Shooting glasses

[John1959]

Can anyone suggest an optician in the Cheshunt, Hertfordshire area who could make a lense for target shooting. I'm long sited and have trouble focussing on the near site with my standard glassesas I tend to end up looking like Eric Morcombe looking out of the side of them. I want to get a set of frames but cant find where to get the lense made.

[silvershooter]

John, Some of the experts will probably chip in shortly. But the focus is on the foresight, the rear sight and target are out of focus (as the eye can not focus on the 3 distances at one time). I am long sighted but I can focus perfectly on the foresight. So try it without any glasses first.

[Hemmers]

Yeah, you shouldn't be able to focus on your rearsight. It's generally too close to your eye to focus on properly.

Your foresight should be in sharp focus with the rearsight and target slightly fuzzy.

[zooma]

Your regular optician should be able to sort this out for you once you have chosen your shooting glasses as they come with no optical lens fitted. You would probably be better off buying the shooting frames from a specialist supplier of shooting products as most opticians do not sell them in anycase.

You can buy them with either one of two lens holders depending on what you want and often choose the size of lens holder you prefer - pistol types are usually bigger diametre that rifle types.

I made an appointment to see my local optician after letting him know what I wanted and to advise him that I would be taking my pistol with me so he could accurately measure the correct lens I would need to put the front sight in sharp focus with my dominant right eye.

When I got there he used one of those lens fitting frames all opticians seem to have and swapped various lens types until the front sight was in sharp focus when I held my pistol at arms length in my usual shooting position.

Then I had a lens measured for the other eye so I would be able to focus clearly with both eyes when wearing my shooting frames so I did not "fumble about" trying to load the pellets by feel alone. This also enabled me to read and see things at about "reading distance".

I left my shooting frames with him to get "glazed" and picked them up a week later ready for use.

The other thing I found helpful was to add a "drop-down" opaque cover over my non-dominant eye - easilly flipped up when I need to see anything close or even peer underneath it when loading etc.

[Old Bill]

Have you consided an eagle eye?

[tufty]

Good advise from Zooma, I got mine done at the same time as my reading glasses,it's a slightly weaker prescription,so that the target doesn't look too fuzzy,also took my pistol,the optician said he really enjoyed doing it,as it was a break from the normal stuff they do,he also took a lot of care correcting a slight astigmatism as he thought it may effect alignment of the sights,all for £25 Specsavers,Kingston.....highly recommended

[RobinC]

John
You don't say wether its for pistol or rifle, the advice from Zooma is spot on for pistol, now rifle is a bit more complex. You need the foresight in focus as best you can but the target in focus to an acceptable level over the fuzzy blur which is OK with a pistol so that does need help from an optician who really does know. It needs an optician who understands that to get that best comprimise, I know the problem as I'm now on my 3rd variation of lens! And its still not right!
Several of our club members have used and recomended Stephen Hing at Shefford as one of the best, he does specialise in shooting lens, he makes then on site and if you take a frame he can test and make them while you wait, and I'm going to see him this week in my quest to be able to outshoot my wife!
Its a long run for us but nearly on your doorstep from Cheshunt.
Good shooting
Robin

[franklyn]

Sorry to read about RobinC’s vision problem and that he is the best shot in the family, after the wife.

Could your problem possibly be down to cross lateral vision?

About the fourth set of lenses. I played golf with some difficulty a few years ago having trouble seeing the ball clearly on its way down the fairway. That I found was down to cataracts’ developing in both eyes. I had a normal lens fitted in my left eye and a long sighted one into my dominant eye. This worked out for me, the surgeon was a keen golfer. Perhaps you could do some research and find a keen shooting surgeon to help you? You could chuck the glasses away then. Of course, if the problem turns out to be just another case of CLV you could always take up golf. May beat the good lady then? Would like to have used a smiley, but failed.

Franklyn

[RobinC]

Franklyn
Eye dominance is often a problem with beginers and can cause strange effects if your not aware of it, but its one of the first things we check with new shooters before they shoot.

My problem is anno domini and normal deteriation in eyesight after having shot for years with perfect vision. Getting the correct prescription for rifle is a compromise, you need the foresight to be seen as sharp as it can be whilst still being able to see the target well enough to hold a good sight picture. Different experts have slightly differeing opinions as to the best focal length, the last guy I've been to, Stephen Hing at Shefford, has 30 years experience of dealing with shooters and he has got mine perfect. He sets the focal length to 2 mts which gets the foresight sharp and then the rear diopter adjusts the vision ballance for the target. I can very highly recommend Stephen Hing.

Getting beaten by my shooting wife is something I've had 40 years of experience of to get used to!! I'm really very proud of her achievements. She was GB national team 30 years ago with smallbore and air, she got through to the Queens Prize final with fullbore rifle in 1979 and all whilst being quite short sighted. She has now come out of shooting retirement at bus pass as a retirement pastime and following a double cataract operation now has perfect vision and is back shooting to top level. She has won two trophies this year that she last won 30 years ago!
Good shooting,
Robin

[BooMarley]

Wow, Robin that is some achievement from your good lady, congrats to her. I think that story bodes well for us people who would like to get their other halves into shooting and I reckon my wife would give it a try after reading that.

I came across this thread after searching for prescription shooting/safety glasses here and I am now quite confused as to which direction to take. I am both short sighted and I need glasses for closeup work too, basically without them I'm useless. So I figured I'd better wait till Friday this week when I get my guns to be able to judge which direction to take. I also have the added problem that my left eye is my dominant eye so I believe that's what is referred to as cross dominant as I am right handed. Any advice on this would be hugely appreciated too please.

Boo.

[Rutty]

I also have the added problem that my left eye is my dominant eye so I believe that's what is referred to as cross dominant as I am right handed. Any advice on this would be hugely appreciated too please.

The advice normally given is to shoot from the dominant eye side and I always suggest that you should at least give this a try. Research does indicate that shooters who do not use the dominant eye do not achieve their full potential. Now, this may be important if you are aiming for the highest levels, but possibly less so if you are a contented recreational shooter. If you cannot get on with shooting from the left shoulder then for rifle at least there are the options of crossover rearsight prisms or offset sight rails. For pistol however you really have to decide on right hand/eye or left hand/eye. "Cross aiming" , eye to hand, in pistol brings with it a whole raft of problems that require quite large compromises to resolve and I haven't seen anyone who has ever really managed it satisfactorily.

Rutty

[BooMarley]

Hi Rutty,

Firstly thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question so thoroughly, I really appreciate that.

I'm quite taken aback at the disadvantages that obviously come with this issue of cross dominance now. I don't think I'll be taking things too serious but then again I'm quite hard on myself and I always aim to achieve the best I can for my own satisfaction. I will at least try some left shoulder shooting as you suggest Rutty, it couldn't hurt to give it a whirl for a while and if that feels too awkward then those other options will most certainly be looked into further. I never knew stuff like that existed and it amazes me how much technology has gone into shooting and making it a viable option for all comers.

I first came across the cross dominance issue when playing darts and I have yet to correct my throw to compensate for it. Throwing a dart with the left hand is totally out of the window for me and quite literally for the dart too But the shooting could be another story because of those sight aids and I'm so pleased that if there is an issue for me then it can be overcome.

Thanks again Rutty, you've been so helpful.

Boo.