Progressive Lenses - Open Sights - Crap!

[Norinoo]

Here's my deal.

Turned 51 several months back and found myself in need of glasses. I opted for progressive lenses.

I haven't shouldered a rifle since getting the glasses. With nice weather today I decided to go outside today and shoot my .177 air rifle with open sights. No way I could I get the front sight in focus with these progressive lenses. Without glasses the front sight is blurry too. Major PITA.

I've never used a scope - I don't hunt, just casual target shooting - on any of my rifles before. Will a scope help with this problem? Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[Fyrtwuck]

Shooting with glasses takes a little getting used to. I have bifocals and have to find just the right spot to see my sights correctly. If I'm using a scope, I just adjust the eye piece till I get it focused.

 

[Norinoo]

These progressives took a bit getting use to in the beginning. Stairs were a challenge. The top section of the lens is for distance, the bottom for reading and the center for close range. Since I'm also left eye dominant I have to shoot rifles left handed though I'm right handed. Learning to do that took time. I wonder if a red dot setup would work. Never used one before on a firearm although my telescope has a red dot star pointer so I'm guess it might be similar.

 

[dennishoddy]

Get your optometrists to build you some shooting glasses. They all do it for the most part. If they don't know what your talking about, your going to the wrong one.

 

[Norinoo]

Thanks for that suggestion. I'll check with my optometrist and see if she can do this.

 

[Slamfire]

Get your optometrists to build you some shooting glasses. They all do it for the most part. If they don't know what your talking about, your going to the wrong one.

That's a great idea.

 

[Calamity Jake]

When your mounted to that rifle and looking thru the sights the lower progressive part of your glasses don't even come into play
as you are looking thru the upper right hand corner(for left handers) of your glasses.
As others have said get your Dr. to prescribe single vision lenses for shooting.
Or you might look at a Merret diopter for the glasses you have now.

 

[Buzzdraw]

Neither progressives or bifocals were not iron sight friendly, either for handgun or rifle shooting. While at the eye doc doing a regular exam I had him write a second one. This second one had the same script in my non-master eye. For the dominant eye, the script was for a crystal sharp focus at about 36". That's about perfect for that sharp "see-the-lint-in-the-front-sight" picture necessary for good iron sight handgun shooting. That same script works fine for iron sighted rifles, from the AR-15 types on out to the antique military long bolt guns. That 36" inch script is for the whole lens; no bifocal or progressive at all in it.

Apply the script to a special set of glasses you will use primarily for shooting. I reused some large lens frames I already owned to keep cost down. Good idea to make these lens at least OSHA thickness hard coated or polycarbonate.

This setup does work for me for "both eyes open" shooting when I want to do that.

 

[Norinoo]

Buzzdraw, thanks for that info. Sounds like getting a multi-script for a single, dedicated pair of glasses only for shooting is the solution I'm looking (no pun intended) for.

 

[Thomas]

Not exactly the same thing, but my father got one of these and loved it.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/978528/merit-optical-attachment-with-suction-cup