A sort-of optics question. Not a scope question

[pepperbelly]

I shoot in CMP matches with a service grade SA Garand and a Swiss K-31.
I the match last Saturday I tried something to help me see the sights and target a little better with my 52 year old eyes. I am very slightly near-sighted. I wear prescription glasses even though I test as 20/20 and am not required to wear corrective lenses to drive. I just see much more clearly at a distance with them.
I usually shoot wearing my glasses with clear lenses. I have prescription Oakley sunglasses but don't wear them to shoot.
In Saturday's match I grabbed a pair of cheap shooting glasses I have had and used a diopter when I shot the Swiss. The aperture on the Garand made that rifle OK to see. In fact I shot a 259- which included a crappy score standing.

My question is would better quality uncorrected shooting glasses help with the diopter, or would it be better to use the prescription Oakleys? I don't know if using lenses corrected for distance would make irons more difficult to use. I do know that using uncorrected lenses makes the target fuzzy. Sometimes it almost looks like there is a double bottom curve on the black bullseye.

I am open to suggestions. Go with the corrected sunglasses or get a quality pair of uncorrected shooting glasses.

Jim

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: A sort-of optics question. Not a scope question

Always wear eye protection around the firing line.

IMHO, yellow is better than clear. If things are too bright, wear a hat with a brim.

Whatever correction you might choose should be tailered for best vision at longer distances. The best approach is to schedule an appointment with an Optometrist and tell them what you're trying to accomplish (don't forget to discuss the safety lens aspect). The non-aiming eye can benefit from a frosted lens, but simply apply Magic tape; no need to buy a custom lens.

Beyond this, I can't help you; you need to make your own decisions on the subject.

Greg

 

[pepperbelly]

Re: A sort-of optics question. Not a scope question

I have always worn eye and hearing protection for over 45 years. Well, I didn't always wear hearing protection, but I have for the past 30 years or so.

Thanks for the tip on having the vision corrected for distance. I really didn't know if it was better to be able to focus on the sights or the target. This is the first time I have tried using a diopter.

I will see how much corrected lenses with an amber tint are.

I can see that with a scope it doesn't matter if I wear corrected or uncorrected lenses since I can focus the scope. Iron sights are tough to focus.

Is there a down side to using sunglasses when shooting?

BTW my sunglasses and clear glasses both have polycarbonate lenses. Whatever I get will also have that.

Jim

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: A sort-of optics question. Not a scope question

I suggest yellow, something like the B&L aviator lenses. Amber is something else. Yellow is supposed to amplify contrasts. Maybe amber does the same thing too, but I'm not knowledgeable about that.

Very young eyes can apparently focus back and forth between front sight and target easily, but we lose this ability early on in our adult lives. This is because the eye lens focuses by being compressed by small muscles within the eye.

As we age, the lens very gradually loses its flexibility, causing muscle fatigue; which we interpret as eye strain. Eventually the ability becomes too difficult to repeat. At that point we have to choose, and the target is the preferable choice.

It is also preferable that we keep both eyes open, but this can be even harder to do for some of us. If the second eye's vision is a hindrance instead of a help we can apply frosted tape, like Magic tape, to the optical center of the eyeglass lens in front of the non-aiming eye. This disassociates the image, without reducing the level of light coming in through that retina.

This is important because the brain has certain involuntary sensory reflexes regarding retinal light levels. When one eye closes, the brain opens up the pupil on the other eye to compensate, allowing more light and visual data to reach the brain. But the problem with this is that the wider pupil also decreases optical resolution, and this can decrease our ability to get a sharply defined sight picture. Blocking light reaching the non-aiming eye is less effective than the lens frosting technique.

Wearing dark glasses will force both pupils to enlarge, causing the same optical resolution issue; only this time, it's with both eyes.

Dark glasses that do not provide UV screening are worse than nothing; as they open the pupil wider, allowing more UV injury to the retina.

Recently, due to an oversight which prompted me to loan my hearing protection to young family members, I experienced a significant hearing challenge. My hearing has noticeably deteriorated from just the one event. Now, of course, I always have extra hearing protection available. But that horse is already fled and gone.

Never be without your vision and hearing protection, not even once.

Greg

 

[kraigWY]

Re: A sort-of optics question. Not a scope question

At 63 I have old eyes. I need "reading glasses" for anything close, at distance I do ok.

I use drug store glasses, they work fine. But for shooting, again I can see distance but can't see to adjust sights.

I measure the distance from my eye to the front sight. I get reading glasses that allow me to focus at that distance (and I can still see the target), then I buy an identical pair of "drug store" glasses that I use for reading. I pop out the left lense of my front sight focus glasses, and put in the lense from the reading glasses. That gives me the shooting lense I need, yet allows me to use the left eye to adjust sights or do recordings in my score book.

My glasses only cost about $5 each.

 

[pepperbelly]

Re: A sort-of optics question. Not a scope question

Greg, thanks for that information. It explains very clearly about using sunglasses. I didn't remember why, but I do remember being told it was not the best choice.

As for yellow versus amber I am slightly color blind. I thought amber was yellow. My red/green is OK but there are some shades of some colors that look identical. It's mainly pastels that I have trouble with. I wonder if yellow instead of amber would make a difference in contrast even if I can't see a difference in color?

Jim