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Old February 11, 2007, 07:10 AM   #26
MADISON
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Progressive Lenses

I have TRI-FOCALS.
After having trouble using them with my scope I did something you are not supose to do. I got progressive lenses. The new lenses did not help but TOOK ME 8 MONTHS TO GET USE TO.
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Old February 11, 2007, 12:33 PM   #27
HiltonFarmer
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I went to the range yesterday and thought I'll give these lenses one more try (after all I paid $475.00 for them). My buddy thought I was in pain because of the way I had to bend my neck and tilt my head in order to see the front sight. My god! It took forever to fire off a round like that (finding that sweet focal point in the lense) so I pulled the cheaters out and gave them a whirl. What a difference!

I look over the correction in the lense to see the target and of course through the lense to see the front sight. Way more comfortable and I could get off multiple taps without any time issues or comfort issues. Just not a pair of safety glasses.

I don't see it as a permanent resolve but definitely until I can get some corrective lenses in a shooting style glass.

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Old February 11, 2007, 12:46 PM   #28
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Quote:
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.
I had the same problem and, I've had to get used to a lot of things in life. Incidentally, progressive lenses aren't the same thing as no-line bifocals - which I had thought they were.

I gave up bifocals the first time I tried to land my tail dragger Super Cub - conventional gear planes need to be landed nose high for the best "three-point" landing. Well I "rounded out" meaning floating in nose high and discovered the line between the distance part of the lenses and the near vision part hit exactly at the horizon so, the sky ahead was crystal clear but, the important part - the runway, was a complete blur!



I went to contacts and carrying reading glasses and never looked back. I guess my near vision for seeing sights may be a little blurred but not enough to create any problem for me.

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Old February 12, 2007, 09:03 PM   #29
Mr. Tettnanger
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I make and sell eyeglasses for a living, so my opinion may be a bit different than most.

Lets all face it, one pair of glasses will not be right for every situation. Period.

Do you have more than one pair of shoes, boots, sneakers?

How about tools. A Leatherman could "get you by", but it ain't great.

I bet you got more than one screwdriver!

Do you all use the same gun for target, hunting, competition, and defense?

I know, I know, glasses are expensive. Believe me I know. I pay for them all first!


Best advice:
1.) Don't expect your "dress" glasses to be great at shooting, or computer, or reading, etc.
2.) Find a qualified Optician who knows what they are doing. I mean a hunting and shooting enthusiast who has educated themselves on your needs!
3.) Get out your wallets and decide to do things the right way.
4.) If you are running to the local WallyWorld, $59.95 for three pair and an eye exam joints for your glasses=you DESERVE THEM!!!!!

Best of luck and feel free to fire any questions my way. I am not an expert, but I have decided to become educated on the needs of shooting enthusiast.

And remember, what works for your hunting buddy probably won't work for you!


Sorry for the ramble.


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Old February 13, 2007, 02:48 AM   #30
flashguy
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+1 on the dedicated shooting glasses. Get a pair made with the dominant eye focused at rest right on the front sight (take the gun with you to the optician--clear it with him first) and the non-dominant eye with its normal distance correction for the entire lens (single-focus). Shoot with both eyes open--the dominant eye will see the front sight clearly and the other eye will see the target clearly; the brain will fuse those images together and you will be amazed at how well it works. (Commercial pilots have used this "monovision" technique for years--one lens focused on the instruments and one at infinity.)

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Old February 13, 2007, 01:57 PM   #31
HiltonFarmer
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So having said dedicated glasses is the way to go, would you suggest that having two different pairs of glasses (1 for rifle and 1 for handgun) would be appropriate given the sight distances are just that much further apart?

I'd be walking in to the office with the armory !

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Old February 13, 2007, 03:01 PM   #32
Glenn E. Meyer
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I wear my standard progressives when I shoot and honestly, I haven't had had much problem with them after I got used to them. I have larger lenses - old man sized and have adapted to them.

I also think that I shoot IDPA and classes for some 'real world' (ninja alert!!) trigger time. Thus, I won't have special glasses when the terrible things happen.

Just my experience.
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Old February 14, 2007, 07:43 PM   #33
Mr. Tettnanger
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Hilton Farmer-

You may need two pair. Probably not. If you came to me, I would'nt care how many weapons you brought. I would test varying prescriptions for each until we found a viable solution. You may be able to get away with one pair. I don't know your age, arm length, eye rx, dominance, etc.


I know that when I get into the bifocal age(35 now), that I will try to have only one or two pair of shooting specs. If you are training "only" for defense...use your dress pair. lets face it, if attacked, or needed, you will not need to be switching specs. It will be all muscle memory and training.

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Old February 15, 2007, 08:59 PM   #34
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Quote:
If you are training "only" for defense...use your dress pair. lets face it, if attacked, or needed, you will not need to be switching specs.

I couldn't agree more. You are only fooling yourself when you practice with a special pair of "shooting glasses" and then change to another set of lenses for everyday wear.

Like the above quote says... practice with what you normally wear.

I'm struggling to adapt and it's not happening fast
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Old February 16, 2007, 12:05 AM   #35
Mr. Tettnanger
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Struggling with what?

Shooting, everyday use, what?

Mr. T.
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Old February 16, 2007, 02:41 AM   #36
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Progressives are wonderful, once you get used to them. Your eyes need to move to find the focal point you need, not your head as much as possible. With plain bifocals I can see crisply only at two distances. Bi = two doesn't it? Using the outer rim of the progressive, I have perfect focus at all distances. No way will I go backward. That said, they are lousy shooting glasses.

Try a set of flat top bifocals, flipped upside down, with the bifocal jammed hard into your nose and covering about 40% of the vertical measurement of your lens. You can do only distance vision for your non-master eye, unless you really do shoot with both eyes. Tell your eye doc you want a perfect focus at 30 inches, or whatever distance your front sight sits. Glasses cut to these pistol specs will also work well with most iron sighted rifles.

For these shooting specific glasses, you may want to consider ventilated sideshield glasses, with bigger than average lenses. Go for a light to medium amber tint, to crisp up things under most conditions.
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Old February 16, 2007, 02:08 PM   #37
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Mr. Tettnanger asked:

Quote:
Struggling with what?

Shooting, everyday use, what?
My reply:

When I referred to changing back to glasses for everyday use, I was referring to those who change back to their prescribed bifocals or progressive lenses after a range session in which they had used their old glasses or reading glasses because they found the sights and/or target was easier to see when using the old glasses.

I recently got a pair of glasses with progressive lenses for my regular every day use. When wearing them while at the shooting range I feel like a "bobble head" doll in the rear window of a moving car. (Bouncing my head up and down while attempting to acquire a clear sight picture.)

When I said that I was struggling, I was referring to my difficulty in adapting to my progressive lenses while shooting my handguns. I believe that since I will be wearing these progressive lenses should the SHTF... I had better learn how to shoot with them.
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Old February 18, 2007, 11:14 AM   #38
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If I hadn't been so lucky with this, I'd claim to be smart.

When I was working on my degree, I spent too much time at the computer with a book in my lap. I bought a pair of regular bifocal glasses with the top part set for computer distance, and the bottom part set for reading.

They're EXCELLENT for shooting as the front sight is about computer distance away, and that's really all I need to be in focus. At 50 yds the bulls' just a black blob anyway unless one is using a scope, so this works great for me.

Cheers,
Rob
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