Trifocal Circus

[Simple Ed]

I have terrible eyes and wear trifocals. Pistol shooting is magegable with focus on far siight. Rifle scope shooting is fine because scopes can focus to play nice with glasses.

Iron sights, however...YIKES! I'm looking to get a lever-action. I WANT to shoot without scope and keep the rifle simple and straight-forward. Trying to get sight picture is a wreck. My head is tipping back and forth scanning for a lens that will make sense of the picture. I don't have lots of experience here because it's too frustrating. Buckhorn sights are a blur. Peep sights SEEM promising because when you close an aperture you increase focal lenghth (rather you enjoy a greater depth of focus. True with cameras, astronomy, etc.)

I'd hate to buy a scopeless wonder and find it's gonna laugh at me when I shoot.

I need some other of you blind bats to steer me toward some encouraging strategies or products that will allow me to enjoy a straight-up, unscoped rifle.

 

[Classic]

Not sure how the trifocals work, but I have had "lineless" bifocals, sometimes referred to as "progressive" lenses for a decade or more. With these lenses a slight tilt of the head up or down delivers just the right amount of correction to bring the front sight into focus regardless of the barrel length. This type of lens made a such an improvement in my shooting that I will keep paying the extra premium for them every 2 years or so. Works for me.

 

[rotortech]

Simple Ed - I have the same troubles. I have gone through several sights on some of my guns. Shooting targets (rifles) gives me such eye strain that traffic signs are blurred as I drive home. Eye doctors (2 of them) tell me there is nothing they can do. Painted sights or the Williams Fire sight rifle sights will help. The Williams products are very nice and they probably have a set that will fit your rifle. In addition to having a hard time focusing on the front sight, some of us find it very difficult to change focus from near to far or, at least, we can't do it quickly enough. Bad eyesight and old age are a tough combination but not impossible.

 

[Simple Ed]

Simple Ed - I have the same troubles. I have gone through several sights on some of my guns. Shooting targets (rifles) gives me such eye strain that traffic signs are blurred as I drive home. Eye doctors (2 of them) tell me there is nothing they can do. Painted sights or the Williams Fire sight rifle sights will help. The Williams products are very nice and they probably have a set that will fit your rifle. In addition to having a hard time focusing on the front sight, some of us find it very difficult to change focus from near to far or, at least, we can't do it quickly enough. Bad eyesight and old age are a tough combination but not impossible.

Thank you. I'll check on Williams stuff. I know the problem will be compounded with head/cheek placement. Once you"re snuggled in you're even more limited in how you use your lenses. Did you find you live more with the distance, middle or reading lenses?