Bi-Focals when shooting?

[Craigt]

I could use a little advice from any of you more experienced shooters.  I wear glasses with relatively minor far sight correction and a bit more near sight (reading) correction.  Over the past few years I find it no longer possible to keep the front sight focused when, as I have always done, look through the upper / far sight portion of my glasses.

Should I be tipping my head up so that I can use the reading portion of the glasses to get the front sight in focus?

As always, any input is very much appreciated.

Craig T.

[kanuist]

I have no line progressive bifocals.  The prescription starts higher up on the lens for better focus at distance of arms length and less.

I think that would help.

[P7Enigma]

Is your front site out of focus at arms length?

[Craigt]

The front sight is out of focus at arms length when looking through the upper portion of the glasses.

I do have the progressive lenses but for me to get the front sight in focus I need to tip my head up.  Is that considered acceptable?  Or is it better to have a normal head position and let the sights be out of focus?

[kanuist]

I think you'd be better off with the front sight a bit fuzzy and your head down/normal.  As long as you can see the sight well enough to know where your gun is pointed.

[theirishguard]

you could check with an eye doctor that shoots ie: there is one in Dallas that works with shooters on glasses... that might be the best answer.  Tom

[hedrok]

I'm just going thru this exact same situation right now.  I can see my front sight clearly by looking over the top of my glasses...not safe.  Sooner or later...I'll have a problem.  Looking thru the corrected for distance lens...I can see a very blurry front sight. The target looks GREAT...but I can't hit it accurately that way.  
The remedy (for me) is having a "shooting" lens ground so that I will see clearly at arms' length out to 18" beyond that point.  That will permit me to shoot pistol and rifle with a clear view of the the important parts for target shooting. Target doesn't matter.
If you're a hunter...I have no idea, since other things will come into play...like a VERY clear view of your target is a must, as far as I know.

[MRC]

I wear trifocals normally. For shooting I had them grind the middle correction at the top of my shooting eye lens.  These are called work lens's and lots of carpenters, painters and anyone doing overhead work use them.  Works good for me.

[P7Enigma]

Being we are on this type of subject: Does anyone here have these types of problems with scopes? For example, I can use Leupold tactical scopes with no problems via adjusting the ocular but with say a Nightforce, I run into all sorts of problems with getting the reticle crisp in focus while maintaining field of view clarity and to compound matters worse, the parallax is hard to get totally elliminated.

Maybe I need to look into that procedure that Holcomb dude did that was on the four man bobsled team! If he was almost blind and can come back and win gold after that sort of procedure...hmmmm

[kjtrains]

I wear contacts and use what is called monovision.  I used to wear only one cantact and it was for reading.  The other eye was fine.  When you look down to read, the contact eye takes over;  when you look out to a distance other than reading, the other eye takes over.

The Doc explained it like a TV channel selector.  The eyes select what they're supposed to do automatically.  I now wear both eyes with contacts, however, same principal.  One is at 375 power, the other 125.  The 125 is for distance, and 375 is for reading.

For me, it works fine for scopes, and just plain sighting.  I have the extended wear contacts, and do not change them but once a month.  Granted, this isn't for everyone.  

[Craigt]

I have a special pair of glasses that focuses in the upper portion at 36", computer screen distance then progresses to normal reading distance on the lower portion.  

I want to do all my R9 shooting with my normal every day glasses because if the pup has to bite, that is what I will be wearing.

Tipping my head up seems to work ok, I just am not used to doing that.

[tracker]

Wearing progressive trifocals seems to work ok for me; not perfect but acceptable. However, similar to the working glass concept these progressives do not work well in golf. I reversed the executive bi-focal style by having the large viewing area from the glasses at the bottom with the focal length at the golf ball and the smaller top viewing area focused to infinity. It was much more important to see the point of contact at the club head than anything else. As in shooting, once the projectile is en-route there is little that can be done about it.

[kjtrains]

Tried reading glasses and everytime I wanted to read something I didn't have them with me or put them in a place where I would have to go and get them, so the good eye doctor suggested the monovision contact.

Works fine with golf, shooting, reading, and I don't have to worry about where I put the glasses, or have several pairs.  I was a little worried about contacts, but having to change them only once a month, and I do go longer, is not so bad.