I feel kinda Stoopid...

[XCC_RIDER]

Got back into shooting handguns a couple of years ago and am enjoying the sport once again but I've found that in my advancing years (and declining vision) I'm not shooting nearly as accurate as I used to.

I've made a point of wearing my prescription glasses (bifocals) when I shoot but I wasn't happy with how things were going. I was lucky to get 10 rounds on the paper much less in the black at 23 yards and it was starting to really irritate me.

I finally decided to take off the prescription glasses and to just try shooting a few mags (only had 20 rounds left) with plain non-prescription safety glasses.
WOW!!! Do I feel stupid! Two mags, all in the 8" black, several bullseye's, one and two rings and no flyer's.

I've burned thru several thousand rounds in different handguns trying to get my accuracy back and was starting to think it was what it was and there was no going back from there.
20 rounds later and I'm ready to hit the range again tomorrow.

What's that they say about old dogs and new tricks?????

[p7m8jg]

I have progressive lenses and find myself struggling at times to get the front sight in focus.

That said, I rarely shoot over 15 yards and find if I tilt my head right I can still hit the center.

I've been told there are people/companies out there who dispense glasses for older shooting enthusiasts who wear bifocals. Anybody know such a company?

[alland]

Any optometrist can give you a prescription that will focus on the front sight. I have been doing that for years. I have taken my 1911 to my appointment and the optometrist measured the distance from my eye to the front sight and wrote me an appropriate prescription.

[rsrocket1]

You are supposed to soft focus on the front sight so wouldn't it be good to find a pair of reading glasses that barely lets your eyes focus at about 4-5 feet?

That way the front sight will be barely in focus and infinity would be considerably more in focus that with glasses that let you see sharply at 6 inches.

I have the problem of being near sighted and getting older. My eyes used to be able to focus in close even with full strength contacts or glasses. No more. I can see sharply at 4" and decently out to about 10 feet so I wear weak prescription glasses or contacts that only slightly brings distant objects into focus.

A good sight picture from the wellarmedwoman:

[FalconLair]

i rarely do any shooting at anything greater than 15 yards - i can hit stuff further out, but, its a struggle

if i can stay proficient at 15-17 yards im ok with that - considering in most cases someone further away probably wouldn't be considered a life or death threat anyway, im comfortable knowing i can hit someone approaching me

i go to the range to have a little fun, stay in sync with my firearms - sure i'll test myself at greater distances, but my handguns are usually under 20 yards

[808@515]

OP, I totally feel your pain. I wear progressives and in need of a newer prescription to add to the misery. I now have a bad habit of sighting over my glasses. I can see my front sight a whole lot better but it's not a very smart thing for me to do.

[sealocan]

I know it kind of defeats the purpose of punching paper at the range but if your eyesight is getting a little older (and wiser) you might think about putting a laser on the pistol you're using for home defense.

[Half Cocked]

No one can focus on a near and far object at the same time. When you were younger, your cornea was more flexible and you could adjust the focus of your cornea to see both far and near objects (but not at the same time). As we get older, many of us lose that ability and our focus becomes more or less "frozen" to a specific distance. In your case, you are probably nearsighted and need corrective lenses to see distant objects clearly. Without your corrective lenses the front sight of your handgun in probably in focus but the target is blurred. The only downside to this is that you will need corrective lenses to determine where your bullets are striking the target.

[71MUSTY]

Any optometrist can give you a prescription that will focus on the front sight. I have been doing that for years. I have taken my 1911 to my appointment and the optometrist measured the distance from my eye to the front sight and wrote me an appropriate prescription.

^^^This^^^

[SandHill]

I now have a bad habit of sighting over my glasses. I can see my front sight a whole lot better but it's not a very smart thing for me to do.

I wear contact lenses for distance vision (all the time), and reading glass (when I'm reading). So I guess I'm a candidate for progressive lenses. Why is it bad to sight over your glasses? Seems it would be an advantage to train without them in case you don't have them when you have to shoot sometime.

[808@515]

I wear contact lenses for distance vision (all the time), and reading glass (when I'm reading). So I guess I'm a candidate for progressive lenses. Why is it bad to sight over your glasses? Seems it would be an advantage to train without them in case you don't have them when you have to shoot sometime.

It's bad only because I am now shooting with limited eye protection which I don't recommend to anyone.

[808@515]

It's bad only because I am now shooting with limited eye protection which I don't recommend to anyone.

Oh, and I need the glasses to check my target and other things so it's very difficult to be switching between safety glasses and my specs while on the line.

Getting old is not for sissies!

[SandHill]

Getting old is not for sissies!

True dat!

it's very difficult to be switching between safety glasses and my specs while on the line.

Can't you wear safety glasses over your specs? My daughter does that when I take her shooting, fits no problem.

[808@515]

True dat!



Can't you wear safety glasses over your specs? My daughter does that when I take her shooting, fits no problem.

I imagine I could but it's very uncomfortable. (yeah, I know, not an excuse for safety). I just really need to update my prescription.

[alland]

Oh, and I need the glasses to check my target and other things so it's very difficult to be switching between safety glasses and my specs while on the line.

Getting old is not for sissies!

It may cost a little more, but I have bifocals made with the bifocal section very large and focused on the front sight. That leaves only a small portion at the top for distance vision, but enough to check the target. I get polycarbonate lenses in safety glass frames with side shields. That provides more than enough protection.