Prescription glasses

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Dunross

Dunross

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Well, my ophthalmologist appointment yesterday has made me finally decide to grasp the nettle of buying prescription glasses.

I'm not looking for dedicated "shooting glasses" per se, but more along the lines of general purpose eyewear of which shooting is one of the more important considerations. After a long talk with the tech (who is also a shooter) I settled on tri-focals with the middle being "computer distance" which is also about pistol sight / front rifle sight distance. I'm leaning towards seamless polycarbonates.

The question now is do I shop local or should I mail-order? I'm a middle-aged guy so I'm not looking for high-fashion, but durability as scratch resistance and frame toughness along with lens quality.

What do you all recommend?
 
Dunross said:
I'm not looking for dedicated "shooting glasses" per se, but more along the lines of general purpose eyewear of which shooting is one of the more important considerations.
Click to expand...
I don't need any correction in the upper lenses in my bifocals - especially not since I had laser cataract surgery two years ago. Yet I wear my bifocals almost all the time because I hate having to reach for my reading glasses. And because my bifocals have fairly large, polycarbonate lenses, they do provide some eye protection for me during my normal, everyday activities - which include shooting, some woodworking, handloading, and even running the lawnmower in the summertime.

Dunross said:
The question now is do I shop local or should I mail-order?
Click to expand...
Both my wife and I had laser cataract surgeries at about the same time 2 years ago, and right afterwards we went to Costco and ordered our glasses. We won't do that again. In less than 6 months, the anti-glare/reflective coating started coming off in flakes, and in 1 year's time, we could hardly even see through our Costco glasses.
The glasses we each have now we ordered right at the optometrist's office. We have almost a year in them, and they're still like new.
I've never quite understood about mail-ordering prescription glasses. I know a lot of people do it, but I don't know how it works because even at Costco someone measured how high my wife's and my pupils are when we're looking straight ahead. I think they took some other measurements too before they ordered our glasses.:)
 
Based on my experience go local. The mail order places look cheaper at the get go but by the time you add in all their ancillary charges and fees you are on par or more expensive than local.
How is a mail order place going to fit the frames to your head? How do they accurately measure pupillary distance? Can yo go to them with questions or problems?
 
If you have insurance that covers eyes like VSP shop locally,if not it might cheaper to go with mail order or online. I don't know if it is because they are billing an insurance company,but when I see the invoice for my glasses it is pretty much shock and awe. I agree with Atavar though,you get correct fitment and if there is a problem with your Rx,frames or lenses you can go eyeball to eyeball to get it resolved
 
I've done local and mail order. Mail order isn't there yet. Needs to be more like Zappos (for shoes) where you can order a dozen frames and return shipping is free. The virtual try-on features of some websites are useful for narrowing down if you have no idea the frame style you want. Otherwise, I'd go online only if I knew the exact frame style and size I wanted -- like I was re-ordering or wanted something iconic like Rayban aviators or wayfarers and didn't need to try them on.

You can have the eye doc measure IPD during the exam, and if you know your frame size or figure it out, it's not hard to fit it. You can also get IPD using photograph of your eyes and a ruler at the same distance (hold the ruler against your forehead). There's even apps to measure IPD that use a credit card for scale. But it's easy to get it done professionally during the exam and once you know it, just remember it for future orders. It doesn't change once you're grown.

I'm going to say progressive lenses are better than trifocals. They can get pricey but worth it. Single vision is the best if its all you need, but once you need correction for near vision, progressive is worth it.

Polycarbonate is safe but I dislike the lack of clarity. Trivex is also impact resistant and clearer, but not as clear as CR39 or glass (the best). So the problem is the latter aren't so suitable for shooting. How much you need eye protection in shooting depends. If you've got semi-autos that eject cases, you shoot at indoor ranges, on a firing line, you shoot steel, or in rocky areas, or there's other hazards like Mini-14 shooters anywhere in your county, you probably need more than prescription polycarbonate fashion glasses.
 
Optometrists can be excellent. If you buy glasses locally, realize that Opticians that are competent are a good find, but technicians that know more than a typical high school freshman are rare. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them didn't just leave jobs at Taco Bell. Realize that when you walk into an eyewear store, there's usually only one optician and the rest are techs. They're clueless. It's just the reality of the business. If you buy glasses by looking for a cute frame and let the technician take care of the rest, you can't expect much (but you'll still pay). If you see glasses as a critical piece of advanced technology and demand high performance, you're pretty much on your own. Fortunately, there is a lot of good training on Youtube. If you're clueless, then you're totally dependent on the tech helping you to be awesome. Chances are really slim in this environment (with respect to current employment market conditions). This is why online is going to take over in the near future. As glasses get more advanced and technical, there's just no source of sufficiently trained techs to staff local stores all over the place.
 
I have a friend that is an eye dr. Well anyways he says there ain’t no difference between frames in regards to price vs quality. He said it’s all in how you treat them. A cheap $10 frame from China and a $150 frame from China, will hold up the same.

I wear titanium frames, mostly cause they are a bit more tough. Our dogs grabbed them and played tug o war with them once and the frame survived. The pair before that I had like ten years. These are going on...8-10, can’t remember now.
 
Frames can have a utility value or they can be like art or jewelry. Timex or Rolex. The Rolex is a good analog because it's not always precious metals and stones that make it more valuable. Although glasses could feature those things, it's often hand craftsmanship and more subjective things like style and taste or even brand cachet or prestige, "Gucci." Now we might mock those expensive things that aren't to our own tastes, but it's fair to say that it's worth it to some people and if they wear it on their face, they can choose based on their own values. I'm just grateful we have a choice.
 
Use the best local ophthalmologist to look at your eyes and write a script, and then take the script to Costco, which is hard to beat on contacts and glasses. I talked to my eye doctor about my shooting needs and actually had him write two scripts for contacts, -3.25 for daily wear and -3.50 for shooting (which gives me eagle vision, but wrecks me up close). While I have the utmost trust in his competency, Costco's contact prices are almost half of what he charges and they take the same insurance. BTW, the first time I shot a High Power Match with the -3.50's was the first time I cleaned the slow fire prone stage. (aka; which reaffirms the old adage, "You can't hit what you can't see.")
 
I was always taught to sharp focus on the front sight and not to worry about the target. It is easer to center a crisp blade on a fuzzy target than the other way round.
With optics it’s a non issue. At least with my scopes I focus the reticle with the eyepiece and use the parralax turret to focus the target.
 
Been wearing glasses since third grade, here. Go local, so you can try them on and the shop will make any adjustments to fit your head.
After that, if you're comfortable making adjustments (if you need pliers, make sure to get the plastic-lined ones) you can order elsewhere.

Once you have glasses, either spend extra for a pair of dedicated shooting/safety glasses (very much worth it) or find safety glasses that fit over.

Me, I intend to get my eyes zapped eventually, but think I look odd without glasses now. And between my time with power tools, shooting, and work that requires airborne fluid protection, would still need safety glasses.
 
Been wearing glasses a long time. Polycarbonate for sure. I do not like the seamless at all. I am much more comfortable with the sharp definition of where the bi focal is. With the seamless things tend to "move" when I move my head.
 
Even the VA doctor was very understanding when I mentioned that I like to shoot. She made sure that my prescription was good for shooting and added instructions for the vendor that makes the less for the VA. I need bifocals and the VA has given me progressive lenses that work well for my up close needs and still work for shooting.

I vote going local so that all of the measurements are correct and can easily be adjusted if needed.
 
I try on frames locally, then buy them in eBay for maybe 1/3 the local price, then have lenses put in them for maybe 1/3 the price of local. Now, that's for a simple prescription lens.
 
Local...I go by there on occassion and get the adjusted. If I have other issues they take care of them. I had not had my eyes checked in years and just used readers. Darn near flunked my eye test at the DL office so figured I better get right. Damn I can see now and I really like transition lenses for being out doors and driving. Had to get use to progressives but I am a happy camper now...
 
Local and prescription safety glasses. Around here at least they have pretty nice ones. You can't tell the difference unless you want really dainty ones. Mine have all the fancy stuff, tint, anti glare removable side shields. Great for work, they can't be scratched unless you really try, I'm a machinist and have metal chips flying around me every day. On the weekends I just remove the side shields. When I go shooting I put the side shields back on.

Shine on.
 
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I get a lot of prescription glasses from Zenni.com, there’s other sites as well. Cheap prices and they don’t gouge you on extras/add ins. If you have a local discount eyeglass store, worth checking out. But for me an online site is always cheaper with better selection.
If you order your own glasses, when you get your prescription it won’t include your pupilary distance. You need that to get new glasses from anyone. Your optometrist is required to provide that if you ask. It should be two measurements, from the center of the bridge of your nose to the center of your pupils, and they’re often different measurements.
Just be aware that prescription glasses are not safety glasses, but some safety glasses do have inserts for prescription lenses. But even plain ol polycarbonate lenses are better protection than nothing.

I have two pairs of glasses for shooting, both with yellow tinted lenses. One pair are just simple single vision for shooting thru scopes or red dots. Other pair are 1.25x ‘reading glasses’ that focus on objects at arms length, for shooting iron sights. Targets are fuzzy but I group better seeing a clear front sight post vs a clear target and a fuzzy front sight.
 
Been wearing glasses since 3rd grade, almost 60 years

BUY LOCAL
Polycarbonate SAFETY lense

I like the progressive, the defined trifocals take more getting used to, but friends that have them, like them eventually.
 
You should get wire earpieces, to avoid degrading hearing protection. I made a point of it.
 
Well, last Saturday I ordered my glasses. OSHA rated safety glasses with the removable side shields, progressives, aviator style, scratch and glare resistant. Cost more than I thought, but my wife just laughed and said that relative to the glasses she wears they were cheap!

The dads here with daughters will get a laugh out of this. I was discussing going to get my glasses over the dinner table with my family. My youngest daughter (17), who believes herself to be the arbiter of good taste, said she wanted me to text her photos of myself wearing the frames I was interested in so that she could see "if they suit your face." For a laugh I did. I picked out three frames I liked well enough though the pilot glasses were my first choice. The sales lady waiting on me had a laugh as I photoed myself wearing each then texted the photos to both of my daughters (my wife was with me). Lo and behold we all agreed on the aviators! I told my wife when we got home she was to write on the wall "on this date the entire family agreed on something." Now I have to wait a couple of weeks for them to come in. If I like them I can get a second pair for 40% off so I may get sunglasses or at least a back-up pair.

Will be nice to see my sights clearly again! Maybe my scores will improve...
 
I got the back up pair, added the dark tint. Best decision I ever made.

Tried the Transitions lens. Too heavy, for me. And too slow to clear, when walking in. I prefer lightweight lens and don't mind switching out sunglasses
 
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