Progressive lenses a problem with sighting?

HiltonFarmer · February 6, 2007, 05:07 PM

I just got a new set of glasses and they are a real pain in the proverbial bum. When I have them on, I can't see the target and when I don't have them on I can't see the sights clearly. Damned if I do and damned if I don't.

Has anyone experienced this problem and if so, what did you do about it?

HiltonFarmer

Rimrod · February 6, 2007, 05:48 PM

They take time to get used to but eventually you won't even know they are there. When shooting a handgun you are supposed to focus on the front sight and the target should be blurred. Tilt your head back and forth until the front sight is in best focus and practice that until you don't have to look for it anymore.

fairview mick · February 6, 2007, 07:34 PM

If you follow the champion pistol and revolver shooters, they concentrate on the FRONT sight of the gun only. No matter how good your eyes are, you cannot focus on the front sight and the target at the same time. When you focus on the front sight the bull in the target will be fuzzy. That's the way it is supposed to be. Use the lens that will make the front sight sharp, concentrate on that sight, move it to the target and SQEEEEEEEEZE the trigger so that you're accually surprised by the gun going off and follow through.
Mickey

jbrown · February 6, 2007, 10:14 PM

If your talking no line bifocals,i returned mine and got regular old bifocals.much better.

HiltonFarmer · February 6, 2007, 10:23 PM

You bet I'm talking about no line bifocals! At this very moment in time, I hate them. I sure hope that some poeple are right and I get used to them.

And then another question would be - what type of safety glasses can accommodate those lenses without looking like a complete alien? The lenses I have are safety lenses but they wouldn't stop a spent casing from going in through the side. Is that a concern for anyone and what do you think the RO would have to say about that?

HiltonFarmer

Capt. Charlie · February 6, 2007, 10:41 PM

I got the progressive lenses a few years ago & immediately had problems. Not only did they blur top to bottom, but from side to side as well. It seemed there was only a small spot that I could actually focus through, and peripheral vision went to hell in a handbag.

A few weeks ago, I said enough & went to an ophthalmologist who is also a shooter. I told him I can see to read just fine without glasses, so forget the tri-focals, and I needed bi-focals to shoot with. During the eye test, he had me hold a "handgun" with a 6" barrel (a ruler at 10"

) at arm's length, and that is what he set the lower bi-focal at. Problem solved! I'm actually back to shooting a decent pattern again

.
But I went a little farther. I also got contacts, 3 sets of them. No, I don't have three eyes

, but I'm left eye dominant, and had the right lens made for distance. I had two different lenses made for my left eye, one matching the right for distance, and one for that front sight distance. I only wear those when shooting, & they work very well. I was surprised how easily I could shift my focus from eye to eye with these, and it really wasn't all that expensive. It also makes it possible to wear conventional shooter's safety glasses.

Gbro · February 6, 2007, 11:17 PM

You might not have to dig in your pockets to solve this problem. Dig in you junk drawer, find that old glasses you used before bi-focals.
I always kept an old set in the cubby(arm rest) in the truck and forgot my sunglasses at a shoot. remebering those old photo browns in the cubby, i was astonished at how much better i could focus on the front sight. They are in my shooting box now!

glockopop · February 6, 2007, 11:35 PM

The problems that you and Capt Charlie are describing are simply the nature of progressive lenses. Some people just can't get used to them.
They are better for general use, but you can't just move your eyes, you have to move your whole head, point your nose at what you want to see, and raise your chin until it comes into focus.

For shooting, your best bet is either to do what Charlie did and get three contacts, or get dedicated shooting glasses. Usually this consists of an intermediate Rx for your dominant eye lens and a distance Rx for your other. This allows you to see your front sight clearly while still being able to see where your shot went. My USPSA club president has this setup and loves them. I've seen a lot of shooters who use it successfully.

I wouldn't know, I don't need 'em like you geezers.

Eghad · February 7, 2007, 08:30 AM

dedicated shooting glasses......

plus this for target shooting

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...CAL+ATTACHMENT

Tom2 · February 7, 2007, 01:07 PM

I got a set of those glasses at Walmart. Actually never use them. Never in focus even in the sweet spot, for distant stuff. Have been wearing the same battered pair of glasses for at least 5-6 years. I can't see well close up, so I just take them off for that. I will avoid the "thin lenses" as they all have had for me the blur at the edges. Just stuck with standard thicker plastic and can see my sights and target OK. I am overdue for more but I will try to avoid bifocals for the time being. I just take them off for closeup. Wasted hundreds on glasses that were worthless. D--- company got a copay for eyewear each year, so the local optics place just increased their prices to gobble up the difference!

K96771 · February 7, 2007, 01:08 PM

Old geezer here,... I've been trying to find the answer for some time too. Progressives definitely don't work. I did come up with the same conclusion as Gbro. Old, weaker bifocal reading Rx glasses that I had back in a drawer seem to now focus a little farther out. Better, but not the ultimate answer...

Eghad · February 7, 2007, 01:15 PM

I just had a visit with my eye doc and he got me what the solution would be with eyeglasses. The problem is that the lens would be pretty darn thick.
so for hunting its a scope. for my SASS shooting I have a pair of dedicated glasses that work well.

HiltonFarmer · February 7, 2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

It seemed there was only a small spot that I could actually focus through, and peripheral vision went to hell in a handbag.

Bingo! :barf:

I had one fellow tell me (as some of you have) to go to the optometrist and he could set me up as he knew the pains of a shooter. I went and he told me that it would be a $600 - $700 venture. Ummmm - maybe the old pair of cheaters I was using before these useless things will find their way into the shooting bag!

Thanks all for the thoughts.

HiltonFarmer

GreenFlash107 · February 7, 2007, 04:14 PM

Another old timer here. Been there, done that! I hate progressive lenses. I am using a three year old prescription for most of the day. I also went back (three weeks ago) and got normal contact lenses. I can see 20-15 with them, which is great for distance, but really is bad for up close. So, I have three choices. Glasses(Bi-focal), contacts, and without. It really is a pain sometimes, but its a fact of getting older.

elprofeloco · February 7, 2007, 04:19 PM

I'm "bordering-on-blind" (myopic, about 350 diopters) and have old-phart eyes.

I've had progressives for over 20 yrs. and bifocals for 30 yrs. before that. Some can't adjust, others take a while. It can become automatic after a while to tilt your head the correct amount.

Modern narrow shaped lenses make it even harder to do this (the amount of tilt to focus is very sensitive). You might try some frames with older style wider shape lenses.

Focus on the front sight and disregard almost complete blurriness (for me) of the target.

Sounds like your optometrist is doing the right thing: lenses corrected to the front-sight distance. (I have a pair of office-computer glasss that focus on both desktop/paperwork distances and computer distances - slightly different distances, and being able to focus on both makes a huge difference for me).

skeeter1 · February 7, 2007, 04:39 PM

Quote:

If your talking no line bifocals,i returned mine and got regular old bifocals.much better.

Complete agreement here. Some people like the progressives, but I'm not among them. I've known several people who went back to the old lined-style bifocals and are happy they did, me being one of them. I'm an old phart, and it's not like I'm trying to pick up chicks anymore.

Rimrod · February 7, 2007, 07:28 PM

"...it's not like I'm trying to pick up chicks anymore."

I did a couple of months ago. I picked up my daughter and one of her friends and drove them to their college graduation.

revjen45 · February 7, 2007, 07:47 PM

Most bifocals don't have the near correction placed correctly for shooting. There is a product called Optx which is a reading glass type correction and sticks onto regular glasses wherever you want them. You can put them on corrective lenses or non-prescription safety glasses. They cost about $20 and work just dandy.

slow · February 7, 2007, 08:14 PM

How about single vision lenses instead of progressives (I'm hating mine too!) I got ultra thin progressives and am wondering if I should just go back to having distance corrected only...maybe with a thicker (cheaper lenses) single vision or do old bifocals give more lense usage?

Bob O · February 7, 2007, 10:42 PM

I don't know about for target (accuracy) shooting because I haven't done that kind of shooting for many years, but for defensive shooting purposes a laser was the perfect answer for me.

p99guy · February 8, 2007, 11:09 AM

I wear no line bifocals these days...after a while you get used to them, but the first couple of months its weird....laying in bed and tring to watch tv is still a lesson in futility(you about have to sit straight up.) but I dont find it hurts my shooting too much now(Ive worn them 2 years )

glockopop · February 9, 2007, 03:19 AM

Just to clarify, y'all...yes, progressive lenses absolutely suck for shooting. But so do every other type of glasses for presbyopes (people who need multifocal glasses) that aren't specifically designed for shooting. In general, progressive lenses are harder to get used to (especially if you've been wearing lined bifocals for years--then it almost never works) but when you do get used to them they're easier to use and see out of for general use than lined bifocals.

flashman70 · February 9, 2007, 06:53 AM

I fretted about this when I started shooting about a year and a half ago. Then I realized I'll never be a fabulous shot and that at age 58, I'm OK with that. I am not a target or competitive shooter, but I can usually make one big hole at 20 to 30 feet - slow fire.

I learned to shoot in order to carry for self defense. Any special glasses you get for shooting at a range don't help in a self defense scenario. So I do my best to focus on the front sight with my progressive bifocals. This is a challenge, because I naturally seem to want to tuck my chin in, which takes my eyes out of the near correction portion of the lens. I've learned to try to keep my head up and live with a less than perfect focus on the front sight and a blurry target.

Jim Watson · February 9, 2007, 08:41 AM

If you want to do well on targets you probably need purpose made shooting glasses with the master eye ground to focus on the front sight. Or the Hansen Eagle Eye bifocals with an intermediate distance segment at the upper inside area of the master eye lens. They need not cost $600-$700. Half that for a pretty nice pair, and you can get out for less.

If you are practicing for self defense, just suck it up and go with your street glasses. And maybe some XS Big Dot sights.

K80Geoff · February 9, 2007, 09:29 AM

I have tried Bifocals, Progressives and reading glasses set to handgun distance. Can't use any of them. I wear my regular distance glasses, use red dots for target shooting and have Crimson Trace on my carry and defense handguns.

Learn to point shoot, and learn to trust the Crimson Trace.

February 6, 2007, 05:07 PM	#1
HiltonFarmer Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2006 Location: Western Canada Posts: 324	Progressive lenses a problem with sighting? I just got a new set of glasses and they are a real pain in the proverbial bum. When I have them on, I can't see the target and when I don't have them on I can't see the sights clearly. Damned if I do and damned if I don't. Has anyone experienced this problem and if so, what did you do about it? HiltonFarmer __________________ I wish gun control could go away. That way I could buy anything I wanted. _______________________________________ Keep the muzzle pointed down range please!

February 6, 2007, 07:34 PM	#3
fairview mick Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2005 Location: North Olmsted Posts: 795	Lenses and shooting. If you follow the champion pistol and revolver shooters, they concentrate on the FRONT sight of the gun only. No matter how good your eyes are, you cannot focus on the front sight and the target at the same time. When you focus on the front sight the bull in the target will be fuzzy. That's the way it is supposed to be. Use the lens that will make the front sight sharp, concentrate on that sight, move it to the target and SQEEEEEEEEZE the trigger so that you're accually surprised by the gun going off and follow through. Mickey __________________ 90% of my hard earned money went to Hot women, fast bikes and guns. THE REST I WASTED!!!!! Mickey-NRA life member

February 6, 2007, 10:23 PM	#5
HiltonFarmer Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2006 Location: Western Canada Posts: 324	You bet I'm talking about no line bifocals! At this very moment in time, I hate them. I sure hope that some poeple are right and I get used to them. And then another question would be - what type of safety glasses can accommodate those lenses without looking like a complete alien? The lenses I have are safety lenses but they wouldn't stop a spent casing from going in through the side. Is that a concern for anyone and what do you think the RO would have to say about that? HiltonFarmer __________________ I wish gun control could go away. That way I could buy anything I wanted. _______________________________________ Keep the muzzle pointed down range please!

February 6, 2007, 10:41 PM	#6
Capt. Charlie Moderator Emeritus Join Date: March 24, 2005 Location: Steubenville, OH Posts: 4,446	I got the progressive lenses a few years ago & immediately had problems. Not only did they blur top to bottom, but from side to side as well. It seemed there was only a small spot that I could actually focus through, and peripheral vision went to hell in a handbag. A few weeks ago, I said enough & went to an ophthalmologist who is also a shooter. I told him I can see to read just fine without glasses, so forget the tri-focals, and I needed bi-focals to shoot with. During the eye test, he had me hold a "handgun" with a 6" barrel (a ruler at 10" ) at arm's length, and that is what he set the lower bi-focal at. Problem solved! I'm actually back to shooting a decent pattern again . But I went a little farther. I also got contacts, 3 sets of them. No, I don't have three eyes , but I'm left eye dominant, and had the right lens made for distance. I had two different lenses made for my left eye, one matching the right for distance, and one for that front sight distance. I only wear those when shooting, & they work very well. I was surprised how easily I could shift my focus from eye to eye with these, and it really wasn't all that expensive. It also makes it possible to wear conventional shooter's safety glasses. __________________ TFL Members are ambassadors to the world for firearm owners. What kind of ambassador does *your* post make *you?* I train in earnest, to do the things that I pray in earnest, I'll never have to do. --Capt. Charlie

February 6, 2007, 11:35 PM	#8
glockopop Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2005 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 922	OK, here comes the professional optician... The problems that you and Capt Charlie are describing are simply the nature of progressive lenses. Some people just can't get used to them. They are better for general use, but you can't just move your eyes, you have to move your whole head, point your nose at what you want to see, and raise your chin until it comes into focus. For shooting, your best bet is either to do what Charlie did and get three contacts, or get dedicated shooting glasses. Usually this consists of an intermediate Rx for your dominant eye lens and a distance Rx for your other. This allows you to see your front sight clearly while still being able to see where your shot went. My USPSA club president has this setup and loves them. I've seen a lot of shooters who use it successfully. I wouldn't know, I don't need 'em like you geezers. __________________ I've only got two hands, but I've been known to carry three Glocks. RZA

February 6, 2007, 05:48 PM	#2
Rimrod Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Behind enemy lines Posts: 1,309	They take time to get used to but eventually you won't even know they are there. When shooting a handgun you are supposed to focus on the front sight and the target should be blurred. Tilt your head back and forth until the front sight is in best focus and practice that until you don't have to look for it anymore.

February 6, 2007, 10:14 PM	#4
jbrown Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2006 Location: minnesota Posts: 215	If your talking no line bifocals,i returned mine and got regular old bifocals.much better.

February 6, 2007, 11:17 PM	#7
Gbro Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,084	You might not have to dig in your pockets to solve this problem. Dig in you junk drawer, find that old glasses you used before bi-focals. I always kept an old set in the cubby(arm rest) in the truck and forgot my sunglasses at a shoot. remebering those old photo browns in the cubby, i was astonished at how much better i could focus on the front sight. They are in my shooting box now!

February 7, 2007, 08:30 AM	#9
Eghad Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 6,231	dedicated shooting glasses...... plus this for target shooting http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...CAL+ATTACHMENT __________________ Have a nice day at the range NRA Life Member

February 7, 2007, 01:07 PM	#10
Tom2 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,676	I got a set of those glasses at Walmart. Actually never use them. Never in focus even in the sweet spot, for distant stuff. Have been wearing the same battered pair of glasses for at least 5-6 years. I can't see well close up, so I just take them off for that. I will avoid the "thin lenses" as they all have had for me the blur at the edges. Just stuck with standard thicker plastic and can see my sights and target OK. I am overdue for more but I will try to avoid bifocals for the time being. I just take them off for closeup. Wasted hundreds on glasses that were worthless. D--- company got a copay for eyewear each year, so the local optics place just increased their prices to gobble up the difference!

February 7, 2007, 01:08 PM	#11
K96771 Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2006 Location: NJ Pinelands Posts: 120	Old geezer here,... I've been trying to find the answer for some time too. Progressives definitely don't work. I did come up with the same conclusion as Gbro. Old, weaker bifocal reading Rx glasses that I had back in a drawer seem to now focus a little farther out. Better, but not the ultimate answer... __________________ Tom

February 7, 2007, 01:15 PM	#12
Eghad Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 6,231	I just had a visit with my eye doc and he got me what the solution would be with eyeglasses. The problem is that the lens would be pretty darn thick. so for hunting its a scope. for my SASS shooting I have a pair of dedicated glasses that work well. __________________ Have a nice day at the range NRA Life Member

February 7, 2007, 04:14 PM	#14
GreenFlash107 Member Join Date: June 16, 2006 Location: North GA Posts: 87	Another old timer here. Been there, done that! I hate progressive lenses. I am using a three year old prescription for most of the day. I also went back (three weeks ago) and got normal contact lenses. I can see 20-15 with them, which is great for distance, but really is bad for up close. So, I have three choices. Glasses(Bi-focal), contacts, and without. It really is a pain sometimes, but its a fact of getting older.

February 7, 2007, 04:19 PM	#15
elprofeloco Member Join Date: February 6, 2006 Posts: 87	Myopic and old I'm "bordering-on-blind" (myopic, about 350 diopters) and have old-phart eyes. I've had progressives for over 20 yrs. and bifocals for 30 yrs. before that. Some can't adjust, others take a while. It can become automatic after a while to tilt your head the correct amount. Modern narrow shaped lenses make it even harder to do this (the amount of tilt to focus is very sensitive). You might try some frames with older style wider shape lenses. Focus on the front sight and disregard almost complete blurriness (for me) of the target. Sounds like your optometrist is doing the right thing: lenses corrected to the front-sight distance. (I have a pair of office-computer glasss that focus on both desktop/paperwork distances and computer distances - slightly different distances, and being able to focus on both makes a huge difference for me).

February 7, 2007, 07:28 PM	#17
Rimrod Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Behind enemy lines Posts: 1,309	"...it's not like I'm trying to pick up chicks anymore." I did a couple of months ago. I picked up my daughter and one of her friends and drove them to their college graduation.

February 7, 2007, 07:47 PM	#18
revjen45 Junior member Join Date: May 7, 2006 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 626	Most bifocals don't have the near correction placed correctly for shooting. There is a product called Optx which is a reading glass type correction and sticks onto regular glasses wherever you want them. You can put them on corrective lenses or non-prescription safety glasses. They cost about $20 and work just dandy.

February 7, 2007, 08:14 PM	#19
slow Member Join Date: December 11, 2000 Posts: 83	How about single vision lenses instead of progressives (I'm hating mine too!) I got ultra thin progressives and am wondering if I should just go back to having distance corrected only...maybe with a thicker (cheaper lenses) single vision or do old bifocals give more lense usage?

February 7, 2007, 10:42 PM	#20
Bob O Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 50	I don't know about for target (accuracy) shooting because I haven't done that kind of shooting for many years, but for defensive shooting purposes a laser was the perfect answer for me.

February 8, 2007, 11:09 AM	#21
p99guy Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2004 Location: Haslet,Texas(DFW area) Posts: 1,506	I wear no line bifocals these days...after a while you get used to them, but the first couple of months its weird....laying in bed and tring to watch tv is still a lesson in futility(you about have to sit straight up.) but I dont find it hurts my shooting too much now(Ive worn them 2 years ) __________________ Lighten up Francis!.....;Actor Warren Oats, in the movie "Stripes"

February 9, 2007, 03:19 AM	#22
glockopop Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2005 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 922	Just to clarify, y'all...yes, progressive lenses absolutely suck for shooting. But so do every other type of glasses for presbyopes (people who need multifocal glasses) that aren't specifically designed for shooting. In general, progressive lenses are harder to get used to (especially if you've been wearing lined bifocals for years--then it almost never works) but when you do get used to them they're easier to use and see out of for general use than lined bifocals. __________________ I've only got two hands, but I've been known to carry three Glocks. RZA

February 9, 2007, 06:53 AM	#23
flashman70 Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 164	I fretted about this when I started shooting about a year and a half ago. Then I realized I'll never be a fabulous shot and that at age 58, I'm OK with that. I am not a target or competitive shooter, but I can usually make one big hole at 20 to 30 feet - slow fire. I learned to shoot in order to carry for self defense. Any special glasses you get for shooting at a range don't help in a self defense scenario. So I do my best to focus on the front sight with my progressive bifocals. This is a challenge, because I naturally seem to want to tuck my chin in, which takes my eyes out of the near correction portion of the lens. I've learned to try to keep my head up and live with a less than perfect focus on the front sight and a blurry target. __________________ Clarior hinc honos

February 9, 2007, 08:41 AM	#24
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,545	If you want to do well on targets you probably need purpose made shooting glasses with the master eye ground to focus on the front sight. Or the Hansen Eagle Eye bifocals with an intermediate distance segment at the upper inside area of the master eye lens. They need not cost $600-$700. Half that for a pretty nice pair, and you can get out for less. If you are practicing for self defense, just suck it up and go with your street glasses. And maybe some XS Big Dot sights.

February 9, 2007, 09:29 AM	#25
K80Geoff Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 1998 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 3,639	I have tried Bifocals, Progressives and reading glasses set to handgun distance. Can't use any of them. I wear my regular distance glasses, use red dots for target shooting and have Crimson Trace on my carry and defense handguns. Learn to point shoot, and learn to trust the Crimson Trace. __________________ I am no longer a member of this forum. Bye!