Prescription Shooting Glasses

[Tater Peale]

Any input will be appreciated. What are those of you who wear prescription glasses using as shooting glasses and why. I've always worn contacts previously, but when I had to go to bifocals I ran into an issue since my contacts were set for distance vision in my right (dominant eye) and near vision in my left eye plus I found that the dust on the shooting range was causing me issues. This worked great for everything but shooting. I would like to find some prescription shooting glasses that are at least somewhat period correct in shape. I would prefer either a transition style lens that lightens and darkens since I have light sensitivity. But not even sure what is available and from my reading I've seen all sorts of solutions from wearing regular prescription glasses with side shields, to right lens set for front sight distance, to bifocals on top, plus insert systems too.I'll say I'm not sure if my regular glasses are safe as shooting glasses. All of these solutions are on the expensive side. I don't mind spending the money but as the saying goes I only want to pay once and cry once. So if you have a system you like or one you hate, I'd like to hear about them. Thanks!!

[PECOS PETE, SASS#16437]

Do a search on wire. many threads.

[Tater Peale]

Thanks, but when I type Prescription glasses in the search block it returns nothing. So Pete, I'm not real computer literate can you suggest a term or method to get to those threads? Thanks again for your input.

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

Single vision for your dominant eye focused at front sight distance. Some Optometrists will let you bring your guns in.

 

Thanks

Randy

[Mack Hacker, #60477]

Single vision for your dominant eye focused at front sight distance. Some Optometrists will let you bring your guns in.

 

Thanks

Randy

 

This approach works well if you are not cross dominant like I am. My eye doc focused my right eye at the front site distance and made my dominant left eye slightly blurred at the same distance. Nature did the rest

Edited December 7, 2016 by Mack Hacker, #60477

[Boggus Deal #64218]

Tater, I would suggest giving up on period looking. None are very good at real eye protection. I wear very period looking glasses daily but my shooting glasses are from ESS. I use their Crossbow eye protection with their prescription holder inserts. That way, you can get a fairly inexpensive prescription lenses and really good eye protection. Please don't consider this criticism but your eyes are worth much more than looking period correct.

[Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667]

I agree with Boggus. Get as much protection as you can.

[Hollifer A. Dollar]

I am on my 2nd set of prescription safety glasses from WalMart. Full wraparound protection & very comfortable. Very reasonably priced if you get them in single vision, something like $75. I got them for distance only, which I prefer for shooting, but I did put a stick-on bifocal on the left lens, which covers close vision for scoring. The stick-on bifocal lenses came from Amazon for $15.

 

Like Boggus said, safety eyewear is more about protection than being period correct. After seeing someone take a bit of lead to the eye while wearing very small lenses without side shields, I decided to go for safety rather than appearance.

 

Holler

[Appalachian Alan]

I like NYX with insert.

 

http://www.sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=252338&hl=glasses

 

http://www.sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=245589&hl=glasses

 

http://www.sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=239670&hl=glasses

[Ripsaw]

I shot for a year by putting side shields on a pair of my regular (polycarbonate) progressive lens eyeglasses. Decided I wanted something a little better, so at a local optometrist I found a pair of safety glasses with attached side shields and had them put my prescription in those. Since they are progressives, and I've been wearing progressives for 20 years, focusing on a particular distance is instinctive now--close up, front site, targets...

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Ditto on trying to look period with shooting glasses. There WERE no shooting glasses back in the day. And the small lenses that movies show folks wearing provide almost NO protection. Cowboy shooters get lots of lead back in the face! You don't want it in the eye.

 

ESS ICE model is what I use. Prescription inserts. Hi-contrast orange/rose or gray shields depending upon how bright. I'm standard eye (R eye, R shooting) dominant and need "bifocal" type correction - I do it with master eye set to focus on front sight of rifle, weak eye set for distance. This makes the lenses single vision, so they are 1. corrected vision at any point in lens and 2. cheaper than progressive or bifocal lenses. Not everyone can adapt to this two-different-lenses style. But with inserts, if you want to change one or both lenses to a different lens, it's EZ-PZ.

 

The hardest thing to do if you get progressive lenses put in is to shoot accurate prone rifle long distance. Almost no way to crank your neck up far enough to get a clear front sight picture.

 

Good luck GJ

Edited December 7, 2016 by Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

[Stump Water]

I like NYX with insert.

 

 

 

Likewise.

 

Shoot a PM to Sassy Teton Lady. She and Deadwood Woody are NYX dealers.

[Billy Boots, # 20282 LTG-Regulator]

I wear Oakley shooting glasses with prescription lense inserts. Inserts are not the same as one might have for daily wear but a separate correction for each eye, one for gun sight and the other for target.

 

Those suggested by Boggus sound interesting also.

[August West, SASS #45079]

http://www.sportglasses.com

 

Accept no substitutes!

[Jefro, SASS#69420]

Single vision for your dominant eye focused at front sight distance. Some Optometrists will let you bring your guns in.

 

Thanks

Randy

Yep, dominant eye on front sight, other eye regular script (with bifocal if needed). You can use a sharp pencil at arms length for focus. Luckily my eye doc was well versed at different shooting glasses and knew exactly what I needed, he used 32" from nose as a base, which is very close to where my pistol front sight would be. I went with transistion lenses, they work great. Add a set of B-52 side shields, I have 2 pair of tinted and 2 clear.....tinted is all I use. Good Luck

 

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

PLUS ONE to Bogus. Skip the "period Correct" stuff. Those tiny itty bitty lenses provide just about ZERO eye protection. Instead, look for the largest surface area and best wrap around you can find. Single vision prescription. Depth of Field from yer elbow to the ground.

Keeps your sights sharp and leaves the target a bit fuzzy (the way it's suppose to work).

 

Coffinmaker

Edited December 7, 2016 by Colorado Coffinmaker

[I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321]

I use www.rudyproject.com is what I use. They carry several shooting glasses kit that you can use an Rx insert. I personally use the Rydon and Magster shooting kits that comes with extra lenses of your choice for your shooting needs. These are highly adjustable to your face to fit correctly. You can purchase the insert and take it to your optician to make the lens for you. Nope I don't work for them, I just use their products and they are great.

 

Like others have save, forget about period correct glasses, they will not protect your only pair of eyes. This is one important part of your face that cannot be replace. Wrap around glasses is the only way to go.

 

BTW, check out their You Tube videos, they will give you lots of info. Hope these help.

Edited December 7, 2016 by I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321

[Noz]

I don't need prescription to see the sights but I do need help in capping my ROAs. Walmart is now selling wraparound safety glasses with a bifocal cut in them. I get the 3 power ones and they work well for me. Cheap too!

[Tater Peale]

Thanks for the info. I'll check into some of the inserts since that seems to give you more flexibility. I'm also going to talk to an optometrist about the dominant eye focused for the sight and the other for distance. I appreciate all the ideals.

[Lead Friend, SASS #53635]

+1 for WalMart shooting glasses. I just use them for distance, can still see the front sight and to load.

[Chili Ron]

Howdy,

Much thanks.

Im just getting eye check and this is perfect timing.

Best

CR

[Ramblin Gambler]

I have a bunch of prescription safety glasses because of some shenanigans with the flex spending. A couple years ago I had $2k+ in a flex account and the only thing I could spend it on was glasses. (I'm not kidding, they were even denying dental expenses ... made me pay some of those back) I made them all safety glasses because after getting a pair for free from work, I couldn't see a reason to ever get non safety glasses. The pair I use for shoots is more or less period correct other than the earpiece. They are smallish and round. I found them at wal-mart. The hardest part was finding glasses that would fit my big fat head correctly. These were wide enough that there's virtually no gap around the edges.

 

 

[Max Payne]

I wear Wiley X, mostly the clear ones. I also have some polarized, but the clears just work better for me most of the time. I got them from my optometrist. His son was a Navy Seal, & he said that's what all his bud's wear. He also said they are much hardier than Oakleys.

 

Before I got the prescription glasses, would shoot in the middle of the blur, & it was okay most of the time. What a difference the prescription glasses made!

 

My optometrist asked if I wanted to focus on the front sight or the targets, & I guessed at the targets.

 

It's worked out GREAT for me. I also wear them driving.

[Tom Bullweed]

I wear lined bifcals when not shooting.

When shooting, I wear sports glasses(right-eye dominant), that are near (3ft) in the right lens and far (50ft) in the left lens. The brain overlays the two images. My sights are clear and the targets are clear. My glasses are impact resistant; remember that eyewear is also for safety.

 

You may want a second pair for non-shooting activities like banquets and looking cool ninteenth century style. Traditional glasses may not give enough coverage to be adequate for safety.

[Tater Peale]

Thanks to all who've contributed their knowledge. Ya'll have given me a lot of good leads to follow up on. I've started talking to some of the companies ya'll suggested and I'll update as I progress. I fully agree that you should never compromise safety for fashion, and wouldn't go period correct at the expense of proper coverage, but if I could get both I wanted to at least that way I cold look good as I'm missing. I appreciate all of ya'll taking the time to help me out, each of you exemplifies what the Cowboy Spirit is all about. May you and yours have a blessed Christmas.

[M D Lancaster]

Been following this thread and appreciate the info

A few months ago I purchased ESS shooting glasses with insert capabilities as per many forum recommendations

I had the insert RX filled with monocular lenses measured by my Eye MD right eye to rifle barrel sight (very similar length to pistol sight as well)and left for distance vision

Now my Question How long has it taken you that have made this to get used to them

They feel very strange and wonder if I just need to keep on for daily wear until they feel "normal"

Thanks

[Boggus Deal #64218]

Been following this thread and appreciate the info

A few months ago I purchased ESS shooting glasses with insert capabilities as per many forum recommendations

I had the insert RX filled with monocular lenses measured by my Eye MD right eye to rifle barrel sight (very similar length to pistol sight as well)and left for distance vision

Now my Question How long has it taken you that have made this to get used to them

They feel very strange and wonder if I just need to keep on for daily wear until they feel "normal"

Thanks

I put mine on as soon as I get to the range. Then, I unload the truck, get the cart ready, get signed in and usually by the time I start shooting, my eyes have adjusted.

[PECOS PETE, SASS#16437]

Tater, I'm not any good at the computer either. If you put in shooting glasses into the search and pick forums it will return 75 hits.

Looks like if it does not say something about glasses in description it just picked up key word. Don't know how to make search more selective.

[Lead Friend, SASS #53635]

On 12/9/2016 at 6:57 AM, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

I put mine on as soon as I get to the range. Then, I unload the truck, get the cart ready, get signed in and usually by the time I start shooting, my eyes have adjusted.

 

This has been my strategy too. I was at the optometrist today getting a trifocal prescription filled for real life and started looking at their safety glasses for shooting, hence the search for this old thread. With my current shooting glasses set for distance I can see to load just fine when I’m outside in the bright daylight but at the local indoor range it’s a fair bit darker and I need to find a solution for that. I’m thinking it might be bifocal shooting glasses with variable tint lenses that I can use inside and out. With so many possibilities it’s hard to determine the best direction to take. I’ve been gettin’ by with cheap glasses all my life. Might be time to step up for something more purpose built.

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2018 by Lead Friend, SASS #53635
Clarity

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

Hi Tater,

 

I'm wearing mine in my avatar. They, were made to show my front sight clearly. No bifocal. Normally, I wear bifocals, just not for shooting.

 

I really like Transitions as they are perfect in any light condition.

 

Regards,

 

Allie