Shooting glasses

Bunsen · Post by **Bunsen** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:54 am

I've been watching the ISSF World Cup pistol shooting videos.

All he shooters seem to be wearing shooting glasses of some kind, but eveyone has a lens in front of their aimimg eye.

I guess everyone can't wear normal spectacles so what are they using in their shooting glasses?

RobStubbs · Post by **RobStubbs** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:59 am

Bunsen wrote:I've been watching the ISSF World Cup pistol shooting videos.

All he shooters seem to be wearing shooting glasses of some kind, but eveyone has a lens in front of their aimimg eye.

I guess everyone can't wear normal spectacles so what are they using in their shooting glasses?

The shooting glasses (and not all pistol shooters wear them at world level), are to move your point of focus to the foresight - somewhat similar to using reading glasses. The glasses themselves allow the lens to be placed so you are looking through the centre of the lens and that the lens is perpendicular to the line of aim - normal glasses won't be in the right orientation for shooting.

Rob.

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:21 am

Also many shooters will wear a correction for shooting where they wouldn't bother in everyday life. Small issues in vision that don't really effect much in everyday life may have a larger effect while shooting.

Brian M · Post by **Brian M** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:08 am

RobStubbs wrote:... normal glasses won't be in the right orientation for shooting.

Rob.

Funny, that doesn't seem to be the case for myself. I bought cheap "reading" glasses (+.63 diopter) and after some video analysis, I know that I look through the glasses at dang near the dead center of the lens. It didn't take any adjustment to my position (though I had previously made a change to my posture). I can see that if one has poor posture or Maybe a really bad position, that they might not be looking at the sights dead-on, but those would seem to be the Exception not the Rule.

I have 20/20 vision and wear some el-cheapo "custom" reading glasses. There's no benefit for shooting specific glasses for pistol shooting (yes, I've tried them back to back) if you have uncorrected vision. There's the "ease" of use if you have corrected vision already (wearing your normal glasses AND shooting glasses), but that brings with it the unwanted distortion that's present anytime light passes through an object (lens).

RobStubbs · Post by **RobStubbs** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:36 am

Brian M wrote:
RobStubbs wrote:... normal glasses won't be in the right orientation for shooting.

Rob.
Funny, that doesn't seem to be the case for myself. I bought cheap "reading" glasses (+.63 diopter) and after some video analysis, I know that I look through the glasses at dang near the dead center of the lens. It didn't take any adjustment to my position (though I had previously made a change to my posture). I can see that if one has poor posture or Maybe a really bad position, that they might not be looking at the sights dead-on, but those would seem to be the Exception not the Rule.

In your case that may be true, but in my experience most shooters I've coached don't and can't look through the middle of the lens or at the right angle. As an example when I try with my reading glasses now, I'm looking through the edge on the RHS of the lens and the lens is 10-20 degrees off. Which to be frank is to be expected unless you shoot standing square on the the target. You don't hold or read a book in the same place you hold a pistol.

Rob.

Bunsen · Post by **Bunsen** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:33 am

Thanks for the replys.

I wear varifocal glasses so when I'm shooting I will be looking through the side of the lens. Depending on my head position I guess I will be looking through different parts of the lens and hence different focal lengths. To look through the "reading" part of the lens I'd have to tilt my head backwards quite a way, I guess this can't be good for my shooting.

Looks like a pair of shooting glasses might be a good buy.

John Marchant · Post by **John Marchant** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:20 am

Once you get a pair of shooting glasses with the correct lens, I am sure that you will notice the difference as the foresight will become much clearer.
Also the lens will help to reduce the chance of you focusing on the target instead of the foresight.
Once you have the glasses, you will be able to experiment with different coloured filters, which may help to improve the visual contrast.

RandomShotz · Post by **RandomShotz** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:05 am

I have progressive lenses (I assume that's what you mean by "varifocal) and found them almost impossible to use. My neck was torqued in a very awkward position to get the front sight in focus and finding it took too much time. I bought a used pair of Knobloch glasses, brought them and my AP to my optician and had a lens made up in one day.

Do it. You'll love it.

Roger

tuj · Post by **tuj** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:02 am

Can someone clue me in, I'm a little bit lost. I have glasses for distance but my up-close vision is ok. Would I benefit from shooting glasses, and if so, what kind should I look for and what should I tell the optometrist for the lenses? I also like to shoot benchrest rifle with a scope, can I use the same glasses for both rifle and off-hand pistol?

RobStubbs · Post by **RobStubbs** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:52 pm

tuj wrote:Can someone clue me in, I'm a little bit lost. I have glasses for distance but my up-close vision is ok. Would I benefit from shooting glasses, and if so, what kind should I look for and what should I tell the optometrist for the lenses? I also like to shoot benchrest rifle with a scope, can I use the same glasses for both rifle and off-hand pistol?

Shooting glasses essentially work like reading glasses. They make it easier for you to focus on the foresight, without any strain. Essentially that's what you'd need to tell the optician. If you're short sighted though, then your eyes may be naturally doing that job. I'm not sure you'd need the glasses for scoped, bench rest rifle though, in that instance they may be more of a hindrance.

Rob.

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