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....

I wasn't aware of the fact that some binos don't have diopter adjustments.

Some of the cheap ones don't, but most do. Few people really know how to use them though and I always find myself adjusting from the previous looker.

I am amazed at what some find acceptable as a difference from one eye to the other in dioptric power (anisometropia) as I can not tolerate much, but I know what I am looking at since I am in the field of eyes.

I also think a lot of people suppress one eye when its too blurry and don't even know it is happening.

You're assuming an awful lot. Not sure why you think you wouldn't have to adjust the diopter if you're borrowing someone else's bino? What specific binos don't have diopter adjustments? I guided hunts for 16 years, over 150 hunters. I never saw one that didn't so educate me/us.

He may be assuming a lot but I amazed that probably 90% of people who own scopes don’t know it has a diopter adjustment. Much less how to use it or what it means.



Edit: because I said some stupid [censored].

If adjusted properly, the diopter adjustment should not have to be changed from one person to another if they person is wearing visual correction, meaning glasses or contacts. for people who do not wear any kind of correction, there should be no adjustment going from one person to another.

What I am saying is people use the focus on binos (and probably scope parallax thinking it is a focus knob and not a parallax correction) to focus their correction if the diopter power is off. I have seen it a lot. The focus knob on binos is not designed to be maxed out for dioptric power but for near-er and more distant object being looked at. By using the focus knob on binos to focus dioptirc power, you are not fully able to utilize the binos ability to focus at all ranges.

I don't have any specific brands or types of binos I have seen that don't have diiopter power correction, but they were, as I said, very cheap. and I have seen some with rotating eyepieces/oculars that didn't change a thing. So just having a rotating ocular does not necessarily mean a focusing diopter power.

Sorry if I offended you or made it sound funny. I was not trying to assume anything at all.

I'm not offended at all, so no problem there. This is where I'm struggling to agree with you. I've never used another hunter's, or friend's bino without having to adjust the diopter for my own vision.

JGraiider I’m with you on this. If his argument held true there would be two settings on the diopter. Corrected vision and non corrected vision. His statement might be true scientifically, but it’s not in practice to my experience.

It’s hard for me to disagree with a guy in his own field. We need more information Buckeye.

Just to be clear, we are talking about the diopter power adjustment on the ocular of binos and eyepiece of scopes. If properly adjusted, the diopter power should not have to be changed going from a person wearing glasses or someone who doesnt wear glasses and two people who dont wear any correction at all should be able to use the same pair of binos without having to change anything.

This is not the same thing as eye relief adjustment, that is very different from changing the diopter power of the ocular..

I guess maybe the fact you guys have had to adjust so many binos is making my point for me. But i should be able to hand you my binos and you should he able to use them without having to adjust anything other than eye relief and pupillary distance to your personal preference. It is the same concept as me sitting behind a microscope that is properly adjusted for zero prescription and it should not need adjustment for my eyes other than pupillary distance.

Help me understand where i am failing to explain this better.

The diopter power correction is a variable adjustment to account for multiple powers. Most have a limit, somewhere around +4 to -4 diopters or somewhere around there (i looked up the swaro nl pure range)

Meaning if you are a -6 glasses wearer and take off your glasses to use binos, you are using some of the focus knob to correct the remaining diopters of power needed and are not able to fully utilize the binos to their greatest range. And that’s if you have the diopter power max’d out. If you dont, you are losing quite a bit of range by using the focus knob for 6diopters of power right off the bat.

The fun comes when one ocular is set for -2 and the other is set for +2, that will drive me batty, but its amazing how many people just dont seem to notice it.

Sorry buckeye, we're either talking about two different things or you have no idea what you're talking about in the real world, in the field use of binoculars. I'm not referring to riflescopes in my posts. I've never heard the diopter adjustment as being a "diopter power" correction.

One last try to post what my brain is thinking......with the objective eyecovers on the binocular, cover up the right eyepiece with one and use the focus wheel to get your left eye a sharp, clear view. Then put the cover over your left eye, uncover the right eye, and use the diopter adjustment to sharply focus the right eye. I usually focus on tree bark or some other highly detailed target about 30 yards away. After these two steps, uncover both and from there on use the focus mechanism on the bino. If you did this correctly both eyes will be in sharp focus at the same time. I guarantee you this will not be a universal, one fits all, adjustment amongst various users.

FWIW, on riflescopes the eyepiece focus mechanism it to focus the reticle ONLY, period. The parallax adjustment, if there is one, is to adjust out parallax at any given distance. Once you set your reticle focus with the eyepiece you should never have to focus it again.....until your eyes change as you get older.

On many riflescopes there is a diopter power adjustment as well, separate from the parallax adjustment. The diopter power adjustment is always on the eyepiece or ocular, the same place on binos.

It is possible your eyes have some uncorrected refractive error if you need to adjust every time you pick up a pair of binos from someone else. I will agree the adjustment should be made when first using the binis, but if you make that adjustment and then hand the binos to me i should not HAVE to make the same adjustment to my eyes assuming we both have fully corrected distant vision. Even if you have a small amount of correction in your eyes that is uncorrected, the thing you are describing where you balance the eyes together is what i was referring to first, anisometropia where one eye power is off from the other. I am very sensitive to that since i use microscopes and optics all day, but a lot of people do not notice it. The reason you have to make that adjustment is because the diopter power is different for each eye. But once adjusted properly, it should not need adjusted between users.

I believe we are talking about the same thing but it is possible we are confusing terms. I could be wrong.

Once I set my binos up the way I described, I don't have to adjust them again. That's why you set them up correctly in the first place. When they're set up for my eyes, and you pick them up, you will have to follow the same steps as I did to adjust them to your eyes, period. That's the way binos work.

The power ring on a rifle scope is just that, a power ring, not a diopter power ring and it resides on the main tube, not the eyepiece. It adjusts the power setting and that's it. I have no idea how you come up with this nonsense of adjusting the binoculars once, then it's set for everyone else who wants to look through it. That's why the diopter ring adjustment, whether by the main focus ring or on the right eyepiece is there, to adjust for each individual's eyesight.

Again my method and of setting binoculars and experience that it is different for almost everyone is exactly as JGraider describes. The only time that’s not true is when the user doesn’t understand the program and they look through blurry glass thinking that’s just the way it is.

We’re (I’m ) still missing something here and I appreciate the attempt at making me understand.

I’m going to keep with my program. It works and I see well with no eye fatigue.

I agree with that “program” too, and as stated it should be done the first time for anyone looking through binos.
Where we differ is saying ut needs to be done between people every time. My point is that should not “have” to be done between people who see well at distance and should be interchangeable between folks whether they wear glasses or not. Once adjusted, it should be usable by anyone who has normal eyes.

The point anyone needs to do that after someone else has used the same pair of binos tells me that initial person did. Not understand the diopter power adjustment in the first place, which was my original point.

Again, i really think we are talking about the same thing. I am just saying if i handed you a pair of binos i had just used, you should NOT have to adjust the diopter power to use those binos, assuming your eyes are the same and you dont have a difference in prescription between the eyes.

It tells me you don't understand how binocular adjustments and what they do, work, and the simple fact is that the vast majority of people young and old don't have "normal" eyesight. The fact that you keep referring to this gizmo as a "diopter power adjustment' keeps me shaking my head. I'm through trying to explain it to you though, so have a good one.

Swarovski NL pure technical page

I call it what the manufacturers call it. Look at the link and see what it is called (10 rows down, the value is +\- 4 diopters for all the NL pures). It isnt a gizmo either, it is a power adjustment for optics to account for refractive error if ypu plan to use the binos without visual correction. These diopter adjustments are on almost all of my day to day work equipment so i know what they do, and if adjusted correctly should not need to be adjusted from a normal person’s eyes to another normal person’s eyes.

The fact you need to adjust this all the time when looking thru some one else’s binos tells me either they were not adjusted correctly for that person, OR your eyes have a difference in power that you need to account for. My guess is the former, but who knows.

One final note, when i say “normal eyes” i am referring to distant corrected vision. I dont need correction but that would not impact my ability to use binos from someone who had glasses that corrected for distance vision correctly, and vice versa. While there are a lot of people who wear glasses and contacts, if they are fully corrected for distance it is a moot point from a diopter adjustment standpoint.

Well me and my cohorts look like 3 blind mice, we have to adjust to get it right.

Agreed. In 53 years of hunting I've never had it any other way. In Ohio it's apparently different than the real world.



I read 10 rows down, and Swaro refers to it as a diopter, just as I said, not a "power adjustment diopter", which it isn't.

I am not trying to be a know it all with this, but please look up what a diopter is, and you will see it is a unit of refractive power. So “diopter adjustment” is synonymous with “diopter power adjustment”.

Terminology matters, and if you dont know what terminology mean, its easy to look up.

You can look at any optics owner's manual from any optics maker/reseller and the term "diopter power adjustment" will not be in any of them. It will say "diopter". It's not even arguable, neither is the way you set them for each individual's eyes. Hasn't changed in decades but believe what you want.

In my 60's now and only need low power transition glasses. I do like having my transitions on when shooting my rifles. I absolutely hate having glasses when using my binoculars. On with scopes off with binos!

I'm nearsighted and can see iron sights perfectly without my glasses but not near as good with them. Thankfully, I can read and do close work without glasses and will often leave the ones I use for seeing distance on my forehead, even though it agitates my wife. I feel comfortable hunting with iron sights out to about 40 yards but that's when it becomes too difficult to see the sights clearly enough for sufficient aim. No issues whatsoever when using a scope.

Take this to the bank.

As stated, the ocular is focused on the plane of the reticle and that means that the portion of the image that is in that same plane is also in focus. When you turn an adjustable objective a side-focus knob, you're moving the image to and fro within the erector where the reticle is. Parallax is cancelled when the object of interest is moved into the same plane as the reticle.

Think of the image you see in your scope as a tiny hologram. It has depth, and only a single slice of it can be in the same plane as the reticle. The solution is to move the "hologram" to and fro in the tube to place the object of interest into the same plane as the reticle, thereby eliminating parallax.

cataract surgery before 80 so no glasses for driving or shooting.

If you wear glasses then eye relief is your friend.

Glasses on scope or binoculars for me. I don’t like fiddling with glasses on and off while hunting. I notice two downsides to leaving glasses on with binoculars:
1. You give up some FOV.
2. I have scratched the coating on the lenses of multiple pairs of eye glasses.

JGraider is spot on with his explanation of using the diopter on scopes and binoculars. I have not experienced another person who sets the diopter on their optics to what is optimal for me.

I'm 70 and have to wear glasses except for binos or scopes, then NO GLASSES!