Training with/without Prescription eyewear

[Remington788]

Breaking off from the general discussion of eye/ear protection.


For those of us with less than 20/20 vision, what are your thoughts on shooting with or without your spectacles?

I sometimes wear them (they are Z87 approved), so that I can see the target better. But if I am using my scope I don't need them. Also if it is real sunny I wear tinted safety glasses.

In a middle of the night, someone breaking into your house situation, you may not have the luxury of locating your specs. So maybe its better to train with a blind eye so to speak.

Your thoughts?

[rayh059]

Both. If I was sighting in a new scope or just generally practicing marksmanship, I'll wear them. If I'm practicing self defense, then I'd only wear protection.

Now if I could just remember them.

[nater99]

Breaking off from the general discussion of eye/ear protection.


For those of us with less than 20/20 vision, what are your thoughts on shooting with or without your spectacles?

I sometimes wear them (they are Z87 approved), so that I can see the target better. But if I am using my scope I don't need them. Also if it is real sunny I wear tinted safety glasses.

In a middle of the night, someone breaking into your house situation, you may not have the luxury of locating your specs. So maybe its better to train with a blind eye so to speak.

Your thoughts?

My eyes are that bad that I couldn't properly identify a target without my glasses so there's no real point to me practicing that way.

[Remington788]

Went to the range earlier.
Shot trap and then went inside to the pistol range.
I wore my tinted safety glasses (non prescription).
Trying to focus on the front sight, with both eyes open had me seeing double at first but after a while they adjusted.
I think I will leave my glasses in the truck from here on.

[ShaulWolf]

Part of it would also depend on the just how good/bad your eyesight was. I know that mine isn't that good at all without my glasses, but I can at least make out the outline of a target if the color contrasts decently with the background. I'll have to figure out what the distance is before things get too blurry for me to reliably make out the target, and then at what distance I can consistently hit the target.

I think for things like this it's just being able to put rounds on target, and not necessarily going for the A zone. Definitely more a practical application piece than anything.

On a similar line of thought, how many have tried to train reloading and manipulating your gun without glasses, or doing it in the dark or blindfolded? This is just so you've got an idea of how things should feel and operate in the event that your glasses are gone, or if you're stuck doing this in the middle of the night.

[Yoder]

I just took mine off and I have to get 8 in from the PC screen to read it, I need my glasses to shoot anything. Without them I would shoot the cat, the lamp and put a couple in the refrigerator if someone broke into my house. Maybe I'll practice just shooting into the floor just to scare them.

[gf45acp]

I wear glasses, they are safety rated and I normally use them when shooting.
That said, my eyes are not bad enough that I can not shoot without them, or if they should be knocked off in a fight.
My glasses actually make it just a bit harder to use my sites on a handgun.

[CocoaP]

My right eye actually blurs a little but I can still see well enough with it for about 8 - 10 feet. I choose not to shoot with glasses (first I don't have them) as if something would happen in the middle of the night, I don't have to reach for it.
I have always been very aware of my surroundings (sight and sound) and advised a co-worker who was afraid that someone was trying to break into her home at night, to teach herself to see and move within her house without turning the lights on. She was telling me she heard something and turned on every light until she got to the point of the noise (her cat). I told her if it was someone, they would had been able to observe her movements and pinpoint her as she turned on each light.
On top of her knowing that I am now practicing with a firearm, she views me with a little more care. Might not be a bad thing.

[TheF00L]

My eyes are 6.50 and 8.50....pretty blind am I without the specs. Plus as you can see, they are very different from one another. Can't see far (near sighted). An example is with my glasses off, I can not read a single thing on my screen - PAFOA page.

Glasses off, I can not see front sight at all. Can barely see rear - it is massively blurred.

However, I think it is a good idea for me to try some "typical self defense" range shooting w/o my specs. The only reason to do so would be in the situation that I knew the person in front of me was an enemy.

Probably the only way I could identify a BG w/o my glasses on would be that he got the first hit in/on me. I can not recognize my daughters face past 3 yards w/o the specs.

The good news is that my daily carry main is the Judge 3X3. The first round is 410 3" #4 shot. The second and third shells are 3" 000 Buckshot. Each holds 5 (approx) 9mm sized balls. The last 2 rounds are Buffalo Bore 45LC wadcutters.

My daily carry BUG is similarly loaded but not with the 3" magnum sizes. It is the shorter chambered Public Defender Poly.

With basically 2 mini-shotguns on me I hope I could place some lead where it needs to be if I can not get my eyes on in time.

I will find out the next time at the range I guess.

Good thread!

[QuackXP]

I'm trying to figure out what I am going to do after I pick up my AR next week.

I am .75 (20/40) nearsighted. It has never bothered me at pistol distances. My rifle shooting as been .22 at pistol distance or with a 4x scope that I could adjust the focus to fit.

The AR I'm picking up next week is the last ME purchase until the wedding. That does not bother me as I don't want to rely on an optic. But I will have to do something when shooting at long distances.

I figure one of three things.

1. I'm due for new glasses anyhow so I might get impact reistant ones and then put the side shields on. Even with a hat I'm still worried about any gaps as my current shooting glasses fit pretty tight to my face.

2. Get something that will go over my glasses. This seems like it might be bulky and annoying.

3. Get some disposable contacts. I tried them when I was younger and did not have any major problems with them. But I don't wear my glasses 95% of the time so I never bothered.