Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Failing middle age eyesight, scope focus question

Guys, I an 47 and haven't shot much the last 2-3 years for a whole bunch of reasons. Over the same period my up close eyesight has deteriorated to the point I now wear reading glasses pretty much any time I need to read anything etc. I have been blessed with excellent eyesight my whole life and while it may sound weird, I've never focused a rifle scope before because I never ahd to.

Today I was at the range and found I had to focus both scopes as the reticle was blurry. When I got the reticle clear, the target got blurry, is this a function of my deteriorating close up vision?

How do we deal with this?

I too would like to hear about this abit more.
My thing isn't with scopes, but receiver sights on my 30-30.
It seems the front sight gets "washed out" when I'm looking at 100 yard targets. That didn't happen till fairly recently.
Damn! I might have to scope it.

Are you shooting with your glasses on?

On most scopes, the ocular focus adjustment is meant to primarily focus the cross hair. It does have an effect on the main image, especially towards both ends of the focus travel so to speak, but its not meant to make the main image crisp but rather to ensure the image of the cross hair and the main image are focued at the same point.

The easiest answer to your problem is to get a scope with a side focus adjustment..

This should allow you to get the main image tack sharp at what ever distance your shooting, and then the ocular focus should allow the cross hair to be sharp also. Once the crosshair focus is set on the ocular, you should be able to lock it and forget about it until your eye sight changes, so all you would be tweaking in the field so to speak would be the side focus adjustment.

The human eye can't focus on two distant points at once. A scope works because it "combines" the image of the crosshair and the image of the target in the same focal plane, so your eye only has to focus at one point but you still see both images clearly.

Its along time since I shot with irons, but IIRC, don't you usually focus on the front sight and accept the target is going to be blurry behind it? If your eyesight as deteriorated to the point you can't focus on the front sight, I would suggest glasses might be the answer. Or I think you can get a fancy rear aperteur sight that will take percription lens to correct your eye sight problem and bring the front sight into focus again...

I like to adjust mine to where I can see the bullet holes in my target the clearest at 100yds.I've never noticed my crosshairs being fuzzy after doing this.

[quote=Pete EAre you shooting with your glasses on?
[/quote]

Ditto?
If you are using your glasses, you should be able to focus the reticle, and have the target in focus also. The ocular is only used to focus the reticle. If you are not wearing glasses, and you have the problem you mention, try wearing your glasses to see if the problem goes away.
Without your glasses, you may have adjusted the ocular to an extreme to get the reticle in focus, where the target can be out of focus.
Don

Ditto?
If you are using your glasses, you should be able to focus the reticle, and have the target in focus also. The ocular is only used to focus the reticle. If you are not wearing glasses, and you have the problem you mention, try wearing your glasses to see if the problem goes away.
Without your glasses, you may have adjusted the ocular to an extreme to get the reticle in focus, where the target can be out of focus.
Don [/quote]

I think this is what has happenned. I will try it with my reading glasses. It seems counterintuitive to wear my reading glasses to shoot a target 100 yards away though.

Thanks Pete,
Yeah, you're probably correct about that, and the fact I'll be 60 come mid Nov! I only wear reading glasses as my distance vision is still pretty sharp. So there are a couple of things I can still try.
I don't want to scope my 30-30, but if I have to, its done.
Thanks again for your input.

Tom

I have been nearsighted since childhood. This year I went to two pair of glasses-one set up for distance and one set up for computers and reading.

With the new prescription for distance I cannot bring the reticle into focus on the scopes I used to have. I run out of adjustment. I need scopes with the focus at the rear, the fast focus ring at the eyepiece.

The reticle is then not in focus for my computer/reading glasses. I can focus the reticle for the distance eyeglasses or for the computer eyeglasses but not both. For shooting I choose to focus the reticle for the distance glasses.

With handgun iron sights, they are not in focus with the distance eyeglasses but are with the computer glasses. Crimson Trace got a lot of business from me a few years ago because of the focus issue.

This also renders the Leupold vs. Conquest discussion moot to me. One has fast focus at the rear of the eyepiece and one does not. The rest is irrelevant. The larger eyepiece also becomes beautiful and the well defined reticle matter

Good luck to you,

GrimJim

The only solution that worked for me was buying some shooting glasses with the optical center ground higher. Progressives, particularly with high prescriptions and the smaller lenses that are fashionable these days, have distortion across the entire surface of the lens except for a little region smack dab in the optical center.

For scope use you wont want to use computer or reading glasses. They will have the focal point set to close for good distance viewing. The only way they may work would be for target shooting or stand hunting and even then they would be a hassle of on and off for actual hunting situations. If the reading glasses are to much for distance vision and you cant focus without then you must have a significant amount of astigmatism of a somewhat significant distance rx need that you dont have glasses for.

Wondered about that...With a scope,are you not effectively viewing an image that is "within" the scope itself ie very close? I say that because I thought thats how the scope managed to get the reticle and target image in the same focal plane?

Regards,

Peter

utah708:

You are so right.

I accepted the limitations of the progressive lens for my computer/reading glasses.

But my distance glasses for driving/hunting/shooting are single prescription for just the reasons you describe.

GrimJim

I'd give Lt. Col. "Doctor" Alan Toler a call and have him send out a kit. Follow his instructions and you can refine your prescription for a perfect sight picture be it scope or fixed sights. He is my family eye doctor, but in addition to his regular eye exams, I still use his kit in the field to fine tune the prescription for my shooting glasses for an optimum sight picture. I just used one of his kits to fine tune a new set of lenses to better see the front sight on my service pistol while seeing perfectly clear in the distance. So far, he has been able to keep my vision 20/15 when corrected with his lenses. Without, I have trouble getting a crisp clear focus on a fixed blade or a crosshair within a couple feet of my eyes. With, I can discern a fine piece of lint on my front post in my sight picture, and my scope reticle and its focus is equally crisp.

http://www.customsightpicture.com/

Best:)