Scope Use With Eyeglasses

[Prof]

As I age, my eyes have gotten a bit dimmer. I wear trifocals and am having trouble with using my scoped rifles. By the time I get a good cheek weld, I am looking out of the top left corner of the right lens. That part does not have the right magnification. Does anybody else experience this? I was thinking of asking my optometrist to make me up a pair of glasses with just one power. Would that solve the problem? And, do I ask for the distance power or the close power (after all, I'm looking through an optic which magnifies the image). Thanks for any light anyone can throw on this topic.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Yes. I know quite a few people who have had glasses made for just this purpose.

Call around to see if you can find an optician who has done this sort of thing.

 

[chieftain]

If you notice, many of the european rifles sold in europe don't have a monte carlo stock.

Europe devolped a head held high technique. I have learned it since I went to bifocals in my 40's.

I don't find it very good on the range, I can do better with the old American cheek weld.

But while hunting I have found little difference.

Try it. It may work for you.

Fred

 

[cabinetman]

Glasses

Hi all,

I have to wear bi-focals as my 51 year old eyes are tired of reading by themselves (a HUGE annoyance!). This is a PITA , especially with pistols as the focal plane is so short. Rifles, otoh, are a little easier, however. And, yes, you can have an optician make you special shooting glasses that will help a lot.

You may want to consider this, too. If I've got a scope on my rifles, I've been successful in actually adjusting the ocular end so that my target is in focus. If the guy next to me tries to use it, it's almost impossible because the scope is out of focus for him. There may not be enough adjustment to help you and your particular eyes with a particular scope, however, but this is just a suggestion. Like binoculars or a camera with a diopter viewer, just try adjusting the scope to suit your own eye.

This is not possible with some scopes like the Trilux on my L1A1. That scope doesn't have any adjustments on it at all AND you've got to get your eyeball right into that rubber cup. If you wear glasses, it's all but impossibility, especially with any recoil at all. Having that scope whack your glasses is uncomfortable.

Rome

 

[Art Eatman]

I started wearing glasses when I was three years old. From age 18 to age 36 I got along without them. Since 1970, though, I've been wearing glasses--and now it's tri-focals.

Stay with a brand of scope that--as cabinetman said--lets you adjust the eyepiece to focus for you. Then forget about it...

, Art

 

[Prof]

Thanks, all, for the replies. Art and Cabinetman: do you mean that I should adjust the scope to focus without my prescription glasses (i.e.- using regular shooting glasses). I can't focus the scope using the upper part of the tri-focal. I will try using a clear pair of shooting glasses. Perhaps the best answer is as Mike suggested, I'll check with the guys at my gun range and see if any of them know of a local optomotrist who is "gun-friendly".

 

[Art Eatman]

I adjust mine for the upper part of my tri-focal. I guess that the adjusting is a function of how much correction you have in your glasses.

For distance vision, I'm about 20/40 in my right eye; far-sighted. I've not had a a problem in there being enough adjustment in my scopes. My left eye at all distances is 20/wretched, so it's a good thing I'm right-handed and my right eye is the master-eye.

For pistol shooting, I have a glue-on lens 1/2" x 3/4" in the upper inside corner of my right lens. (I wear the large-lensed aviator-style glasses.) It's just right for shooting with a Weaver stance. It's the same correction as the middle of my tri-focal. I'll sometimes adjust the scope to be in focus through that add-on, unless I change glasses during the hunt season.

Art

 

[Prof]

!

Thanks, Art!

 

[HerbG]

Shooters who are having vision problems can find some very interesting information about the problem and how to solve it at:

www.sportglasses.com/

 

[JerryM]

I have worn glasses for 45 years. I adjust the focus using the distance/upper part of my tri-focals. I can't think anything else is useful for a hunting rifle.

The suggestion to see a good opt. is the best bet if you can't adjust the scope. I do wonder if the scope is defective. Have you tried to adjust another scope using the distance part of your glasses?

Best of luck.

Jerry

 

[Meanoldfart]

Art

How did you figure out the correct magnification to use for the glue on strip?
I have seen those abvertised but couldn't figure out which one to buy.
MOF

 

[Art Eatman]

The lens-grinders know the diopters correction of the middle portion; they know the d.c. of the upper portion. So, the little add-on lens is ground to add enough diopters to the upper so that area is the same as the middle...

Once the optometrist's folks understood what I wanted, it was quite easy for the lab to do the add-on.

Art