Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Prescription shooting glasses

What's the consensus on where to get prescription shooting glasses? Any features to look for in particular? I wear bifocals normally, but likely won't have bifocals put in on the shooting glasses.

I'd seek advice from a doctor of optometry having experience with shooting sports. Lt. Col. Alan Toler is very good and is highly recommended within the shooting sports community. You should be able to find his contact info via a Google search by typing "alan toler shooting". If he is not available to you, maybe he can recommend someone for you to contact.

Good Luck

All of the old birds in my shooting club go a local that they found out is a shooter and understands shooters needs. Surely Portland Oregon has at least one.

Mike

When choosing lenses, ask about the Autumn Gold Transitionals. Not every place carries them as a standard item but I know several people who swear by them for trap / skeet shooting and am in the process of getting a set myself. (www.x-celoptical.com/AutumnGold.php)

I just get double thickness Poly carb lenses, with anti scratch and polarizing (for the sunglasses)..

Double as work glasses, too.

A few years back I tried one lens for sight distance, and another for target distance. They seemed to work until the
plastic cement let go. There could be some prosise with that.

If you wear bifocals normally, you probably want to have them for your shooting glasses too. Reading ammo headstamps, reloading labels, scope graduations, making chronograph notes, etc. make 'em almost mandatory but it's your choice.

For shooting handguns, I almost found out by accident that a "computer" prescription where the focus is 2-3 feet works out very well for 25 yard shooting. It will force you to focus on the sights vs. the target but the bull is still visible, just blurry.

These guys know what you need:
http://www.decot.com/

I just got a set from them and couldn't be happier with the product. Plus, they took the time to answer my questions before I ordered and gave some good suggestions.

Good stuff.... -A;

+1

Money well spent!

I use lineless bifocals for my shooting glasses, and aside from reading headstamps etc., find them very handy with handgun sights. I can tilt my head just so in order to see the sights clearly!

Thanks guys, I'm going to take a closer look at the Decots. Looks interesting.

Randolph Rangers are also a great option. I just sent a pair of the Ranger Edges to eyeglasslensdirect.com to have prescription Trivex lenses installed. I like the fit better than the Decots and they also have the adjustable bridge.

Agree that they're good for shooting but make me sick to my stomach for anything else. That sucks as they ARE good for shooting.

Mule Deer, I do the same thing if all I have is my regular bifocals; just tilt the head back a bit and you're good to go.

Hmm. I've found the gradual focus of lineless bifocals more effective than the either/or of lined bifocals, but whatever works for you.

Walmart sells some stick on with water lenses that are a little bigger than std lower sections of bifocals that you can put on your regular shootings glasses. You can center one on the optimum place on your shooting eye and then not have to tilt your head. They cost about $7 /set

Depening on your bifocal required strength, you can then get a 1:25 or 1:50 stick on lens that is less than the perscription of you regular bifocals. I take a 2:75 in my reading glasses and a 1:50 lens works great for handguns from 15-25 yards, letting the sights still be crisp, but not so much that the target gets too blurred. 1:25's are good for rifles in the 50-75 yard range.

Lots cheaper than trial and error with buying prescrition glasses. My eye doctor is an avid shooter and he reccomended I try them.

They are easy to put on and remove and you can keep adjusting the location until you get it exactly as you need it.
I have tried special strength bifocals, trifocals and lineless, but I find tilting my head distratcs from a good consistant sight picture

I'd go with the lens coatings as well. Anti reflective and anti-scratch.

I have been wearing progressive bifocals for ten years. They constantly cause focus problems when shooting my scope mounted rifles from the bench.

My progressives cause distortion around the perimeter of the field of view through the scopes I use which include a couple of Bushnell Trophys in 4-12 and 6-18, a couple of Elite 4200's in 3-9, an old 4-12 FF-II and a new 4.5-14 FF-II.

I see none of that distortion when shooting with my straight distance prescription. (and I shoot tighter groups) But as has been already mentioned, those glasses make it tough to read ammo labels and make good notes.

My optometrist has recommended that I switch to a straight distance prescription tinted yellow for contrast enhancement, for my shooting needs.

I am more inclined to think a pair of retro style, lined bifocals will serve my needs much better.

I faced the exact same situation, and decided to try the Decot glasses that were referenced earlier. These are not progressives, but have the near prescription in a very small "separate" area in the bottom of the lenses. When I need to read a label or tighten a screw, that gets the job done nicely.

I wear tri-focals that are the line type not progressive and they work fine. I had too many friends with progressives that had problems with them. I deceided I wanted no part of them.