Eye Sight Problems

[Claudio]

I have come across another shooter that has the same problem as I do. If there are two of us, there might be more and a solution to this problem.

I see a double image or ghost effect when I look at my front sight. I can minimize it with an adjustable iris and color filters. I do have astigmatism and my optometrist said this is probably the cause of it. I have tried various prescriptions for my glasses and I have tried contact lenses.

Nothing really gets rid of it but sometimes it is minimal. One observation that I noticed is that it is not very noticeable shooting air pistol indoors. It does get worse shooting outdoors on a bright and very sunny day. If a medium size cloud comes overhead, the double image goes away and the sights are clear and black and it is very nice to shot at that point and I do very well.

Does anyone out there has had this problem or knows anyone that has this problem. Better yet, does anyone out there have an answer on how to correct this?

It would be so much better to shoot when we can see well. Sometimes my groups are off and it takes a target or two to properly sight in but it hurts my score in a match when this happens.

Any help would be appreciated.

[PETE S]

The problem maybe where your I is focused. I also have a stigmatism, am legally blind in the shooting eye without correct because I am so near sighted. Corrected, I am 20/40.

Have you tried shooting at a blank target, one without bullseye turned around. I bet you will not have the problem with the halos or ghosts. I have found that really, truely putting all your focus and attention on the front sight, and holding equal bands of white on each side of the front sight are quite a task. Most of us are aware of the front sight but the eye and our attention often is more down range than we think. I heard one explanation that if you are noticing the movement of the front sight on the target, you are not really focused on the front sight.

The ghosts and halos can be the result of the eye focusing further down range than you think. Using the blank target, can you make the halo disappear without all the other equipment, just a corrective lense?

[F. Paul]

Claudio,

Have you tried blackening the sights? The reason I ask is that in very bright sunlight the contours of the front sight tend to get washed out and therefore they appear less crisp than normal.

I can think of no other explanation why you would have good front sight acuity indoors and not outdoors.

If you cant find a solution, I would consult with your optometrist and see if he will let you bring one of your guns to your next eye exam and see if he can fit you with a prescription that maximizes your ability to see the front sight as clearly as your eyes will allow.

F. Paul

[rnewman]

Another possible cause is reflection between the front and rear surfaces of the lens you wear. With thick lenses it is a common problem. The fact that an iris helps and the problem goes away with cloudy conditions make this a possibility. It varies with lighting conditons. If you do have thick lenses, try putting black tape around the edges of the lens. If that helps, use matt black paint on the edges.
R Newman

[Helen]

If your back sight blade is too close in width to the front sight, you'll get that halo, or ghost image, especially in bright light. Try something like a wide back sight blade & a medium front sight. Don't use a narrow front sight, as this is also part of that problem.

[luvliljo]

You've probably already tried this but have you tried an accluder on your non shooting eye? I wear knoblochs to solve the problem, prescription on right eye, white accluder on left.