Shooting with Glasses

[Kokomo1]

I will be taking a defensive handgun class in a couple of weeks and trying to figure out if I should wear my prescription glasses. Some history...

I went 51 years without glasses. I really had not noticed my eyesight had failed as much as it did. Last fall at the IHSAA State Football Championships, I was photographing from the end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium. I was unable to read the scoreboard info at the opposite end. I was forced to turn around to see the one behind me.

Also at home, I was needing to get to about 6' of a 36" standard tube TV to see the programming guide and couldn't read the cable news tickers from across the room. The wife could just fine.

So I get glasses to correct my vision at a distance. The doctor said I had a bit of close up vision problems too but for now he said they were all correctable by adjusting the monitor distance at work or moving the newspaper closer or further away.

I am also a fairly new shooter (18 months) and have been not shooting as much recently (with glasses) due to ammo shortages so I am still a bit unsure if I should use my glasses to see the target perfectly but have blurry vision up close or go with no prescription eyewear but have a blurry target.

Honestly, I am pretty good without the glasses and in a self defense distances I should have no problem hitting the target. I do know I would need glasses, likely bifocals I assume, to shoot targets accurately in competitions.

Not that it matters but I shoot an XD9 subcompact 9mm.

So prescription eyewear for distance or none at all?

 

[dnurk]

I have decent vision but wear prescription glasses (-1.0 in both eyes). I find it very helpful to wear prescription glasses while shooting. Initially I did it as a practical manner as most of my shooting over the past decade of wearing glasses was in hunting situations. I needed glasses to help spot and identify game.

But now that I'm doing more rifle and pistol shooting I find it as helpful there.

For all shooting you want to focus on the front sight, which it sounds like is clear for you without eyewear. But in confirming your target, confirming your Natural point of aim with a rifle, etc it is helpful to be able to clearly make out details on your target.

I started out with some fairly cheap prescription sunglasses but have upgraded to custom Rudy Project lenses/frame recently. A bit overkill but I like them.

A my vote would be for yes....shoot with eye pro that makes your vision as good as it can be.


The only downside is wet or humid environments where they fog up or I pair your vision.

 

[mssmith44]

You are doing pretty good. I had my vision failing like that in 5th grade. I have been shooting for a long time with glasses. That is the only way to go. You need protection for your eyes anyway. Now that I need bifocals anyway I have some continuous bifocals
that have a wide field of view. I can say keep them as close to your eyes as possible. I can tilt my head slightly to get either the sights or the target in focus. The front sight focus is a good place to focus, but remember the front and rear sight need to be in as perfect alignment as time will allow. Good luck with the training class.

 

[Que]

Since you have to wear eye protection anyway, you may as well wear something that could give you an advantage while training.

 

[ru44mag]

My eye sight is pretty good. A little near sighted though. It was deer hunting that motivated me to get glasses. I could have been wearing glasses since I was a kid, and at 37 was amazed at how much crisper things were with them, when I finally got glasses. Now 10 years later, I rarely wear them, except at church, driving at night, and when I want to be sure and hit the target.

 

[Jarhead77]

I wear bifocals while shooting. No issues after a few rounds to get used to them.

 

[sloughfoot]

If you are going to be wearing glasses all the time and carrying a handgun, you need to be wearing them when you learn to shoot that handgun in a class.

You really need to learn your limitations. Or get options. Your instructor can probably help you. And maybe an eye doctor.

I did not need readers until about 12 years ago. I am now 61. I have given up on getting a clear front sight because I probably won't have readers on if I need to use a handgun. I have trained long enough and hard enough that I am confident I can get hits at pistol distance.

Welcome to the club....

 

[nascarfantoo]

Focus on that front sight and if your prescription makes it difficult, try it without them.

I actually have trifocals and found out that, when in my natural shooting position, I was using the portion of the lense that corrected my distance vision. Front sight was blurry. So for months used clear safety glasses. Was able to focus on the front sight better that way.

Couple months ago I got a set of glasses that are set up with more of the lense used for correction of shorter distances (arm length). THey not only help with my being able to see my computer screen, but that front sight is now clear. And if I want to see the target better, I just look through the upper section of the glasses.

Talk to your optometrist.

 

[1911ly]

Since you have to wear eye protection anyway, you may as well wear something that could give you an advantage while training.

+1 one this comment. I have a hard time with glass while shooting but I force my self to. Just for safety.

 

[9mmfan]

Have your prescription lenses made of polycarbonate. The are what real safety glasses are made of. The space shuttle 'glass' was made of polycarbonate.

I've wore those lenses for years without a problem.

 

[UncleMike]

Focus on that front sight and if your prescription makes it difficult, try it without them.

I actually have trifocals and found out that, when in my natural shooting position, I was using the portion of the lense that corrected my distance vision. Front sight was blurry. So for months used clear safety glasses. Was able to focus on the front sight better that way.

Couple months ago I got a set of glasses that are set up with more of the lense used for correction of shorter distances (arm length). THey not only help with my being able to see my computer screen, but that front sight is now clear. And if I want to see the target better, I just look through the upper section of the glasses.

Talk to your optometrist.

I have tri focals too.
I can't focus on the front sight with them on but can see the front sight just fine without them.
The rear sight and the target are slightly blurry, which is as they should be.

 

[Kokomo1]

Lots of good advice. Some I will save when I get a second set of glasses. For now, I'll do what makes the front sight in focus before all else which seems to be the advice if I can have only one thing in perfect focus.

 

[knot4reel]

I wear no line bi focal glasses and I keep them on when shooting non scoped or optic firearms. When using a scope or reddot the glasses seem to cause a distortion so I take them off.

 

[__Doc_]

I've never shot with my glasses on because I wear contacts. The only problem I have is all my red dots are fuzzy

 

[jbrownrfn]

Id go corrected vision. Your eyesight wont get better unless you get surgery. Might as well train with what you most likely end up wearing more often.

 

[AlwaysVigilant]

Develop your skills with corrected vision, and train without it once a while. Glasses are easy to loose in scuffle and you don't sleep in them.

 

[NinnJinn]

Develop your skills with corrected vision, and train without it once a while. Glasses are easy to loose in scuffle and you don't sleep in them.

When my uncle was a firearms instructor for the police academy, If a recruit wore glasses or contacts, he would use his own personal off time and work one on one with them without them wearing their glasses or contacts.

4yrs after he retired, The academy made it mandatory for the instructors to work with them not wearing their glasses or contacts.

 

[tdoom15]

Since you have to wear eye protection anyway, you may as well wear something that could give you an advantage while training.

The only problem with this is that a lot of times wearing glasses that aren't meant for taking impact can actually be worse for you than wearing nothing as the glasses and frames can shatter and do more damage to your eyes and face.

OP, look in to brands like ESS, Wiley, Smith...they make a variety of shooting glasses with prescription options. I think contacts are the best route, other than corrective eye surgery (best money you'll ever spend imo), but if not look into glasses that have a MINIMUM of ANSI Z87 impact protection, and ideally ones that meet the military impact protection standard. Lucky gunner did an excellent write up on shooting glasses, I'll try to find it post it.

Edit: here you go

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/eye-protection-shooting-glasses-review/

 

[VERT]

We have had people show up for class without their glasses. It makes it much more difficult for us to diagnose their problems when they can't see/hit the target.

 

[Ricnzak]

I just got my 1st glasses I should wear all of the time today. They are bifocals and trying to look down at sights on a small pistol today proved interesting. I bet this will take awhile to adjust to different types of guns.