Vision changes with age!

[dlzigjr]

This is a question looking for advice from shooters who have experienced age related changes in vision and how it affects, or how you adapt to this as it applies to shooting. In particular, in regard to handgunning.

I'll give you the exact scenario that led to my question. I've had myopia since early 20's (44 years old now) but this was easily corrected with glasses and didn't present a problem with shooting. Being a waterfowler and primarily a shotgunner, my aging eyes adapted well to shotgunning b/c I shoot with both eyes open. With pistol shooting, which I havn't done in years (until tonight!), this is a different story. As now I have age related presbyopia (need reading glasses), I was surprised with this condition going to the range for the first time since this has developed.

While wearing my glasses I find that I cannot see the sights in focus on my Ruger .44 Mag Super Blackhawk. If I take my glasses off, I can see the sights clearly enough to make sight adjustments, but the target is not in focus!! What a challenge, dang it! Shooting with glasses on the target is in focus but I can't see the sights in focus, so I tried to just develop shooting form and primarily see the front sight blade as a reference. This worked well enough to hit center mass without difficulty at up to 25 feet but would win no competitions. I also tried glasses off to focus better on the sights with blurred target and maybe improved my group size accuracy at 10-15 ft, but somehow this didn't seem very satisfactory either! I actually shot my best when I relied more on instinctive faster action shooting with glasses on both eyes open focused on target with blurry front blade sight as reference!

Anyway, anyone had similar experiences or found better ways to compensate? Thoughts?

Dave

 

[BikerRN]

I put a set of Crimson Trace Laser Grips on my High Power for those times I have to shoot without my glasses on.

It works for me, YMMV.

BikerRN

 

[Milkmaster]

Here is a thread that has many posts including mine about some of the same troubles and how people adapt. I think you might like reading it.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=431135


Good Luck!

 

[mfcmb]

dlzigjr--

I have similar vision problems. I suggest you consider learning the "Quick Kill" method of point shooting, which is the specialty of Robin Brown ("Brownie") who runs the Threat Focused Forums at http://threatfocused.com/forums/

Alternatively you could buy the book "The Gregg Method of Fire Control" by Jim Gregg from www.jimgregg.net.

They both use essentially the same method, traced back to the teachings of Lucky McDaniel.

With this method you keep the target (or the "threat") in sharp visual focus, and use the out of focus outline of your gun (visible in your peripheral vision) as a visual reference of where the gun is aimed. With practice, target acquisition becomes quick and "instinctive". It appears that people can become amazingly accurate shooters (with self-defense grade accuracy) under a wide variety of conditions with this method.

FWIW, IMHO ...COD, DOA, AWOL ;-)

 

[browningguy]

Two words, optics, and, well three words, fiber optics.

I've gone with red and green FO sights on a couple of pistols I shoot in IDPA and it makes a world of difference. For target shooting I've changed to red dots or low power scopes.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Milkmaster hit it on the head.

I learned to adapt my handgun's tri dot sights by using the front focused and target slightly blurred and shifting my stance to favor my good eye.

The other eye will have to have surgery to get it back to be worth anything.

In the meantimes laser and extra awareness, more practice shoots.

 

[chris in va]

Micro red dot.

 

[Oro]

three words, fiber optics.

This is a huge benefit. Particularly a fiber-optic post front and a v-notch or Diamond ghost rear sight. Very easy to see, and also very fast to acquire.

1)


2)

 

[dlzigjr]

Thank you guys for your input. It was an interesting evening at the range experiencing both the jitters of handgun shooting for the first time in many many years and also getting used to the recoil of heavy .44 mag loads and then noticing the visual changes I've gone through since last time shooting a handgun at a range (years ago). In regard to instinctive shooting that so many of you mention, interestingly enough, after getting frustrated trying to focus on the sights with blurred vision, I got impatient and fired instinctively as quickly and reasonably as possible (with a single action six shooter), and the results were AMAZING! I had one five shot sequence (2-5 seconds both eyes open trying to rely on almost shotgun like technique, see the target not the gun) where three shots were cloverleafed in a group and the other two, albeit 2-3 inches lower, were almost a single hole! This was at 25 feet.

 

[dacavasi]

I feel your pain, except even worse! All the 'point/shoot' recommendations are very good for SD shooting. If, like me, you also would like to still enjoy some regular old target practice with a decent score and repeatable results, here's what I found works quite well. I had my eye doctor make me a set of 'shooting glasses'. That is, my normal glasses now have been bifocals for the last several years. For shooing, I had him put my close-vision lens (reading power) on the right side, where I can focus on the gunsights, and put my far-vision prescription lens on the left side, so I can clearly see the target. It takes some getting used to, but, if you prefer to shoot with both eyes open, you can easily train yourself to shoot just like in the old days before your eyes went downhill.

 

[dlzigjr]

dacavis,

appreciate your input as well. Economically speaking for me I think that would be a prohibitive solution....glasses are expensive enough just for regular glasses, and then to have a special pair made up that will no doubt change in a 6-12 months that wouldn't be covered by insurance, no doubt! I like the posts showing the peep rear sight with fiber optic front sight.....this sort of intrigues me as I didn't know it was possible for pistol, plus I'm used to bowshooting where the peep is vaguely in focus anyway, and your brain sort of instinctively "centers" the front sight in the blurred focus of the peep. Has been a good formula for accuracy (with the bow) for me in the past!

 

[tipoc]

Once I hit my 40s I needed bi focals which shocked me at the time. In the ensuing decade and a half I've gotten much used to them.

As we age the ability of our eyes to change focus rapidly deteriorates so that while the front sight is sharp and clear the target is blurred. This is normal. If the front sight is sharp and outlined against the rear we can hit a blurry target as well as a fella with younger eyes.

I prefer the type of bi focal they call Executive which allow for sharp focus with your peripheral vision as distinct from the Progressive type. Some folks prefer the latter.

The top lenses of my glasses are set for distance and are useful for driving, walking around, etc. The bottom are set to allow me to see the front sights of a 1911 sharp and clear. I can also read with this and see the control panel of my vehicle clearly. To shoot I have to tilt my head a bit but I've dealt with worse things. This allows me to have one set of glasses for every day use and for handgun and long gun shooting.

I also have another set of specs for close up work.

My solution, works for me.

tipoc

 

[Hungry Seagull]

My issue is a bit more challenging. I actually have a Cataract in one eye which happens to the the one I rely on to shoot with. Now I learn to shift to the left good eye and shoot off that.

I can remove the cataract and get good vision as I had before in that bad eye, but because of how the brain is wired, I may be suffering from specific nerve issues that makes combining both eyes into one picture impossible.

See where my catch-22 lies? I can leave the bad eye as it is because what Im presented with (In the daytime... NOT at nighttime) is more than adequate. Nightime is not very good.

I probably will have that surgery and roll the dice on the chance that the nerves in the head are compenstating as I always have. But am waiting for a blood test result that will assist me with this decision.

I think that all things considered, putting an average of 8 handgun rounds onto a target of 10 total at 10 yards more or less is pretty durn good. And hitting within 2 inches of the laser with the shotguns at 20 yards only because I tend to be a flincher... Im working on that little problem.

I expect HD ranges to be MUCH closer than 10 yards.

 

[TIMC]

My answer was progressive lenses, they work great for me.

 

[makarovnik]

Monovision glasses.