Bifocals And Shooting

Need bifocals? Embrace modern technology and use optics. Forget about this flipped-lens glasses silliness.

Red dots are fine under some circumstances... Where they're practical. Which is only on some semi auto handguns. They're useless on revolvers, both single and double action.

It's much the same with scopes. They have a limited use in handgun hunting applications. Not good at all for self defense. Especially in close quarters.

The human eye cannot focus on both iron sights and the target at the same time. So anything that can be done to make either one clearer is worth it.
 
Being left eye dominant and right handed, and requiring +2.25 contacts, just to see distance, a red dot is huge help for me.

I have a small shooting range in my backyard and practice enough to be competent and accurate on target. However, there is no question, a red dot makes it easier.

I've been thinking about a 5.7x28 pistol with a small red dot. 22 rounds, flat shooting, high velocity, low recoil, etc. Should be really fun for the backyard target range. Although, the 45 pistol is kinda hard to beat for that kind of use.
 
Search function FTW. Well, I realized something with my first indoor shooting range experience a few days ago....I can't see my sights. So outdoors when I was in AK and had multiple day training, I had no real issue b/c while slightly out of focus, the lighting from natural sunlight was enough to make it work. Indoors, not so much. I ordered a set of bifocal safety glasses to see if I that works better....I hate bifocals. I am nearsighted so I can see near but not far. To correct, I wear contacts (and have glasses obviously too). As I have gotten older, the correction for distance causes me to loose my close-up sight so I was wearing readers as needed. My eye doc got me on the monovision...amazing...so I basically have full distance correction in my right eye and less of a correction in my left, your brain (mine does!) corrects this all and you can see both basically...it substantially reduced how often I have to use readers when I wear contacts...so win! But for shooting, my right dominant eye is the full power distance correction so really can't see the sights well enough. Hopefully the bifocals can make this work OR I'm considering swapping my contacts to use the lower power distance corrector in my right eye....stay tuned!
 
I suppose that I am lucky, then, that I can still see the front sight sharply with a bit of squinting. I don’t wear corrective lenses when shooting (my basic distance vision is 20/15) but I absolutely do wear reading glasses for close up work - working on cars, reading, cleaning guns.

I will have to keep this in mind as my reading correction becomes stronger over time. I’m up to 2.5 right now.
At 69 years old every thing on me body seemed to take a dump. I really need reading glasses, glasses make people look smart ;)can't hear or anything else but I still go for it.
 
Search function FTW. Well, I realized something with my first indoor shooting range experience a few days ago....I can't see my sights. So outdoors when I was in AK and had multiple day training, I had no real issue b/c while slightly out of focus, the lighting from natural sunlight was enough to make it work. Indoors, not so much. I ordered a set of bifocal safety glasses to see if I that works better....I hate bifocals. I am nearsighted so I can see near but not far. To correct, I wear contacts (and have glasses obviously too). As I have gotten older, the correction for distance causes me to loose my close-up sight so I was wearing readers as needed. My eye doc got me on the monovision...amazing...so I basically have full distance correction in my right eye and less of a correction in my left, your brain (mine does!) corrects this all and you can see both basically...it substantially reduced how often I have to use readers when I wear contacts...so win! But for shooting, my right dominant eye is the full power distance correction so really can't see the sights well enough. Hopefully the bifocals can make this work OR I'm considering swapping my contacts to use the lower power distance corrector in my right eye....stay tuned!
Never heard of this "monovision" option but one thing you can do if you need bifocals (vs having a 2nd set of glasses) is have them flip the magnification to the top. This helps with the sights being what, 18" or so out, and you don't have to do the stupid head-tilt-up to get the magnification field on the bottom up where you need it.
 
I have been wearing progressive bifocals for the last 15 years. I shoot iron sights and scoped rifles with zero problems.
 
I have the top of the bifocal lens placed just below my line of sight. Just a tiny bit of tip up and I can see the front sight plainly. Did this just for shooting. Sometimes have to tip head down to use the top lens at mid distance but completely used to it.
 
Being left eye dominant and right handed, and requiring +2.25 contacts, just to see distance, a red dot is huge help for me.

I have a small shooting range in my backyard and practice enough to be competent and accurate on target. However, there is no question, a red dot makes it easier.

I've been thinking about a 5.7x28 pistol with a small red dot. 22 rounds, flat shooting, high velocity, low recoil, etc. Should be really fun for the backyard target range. Although, the 45 pistol is kinda hard to beat for that kind of use.
Holy cow. What do you need for close-up work +5 diopters or more? Why did you not get intra lenses* to have your vision corrected for distance?

*Intra lenses are implantable contacts but unlike IOLs they are inserted under the cornea and in front of the iris. They allow for very good correction including astigmatism. The cost is $4,000-5,000 per eye. Maintenance-free, very low complication rate. Replaceable.
 
Never heard of this "monovision" option but one thing you can do if you need bifocals (vs having a 2nd set of glasses) is have them flip the magnification to the top. This helps with the sights being what, 18" or so out, and you don't have to do the stupid head-tilt-up to get the magnification field on the bottom up where you need it.
Monovision is....the bomb. Just basically each eye is a different power and they work together somehow in your brain to just work out to be able to see. It's killer man, life changer really for me to ditch readers almost all together. Great advice on the top-bifocal...I just got my pistol out and it's weird to have to tilt your head up to see the sights....
 
Holy cow. What do you need for close-up work +5 diopters or more? Why did you not get intra lenses* to have your vision corrected for distance?

*Intra lenses are implantable contacts but unlike IOLs they are inserted under the cornea and in front of the iris. They allow for very good correction including astigmatism. The cost is $4,000-5,000 per eye. Maintenance-free, very low complication rate. Replaceable.
-2.25 is nothing man. I'm -3 and that's really not bad either...without correction I can get around but I can't drive legally/nor would I want to but I can move my cars around the street etc. during daylight. I think a red dot may be the solution, Holosun SCS makes a Glock MOS-compatible optic for my 10mm.
 
I use -2 for reading. But for precision target shooting I found that VERY weak reading glasses allow me to see the pistol / rifle sights AND still see the targets. I have -1 for pistol shooting and -.75 and -.5 for rifle shooting iron sights. Any glasses weaker than -1 are found mostly online.
 
-2.25 is nothing man. I'm -3 and that's really not bad either...without correction I can get around but I can't drive legally/nor would I want to but I can move my cars around the street etc. during daylight. I think a red dot may be the solution, Holosun SCS makes a Glock MOS-compatible optic for my 10mm.
Hyperopia is worse than myopia. With myopia you can see up to a certain distance without correction even if it's only a few feet but with hyperopia your vision is out of focus at infinity and progressively at closer distances. Nothing is in focus. I'd take myopia over hyperopia any day. Luckily, my vision is 20/10 and I still can see in focus at 5 inches without glasses at age 48. My dad wears +1.5 readers at 75.
 
Hyperopia is worse than myopia. With myopia you can see up to a certain distance without correction even if it's only a few feet but with hyperopia your vision is out of focus at infinity and progressively at closer distances. Nothing is in focus. I'd take myopia over hyperopia any day. Luckily, my vision is 20/10 and I still can see in focus at 5 inches without glasses at age 48. My dad wears +1.5 readers at 75.
So my left eye is a -1.75 contact and right is -3, this way I can basically see both close/far. I have -1.5 readers around IF it's darker/super close/super small stuff. Works for me. Without correction, I'm perfect up close of course....you don't get to have your cake/eat it to with vision, the kids that never had far vision issues now need readers so either way, you are screwed.
 
I use -2 for reading. But for precision target shooting I found that VERY weak reading glasses allow me to see the pistol / rifle sights AND still see the targets. I have -1 for pistol shooting and -.75 and -.5 for rifle shooting iron sights. Any glasses weaker than -1 are found mostly online.
I have an eye apointment in a few weeks and am speaking with her about this issue. She may be able to do just that....a v. weak set of Rx readers that are safety glasses too.
 
Hmm, try shooting red dot in a rain ... like a two day match in poring rain... LOL .. multi-dot sight .. LOL.
I was shooting Production btw. Wet and cold doesn't describe it. My hands would get back wet 5 sec after getting thoroughly wiped with a good towel while standing under cover. Well, hot and sunny for this Sunday match thou :ROFLMAO:
 
This reminds me I need to make an appointment. I'm nearsighted and while my distance vision was never all that bad, I wear glasses for distance and nighttime driving. Over the last 10 years, my distance vision has almost returned to 20/20 but now I have to take my glasses off to see text up close. I think it's time for bifocals which also means I should order a new pair of loops (glasses with magnification) for work too - they were $1700 15 years ago and I can only guess what they are now.
 
This reminds me I need to make an appointment. I'm nearsighted and while my distance vision was never all that bad, I wear glasses for distance and nighttime driving. Over the last 10 years, my distance vision has almost returned to 20/20 but now I have to take my glasses off to see text up close. I think it's time for bifocals which also means I should order a new pair of loops (glasses with magnification) for work too - they were $1700 15 years ago and I can only guess what they are now.
I have a pair of loupes glasses that my dad gave me. I use them sometimes when tinkering with watch movements. I can still regulate a watch without needing a magnifier.
 
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