Hey guys
Just wondering about how any of y'all with older eyes and glasses look through your optics? I have done it several ways over the years but I am curious what others do. I am 55 by the way.

I am near sighted so I can see only right in front of my face. After 10 inches I need glasses. I have been experimenting with both of my scopes but I just went and got a new prescription and a few pair of new glasses. So I definitely see much better now than I did for the past year or so.

My 3 optics are very different so I do differently.

When shooting my sightmark mini I would always have to slide my glasses on my forehead and use my bare eyes. I am assuming I will do the same with my new glasses also but I havent tried yet with the new glasses. Up close like that bare eyes are best.

My AR47 has a 1-8 on it and I would tend to leave my glasses on because of the lower power and most hunting situations with my AR were on foot stalking hogs. Having both eyes open while shooting just makes it necessary to keep your glasses on.

My 3-18 Leupy seems sharper with my new glasses so I will try to practice with them on for now. In the past I have tried with and without glasses to no avail as to what is better.

Anyways just curious what you guys do for optimum clarity as your eyes age with your optics and how you deal with glasses in different situations.

thanks
Big

About to turn 52. My vision is similar to yours but not as extreme. I ca see 24” just fine before it starts to fade. I take my glasses off to use optics. They’re progressives and I had them set the bottom for 30”. Good luck, I think it’s just going to be trial and error for you. It was for me.

I seem to do better target shooting with glasses off. Hunting I leave them on so I can spot game better at distance. I’m the same age as you. I’m a little near sighted.

I’m 58 now and I’ve had a prescription for glasses the last ten years. I almost refuse to wear them. The only time I really wear them is for my annual visit to get my CDL medical card renewed. I’m like you and can see perfect closeup but further out is a different story. Road signs and driving are my biggest issue. I haven’t used or even tried using glasses with a scope.

On for a scope, off for binoculars

I’ve never considered shooting without my glasses. Could that be why I’m not a great shot? I don’t understand the science.

BF,

I am 70. Mostly far sighted with good distance vision and fair for age vision up close. I'm the opposite of you. Unless the issue is eye protection I prefer to only wear glasses for up close and rarely for distance. It is my belief that normal short sighted glasses are focused for looking in the middle of the lens. But a scoped rifle is sighted in the upper left (typically) part of the lens. People who get their lenses cut for shooting through a scope report being able to see much better.

My 2 cents is to avoid glasses where possible. If not then get the lens ground properly for scope use.

I leave my glasses on all the time while hunting. I want to see far and don't want to monkey with them when it's time to shoot. A little fine tuning with the scope focus ring in advance will give you a clear picture.

I'm old and I need reading glasses for up close. My scopes are focused for no glasses.

I too am 70 and this year I made the decision to wear my glasses to hunt and shoot with them on. Mine are progressive and I really don’t need them to see at distance just up close.
I have mainly just carried them in my pocket like cheaters when hunting or shooting competitions. Finally after fighting not being able to see how to dial and trying safety glasses with cheaters I just gave up and made to decision to wear them while shooting.I had some glasses made with a larger portion in the top with my slight distance correction but still have a smaller area in the bottom to help me see up close.
You need to wear eye protection anyway so I just made the commitment and made the adjustments on my scope’s eyepiece’s to my glasses and went with it.
I can’t say I love it but the aggravation is very minor mainly just dealing with sweat and keeping them clean.

Same problem. I wear trifocals and keep them on while hunting. My scopes are focused for no glasses, but while hunting I can just tilt my head down slightly to look over the top edge of the glasses when looking through the scope. I have done this long enough that I don't consciously think about it when I am shooting.

I adjust the scope for my eyes as best as I can. My vision fluctuates a lot and don't bother to even have anything but readers. Like me and my Eye surgeon discussed get a pair of distance glasses to fit then they would be right at times and wrong at times. So I can see well enough to pass the driving eye check I am good enough to go have fun.

5 eye surgeries just very happy to see as well as I do.

Need glasses for distance over 10 feet. Most of the days I’m not even wearing glasses looking at a computer. Scopes are a form of corrective vision. No glasses required for a sharper image, at least in my circumstance. Same with binoculars.

Lots of good info. Not using the glasses does sound like the best way to go with the distortion that can happen and corrective lenses on top of a focusable lens doesnt make sense either. Thank you guys!

I do have a pair of prescription safety glasses for shooting hunting and working. I think I will try and practice with the naked eye for my Leupy since that is my 100+ yard gun and precision is needed. However I am convinced that my AR47 needs both eyes so the safety glasses will be fine and I will practice with them on.

I am trying to get serious about my longer range rifle skills and improving every area possible including vision and some much needed instructional/educationalvideos on setting up my scope and rifle properly. I missed a few at 250 plus last spring and after watching some videos on long range shooting I understand why now and have made the corrections to my rifle needed and now I just need to get her dialed in again and get practicing until 200 is a pitch shot like 100 is. Then I can move to 300.

^^^^^^

Same here. Will be 55 this week and have worn glasses or contacts since I was 19.

I'm 74 and wore glasses most of my life; about five years ago I had intraocular lenses implanted and now only need "readers" for anything closer than about three feet. I had to re-focus my rifle scopes, and pistol sights at arms length are fuzzy, but with readers the sights are sharp and targets only slightly off focus. And, I found reader safety glasses on Amazon.

Off.

Im continually reminded about all that I dont know that I dont know. Completely blown away that anyone takes their glasses off to use optics of any kind. Never had a clue it was anything I should consider. Ive always worn glasses and never noticed it was a problem. Ill have to start noticing as well as talk to my eye doc.

Your scope can be adjusted either way. As long as it’s set for you and you’re hitting what you aim at I wouldn’t put much thought into it.

This is all very eye opening.

Have worn corrective lenses since age 12. I was wearing contact lenses when I began shooting in earnest at age 18. I never considered the on/off option. I am now 66 and continue to wear contacts mainly because shooting is my passion. Glasses never seemed to be anything more than a hassle.

I will now have to start some experimentation. Thank you for this light bulb post.

54+, have had eyes for 11 years now. I consider them to be my eyes and do pretty much everything with glasses on.

I’m only 38 but have been bad near sighted since the second grade. I shoot scoped rifles with contacts or glasses. Iron sights I find are much better with glasses.

Glasses on. A scope is only for magnification, not corrective vision.

Any scope or set of binoculars is optimally focused for distance, and the cheap ones are only focused with distance vision, so for those of you who wear glasses and take them off, you are messing up the optics of the scope or bino set UNLESS your optics have a diopter adjustment that can be made in one of the oculars (binos) or in the eyepiece of the scope.

There is a difference between using a scope parallax adjustment and the diopter power adjustment too, so if you are using the parallax adjustment to "focus" what you cant see due to not wearing your distance glasses, you are actually hindering yourself rather than helping yourself.

This applies only to distance glasses or contacts. The need for readers is not applicable for optics in a hunting situation (vast majority of time) due to the optics being optimally focused for distance. Anyone using readers to shoot or look thru binos is hindering themselves.

If you have the diopter adjustment on your scope or binos set correctly, then you can use without distance glasses, but I kind of agree with some on here that it seems silly to have to flip glasses on and off when going into binos or scope. Just keep them on and be able to see all the time.

I wonder if some of this discussion is the reason why some people have poor shots or there is serious ground shrinkage for some people....