Aging eyes, fuzzy sights

[txgolfer45]

Oh the aging proces.... I'm 51 yrs old and find that the sights front or rear are not in focus whether with my prescription glasses (progressive bifocals) or with my range glasses. The sight picture looks like a ghosting of the sights above the sights. So, the sight picture is confusing, to say the least.

I'm thinking of going to my optometrist and having them help with getting the right correction so that the front sight is relatively in focus. Is this the right approach or not?

BTW, for defense purposes, I can probably live with the sight picture. But, if I want to try any type of target shooting, some kind of correction is needed.

Scott

 

[Bullet Bob]

I can highly recommend the Merit Optical Disc; it's like an aperture sight on a suction cup that attaches to your shooting glasses. Go to the website for a full description. I've had mine for many years, and am very satisfied.

 

[jfh]

I'm about eleven years ahead of you, Bullet Bob.

Historically--since I was a teenager, I had moderate astigmatism in the left eye, needed a minor correction for the right eye, and occasionally had a lazy eye--that is, it was easy for me to see double.

The lazy eye problem went away with simple effort on my part to keep focussed; I could eliminate the double vision it caused.

The astigmatism very slowly grew worse, and at the age of 43, I also lost the flexibility we need for the lens--so I got bifocals. Since then, I've always had progressive bifocals. When I was about your age, I really got going with shooting again, marksman-style, and I got a savvy optometrist (a shooter) who adjusted that progressive prescription so it worked well with my particular head-tilt / aiming techniques. I probably adapted, too--but it worked well with both my long and short guns.

Now, it appears my eyes have hardened up more--the two sights, on a snubbie, no less, won't both focus, and the front sight is a bit 'double."

For the snubbies, I've added laser sights--they're CC guns, and for SHTF combat shooting anyway.

Try talking to a knowledgable optometrist / opthamologist about what can be done. I suspect it is downhill for you, too, but it is livable. I just don't think I can shoot 50s any more.

Jim H.

 

[qlajlu]

I also have suffered the "Aging Eye" syndrome. I found that using a "Peep" sight helped me immensely. I am going to try the Merit Optical sights one day very soon.

Here is a Web page the explains the way Merit works:

http://www.gunblast.com/MeritOptical.htm

Of course, for a SHTF type situation, rummaging around for an aperture to stick to your glasses might be a little too much to be reasonable, so laser sights would probably be something worth considering.

Here is the Web page for Crimson Trace Laser Grips:

http://www.crimsontrace.com/

There are also other companies that make laser sights.

 

[thexrayboy]

For handguns a device like the merrit works well as do lasers. For long guns
a scope using the bindon aiming concept works well if you are not using an optical scope. I can no longer see both front and back iron sights well on a rifle. I find a dot scope like my trijicon reflex really makes hitting the target a lot easier at reasonable ranges. My distance sight is ok so all I have to do is
superimpose the dot in my right eye over the intended target in the left and bingo.....But yeah, getting age related ocular change makes shooting much more challenging.

 

[gbran]

I do pretty good with a ccw weapon, shotgun for birds, but everything I own for anything else has red dots or scopes on them.

 

[HammerBite]

I'm thinking of going to my optometrist and having them help with getting the right correction so that the front sight is relatively in focus. Is this the right approach or not?

It is certainly the most direct approach, and it will work.

 

[brownie0486]

If you can still see the end of the barrel in your peripheral, and your lenses are corrected for distance, you can take advantage of threat focused skills quite easily in our Integrated Threat Focused Training Systems [ ITFTS ] courses.

As we age, the eyes don't want to go from near to far and back without many issues as above. Threat focused skills like pistol Quick Kill and Quick Fire can bring back the ability to shoot very accurately once learned without relying on the classic front sight picture [ modern technique/flash sight picture ].

With no sights on the gun at all, one can hold a 2" group all day at 15-21 feet without much effort from just below line of sight [ gun at about the nose to mouth height level ] as long as you can see distant objects past 12 feet with corrected vision.

Brownie

 

[svtruth]

I find

that wearing my drugstore reading glasses allows me to see the front sight clearly enough. I'm 59.
Good luck.

 

[Jim Watson]

The deluxe approach for serious target shooting is shooting glasses with the master eye ground to focus on the front sight; approximately trifocal intermediate, but it should be set right on for best shooting. The off eye is at your regular distance Rx. That gives a monovision setup that only takes me a few minutes to get used to at the range.

A Merit or plastic Lyman aperture on your glasses will sharpen things up by increasing your depth of field. That might be enough... for a while.

Or shoot an event that allows optical sights on the gun.

Big bold sights - the XS Big Dot is good - laser guide beams, and practice in some technique of directed fire will usually handle close up self defense shooting.

 

[ar10]

try it with tri-focals

My site picture is always fuzzy, usually getting stuck between the lines. I keep both eyes open while shooting and a lot of practice. The sight picture doesn't bother me much any more and I'm able to hit the 50ft target pretty close to the center ring. Using the a larger body target at 50ft I get the majority in the center mass. I figure that's good enough for me, (I'm not a competition shooter) and I make a point of going to the range once a month.

 

[cambeul41]

I think I might have made a happy discovery.

At 65, I have been blaming being unable to focus on the front sight for my wife’s being able to out shoot me. Sometimes both sights are just one dark blur.

However, during the last several weeks I have been doing a lot of dry-fire as I should have been doing all along. That practice has made it easier for me to focus – if I throw my head back so I can see through the correct part of my progressive lenses. I don't like the position, but if it is the only way I can see the sight, I gues iihad better get used to it. Now I need to get to the range to see if the dry-fire and focus practice will pay off in when shooting.

I should also note that some sights are easier to see than others. One of these days I am going to break down and get Truglo TFO sights.

 

[Werewolf]

I'm thinking of going to my optometrist and having them help with getting the right correction so that the front sight is relatively in focus. Is this the right approach or not?

Not if you plan on using those glasses for day to day wear. Have your Optometrist show you what the rest of the world would look like with that prescription. Not nice - not nice at all.

What my optometrist did was go with tri-focals. Short range focus for reading, mid range focus adusted to arms length and long range focus for distant. Works great for me in a progressive lens. A bit more expensive but worth it if you've just gotta stick with iron's.

What my 55 year old eyes like though are holo-sights and red dots. I've yet to find the firearm I can't mount one on. Red Dots are way less expensive and work as well for me as a holo-sight but a red dot just looks stupid on an AR-15 for example.

 

[brownie0486]

What my 55 year old eyes like though are holo-sights and red dots. I've yet to find the firearm I can't mount one on. Red Dots are way less expensive and work as well for me as a holo-sight

I've yet to see a defensive firearm with halo or red dots that would fit a holster. Unless you don't carry on the street for SD, they'll work fine but---------

if I throw my head back so I can see through the correct part of my progressive lenses. I don't like the position, but if it is the only way I can see the sight,

would not be conducive to a SD use of a firearm in the real world.

Brownie

 

[arizcowboy]

I had laser eye surgery done a couple years ago at the age of 47 and it has helped my shooting immensely. My groups using iron sights shrank by about 25%.

 

[TallPine]

I can actually see my handgun sights better without my glasses (single vision) than with them. Can't see the target all that well, but good enough.

I have some "desk glasses" that I use for computer work. These are perfect and arms length (handgun aiming range). A little fuzzy at distances, though.

I am really trying to avoid the trouble and expense of of bi/tri-focals

 

[10X]

I'm about 5 years ahead of you.
I have variable lenses, Varilux. At the handgun range you will see me moving my head up and down to focus on the front site. It really works very well. I don't feel I've lost any grouping capability because of eyesight.

Peep sights, no problem at all.

Scopes, I sometimes have to fight them. Again, I move my head up and down to focus through the scope. Sometimes this becomes an uncomfortable angle.

I cannot funtion without glasses, so I make the best of it.

 

[Satch]

Aging eyes

My answer to this was Red-Dot scopes.

 

[VA27]

What you need are "mechanic's glasses". Bifocal on the bottom, distance in the middle and Trifocal on the top. It does take a while to find a lab that will make them for you, but it can be done. I've been wearin' 'em for years. If you want, I'll ask my doc for the name of the lab who just built my new ones. PM me your email addy and I'll even send you a pix of 'em.

 

[Werewolf]

VA27: Would you mind providing some more detail on the Mechanic's glasses. Your description - well - how in the world does that work.

By the way I'm in OKC - who's your optometrist. Mine's 83 years old and might be retired by the time I need a new prescription in 2 years or so.

 

[Gustav]

As my eyes have gotten older I have found the AO/XS Ashley sights to be a help, the small dot works best for me but the larger one works better for people I know who have worse eyes than I do.
Also check into the C-More sight the J Point the Docter Optics and Tasco 2000 for workable red dot sights.
www.brownells.com
Best of luck.

 

[JerryM]

By all means get a new prescription. After that it depends upon what you want to do.
If target shooting is the sport then some good suggestions have been made.

If you are practicing for self defense it is obvious that some of the suggestions will not work, unless you have them on or on the gun all the time.

I just use my trifocals, and realize that I cannot shoot as when I was younger, but my practice is self-defense. I am able to put the bullets in the CoM easily out to 15 yards or so, and pretty well at 25 yards. I only use what I would use in a normal self-defense situation.

At longer range I have to use a lot of care for sight alignment. But a good sight picture with the sights and target in fairly sharp focus is not possible. Accordingly, when I want to test a gun/load for pure accuracy I get a friend to do the shooting.

It helps a lot to have a front sight that is easily picked up, such as blaze orange.

Accept it and try to find ways to compensate.

Best,
Jerry

 

[res1b3uq]

trifocals

I guess I'm better off than you. The trifocals were driving me crazy. I went to the dollar store and got a pair of reading glasses. I tried several pair until I found the ones that gave me a sharp image at arms length. Rifles are another thing. No more oneholers with the Anschutz.

 

[JerryM]

But are those glasses what you will be wearing if you come under attack in a parking lot? Of course, if you are testing a gun or target shooting it does not make any difference.

Jerry

 

[VA27]

Werewolf, the lenses are in two pieces. The bottom portion (about 3/4 of the total lense hight) have the distance and bifocal parts, just like regular glasses. The lab then grinds a trifocal lens and glues it to the top of the bottom portion. Then they grind them to fit your frame. The only limitation on frame size is that they can't be the itty-bitty style.

With the trifocal on top you can see your sights without having to crane your neck back to use the bifocal. Plus when you're working overhead (car on a grease rack, wiring a light fixture, etc) you can see what you're doing with out falling over backwards trying to use the bifocal! Pull 'em down on your nose and use the trifocal while on the computer.

My first ones were built on RayBan Shooter's frames. The RayBan frame is kinda fragile and they don't last long if you're the least bit rough on 'em. I've had the lenses pop out just cleaning them.

This time I went with Randolph Engineering Military Pilot's frame, 52mm. It's a lot tougher frame, suitable for Rx use. I got the frame from Hidalgo's in Louisiana.

The reason I went with Randolph was that Randolph has a clip-on designed for the Pilot frame that you can have ANY sunglass lense put in. (Hidalgo does that in house.) Hidalgo's website isn't complete yet, but you can order a catalog. I doubt you'll find anyone who knows more about sunglasses than them. I've traded with them for twenty years or so and you won't find better folks to deal with.)