for shooting only- my computer or music glasses don't work. Unfortunately, a trip to the eye doctor was required.

davekp wrote:For a red dot, I use my regular distance prescription, but for irons, I needed one for about 30" (whatever the distance is from your eye to the front sight). These are for shooting only- my computer or music glasses don't work. Unfortunately, a trip to the eye doctor was required.

Yep.  Problem is that is way too many trips.  My Optomotrist was kind enough to make arrangements so I could bring my pistol in to set my prescription.  but I don't want to have to do that all the time, and the prescription and filling the prescription with my current insurance is a pain. Plus I only get one lense per year.

hp246 wrote:

davekp wrote:For a red dot, I use my regular distance prescription, but for irons, I needed one for about 30" (whatever the distance is from your eye to the front sight). These are for shooting only- my computer or music glasses don't work. Unfortunately, a trip to the eye doctor was required.

Yep.  Problem is that is way too many trips.  My Optomotrist was kind enough to make arrangements so I could bring my pistol in to set my prescription.  but I don't want to have to do that all the time, and the prescription and filling the prescription with my current insurance is a pain. Plus I only get one lense per year.

I just took a measurement from my eye to the front sight and told the eye doc that is what I wanted that lens set for.  There is a range that it covers giving you so many inches to work with.  Don

Not sure if this was an "invention" of mine, or I put together scattered information from the internet, but it works for me. Likewise, I just got back into shooting Bullseye. My last match was 2003. My eye prescription changed many times over in the past 15 years. Quickly found out I could no longer shoot iron sights. Not good, because I'm the type that has problems with red dots because I tend to "chase" the dot in my wobble zone and make things worse. I don't see the wobble zone near as much with irons, so I shoot them better. What I did was get a new prescription and new glasses. I then went to a local Dollar General and started trying those $5 reading glasses over the top of my regular prescription. Found that if I look through my regular glasses (bi focals, the top half, distance part) with a pair of 1.25 readers over the top, my vision was perfectly focused at 30 inches, about the distance to the front sight on a pistol. I bought those readers and went to the range. Amazing! That front sight is crystal clear and focused. Rear sight a bit blurry, and the target a bit blurry, just like they are supposed to be. I am amazed at how much better I can shoot, but looked like a goon wearing two pair of glasses. So I ordered some clip-on flip-up readers on Ebay for $14. Very nice. I can flip them down to shoot, then flip them up for scoring, loading mags, etc. Try it, you may like it.


Edit: The setup above also works great for computer use. Focus of around that 30 inches is perfect for viewing the monitor!

Mike38 wrote:Not sure if this was an "invention" of mine, or I put together scattered information from the internet, but it works for me. Likewise, I just got back into shooting Bullseye. My last match was 2003. My eye prescription changed many times over in the past 15 years. Quickly found out I could no longer shoot iron sights. Not good, because I'm the type that has problems with red dots because I tend to "chase" the dot in my wobble zone and make things worse. I don't see the wobble zone near as much with irons, so I shoot them better. What I did was get a new prescription and new glasses. I then went to a local Dollar General and started trying those $5 reading glasses over the top of my regular prescription. Found that if I look through my regular glasses (bi focals, the top half, distance part) with a pair of 1.25 readers over the top, my vision was perfectly focused at 30 inches, about the distance to the front sight on a pistol. I bought those readers and went to the range. Amazing! That front sight is crystal clear and focused. Rear sight a bit blurry, and the target a bit blurry, just like they are supposed to be. I am amazed at how much better I can shoot, but looked like a goon wearing two pair of glasses. So I ordered some clip-on flip-up readers on Ebay for $14. Very nice. I can flip them down to shoot, then flip them up for scoring, loading mags, etc. Try it, you may like it.


Edit: The setup above also works great for computer use. Focus of around that 30 inches is perfect for viewing the monitor!

Actually, I've tried some of this stuff with readers.  Just doesn't work for me.  I've played around with the stick on readers on protective glasses too.  Just didn't work.  I just ordered a 42mm Jaggi Iris from Champion Shooters Supply.  Will give that a try.  Thanks for the ideas guys.

Mike38 wrote:Not sure if this was an "invention" of mine, or I put together scattered information from the internet, but it works for me. Likewise, I just got back into shooting Bullseye. My last match was 2003. My eye prescription changed many times over in the past 15 years. Quickly found out I could no longer shoot iron sights. Not good, because I'm the type that has problems with red dots because I tend to "chase" the dot in my wobble zone and make things worse. I don't see the wobble zone near as much with irons, so I shoot them better. What I did was get a new prescription and new glasses. I then went to a local Dollar General and started trying those $5 reading glasses over the top of my regular prescription. Found that if I look through my regular glasses (bi focals, the top half, distance part) with a pair of 1.25 readers over the top, my vision was perfectly focused at 30 inches, about the distance to the front sight on a pistol. I bought those readers and went to the range. Amazing! That front sight is crystal clear and focused. Rear sight a bit blurry, and the target a bit blurry, just like they are supposed to be. I am amazed at how much better I can shoot, but looked like a goon wearing two pair of glasses. So I ordered some clip-on flip-up readers on Ebay for $14. Very nice. I can flip them down to shoot, then flip them up for scoring, loading mags, etc. Try it, you may like it.


Edit: The setup above also works great for computer use. Focus of around that 30 inches is perfect for viewing the monitor!

I bought the flip up ones off Amazon and like them.  I am going to cover the left side with something also.  Don  I did order a stick on pin hole that someone else recommended.  Don

Before the cataract surgery I used these safety glasses.    http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/magnifying-safety-glasses-magnifying-safety-glass-ms125-2474.html

For me at that time a 2.25 correction would get the front sight in sharp focus. Then I added a home made 5/64 diopter to give the additional depth of field to be able to see the target fairly sharply.

After the cataract surgery, I just use the regular safety glasses with the diopter taped on it.

For the red dot I just use the regular progressive lenses I wear daily. And yes my daily wear glasses are ANSI rated prescription glasses.