hunting with eyeglasses

[bowgy]

I just got glasses last week and I'm wondering what type of glasses anyone has been using for hunting.  The type of hunting I do is mostly elk or other animals in steep rough country.  I got progressive lenses and I like them for other things but hiking through the woods they will only focus right where I look, I can't look ahead and glance down at my feet I have to actually turn my head and point my nose at my feet.  Does anyone wear these or are bi focals better?

[moleman]

bowgy, I got my first pair of glasses last yr at nearly 50, in part do to 26 yrs of burning welding rod,I went from 0 to progressives over night. Have no fear,  you will adapt just fine in no time. I received my glasses 2 days before our annual turkey camp in the Hoosier Nat. forest here in Indiana, damn near broke my nose falling on my face 1st morning out, I figured out real fast that I should have taken a few walks in the woods previous to the hunt to get acclimated to the glasses. Once you get acclimated, the world is a beautiful thing to see, once you can see it clearly.

[macbow]

I've been wearing them about 45 years. I do not like the progressive for anything. Was talked into them when they first came out quit wearing them after a couple of weeks.
I like the regular bifocal so when I tilt my head I know what I'll get.
Good luck. Carry some anti fog liquid etc with you where it is easy to access.

[gringol]

a brimmed hat is worth it's wait in gold for keeping the rain off.  the trick is to find the right length brim so it'll keep your lenses dry but won't interfere with the bow string.  I haven't solved that yet, so I fold the front up when getting ready to shoot.

[Red Beastmaster]

Progressives don't work at all for shooting a bow. Like you said, they are only in focus straight ahead. You don't look straight on when shooting, you look through the sides. The target is not focused but blurry and picking a spot is near impossible.

They are also bad for walking on any kind of broken ground like woods or over streams and rocks. They actually make me nauseous when walking in the woods.

Lined bifocals were some better but I found I tripped a lot. I went on my face tripping on everything from a single strand low fence in south TX to maple sugar lines in PA.

Here's what I do. I usually wear single vision distance glasses for shooting and most of my hunting. I can not use glasses with nose pads and must have the plastic frames that sit right over the nose. With pads I will look through the gap without realizing it. My shooters are the cheap Wally World $9 frames with a strap to keep them tight.

If it will be wet, cold, hot (sweaty), or if I plan on using binoculars, I will use my distance vision contacts. I hate messing with them but they are better than fooling with wet glasses.

It stinks learning to shoot with glasses. Those who wore them all their lives have no problem. I was shooting for 14 years before I needed glasses. It's been 13 years since and I still can't stand them.

It sucks getting old.

[Stump73]

I wear prescription sunglasses. They awesome on those bright sunny days and are fine cloudy days. They don't bother me while I'm shooting. The only problem is that they fog up in this humidity we are having now.

[coaster500]

I've worn glasses my whole life. I wear progressives and have no problems with them. It's like instinctive shooting your brain
adjusts...  

I wear boonie hats that are a bit large so I can wear a wool cap under them when it gets cold and they do a pretty good job keeding the rain off and don't interfere with the string.......

Just wear um you will get used to them  

[Troy D. Breeding]

Been wearing progressives for the past 20+ years.

No problem what so ever when hunting or just shooting.

Fogging up and Rain?  That's another story...

Troy

[awbowman]

I wear single vision when I hunt, no bifocals

BTW, I HATE progressive lenses.  Like someone said, you have to be looking directly at something for me to see.

[Goshawkin]

I've had glasses pretty much my whole life and hate them for hunting. Rain,fogging,getting bumped by brush/limbs,etc. I started a little stash a few years ago to save up for the laser surgury. I was too afraid to get it at 1st,but think they've got it pretty well perfected now.Only problem is that the amount in my stash doesn't grow too fast because I keep dipping into it to buy stuff for my hobbies!

[billy shipp]

I'm glad this topic came up. I've recently realized (again) that I need to be wearing glasses to shoot. I just can not see well enough to pick a spot, then focus on it long enough to shoot. I've worn progressives in the past.....10 or 12 years ago, but quickly gave up because I felt like I needed to step 4 feet high to step over a tooth pick. It's time to quit fighting it and try glasses again....folks have different opinions on what works best, but I don't think I'll like progressives any better today than in the past.
Red Beastmaster.....the glasses you use for shooting, are they the plain reading glasses?
I'm very interested to hear other replys, and opinions, so keep em coming guys.

[Bjorn]

I wear progressives and they work just fine. Only problem is heavy exertion and lenses fogging up. If I'm going to be very active I wear contacts. For general hunting and shooting glasses are no problem for me.

[Red Beastmaster]

billy shipp

"I usually wear single vision distance glasses for shooting and most of my hunting."

Reading glasses wouldn't work for shooting anything further than arms reach.

I will say one positive thing about progressives. They're great for typing and reading Trad Gang on the computer!

[dragon rider]

I've worn both bifocals and progressives.  I vastly prefer the progressives.  They take more work to get used to, but one you do it it becomes second nature.  Bifocals made me sea sick if I worked on a computer for very long - which I did back before I got smart and retired -

The problem with glasses when hunting isn't unique to any style of glasses - it's that they can and will fog up on you in wet, cold or very hot weather.  

I tried contacts, but then you have to carry around sunglasses and reading glasses, plus all the contact crap so unless you're young enough that this progressive v. bifocal discussion sounds like a bunch of geezers sitting around griping, I'd go for the progressives.  

Give them two weeks of honest effort - pointing your nose at what you want to see just like you'd point your arrow tip in the direction you want to shoot and I think you'll find they work pretty damn well.  Oh btw Billy, as with most things the technology today is much better than it used to be.  

One last tip - when they measure your eyes for where the progression is to begin, let them do their trick and then have them take that line down 2mm.  In my opinion the industry "standard" starts the transition too high which makes toothpicks look like logs.  Like some other things we could mention - tuning and proper fit are critical.

[Widow's Son]

I also hate progressive lenses. They seem to start changing right in the middle of my vision. I get the line bifocals set lower that normal so I can have a clear field of view ahead.

Ross

[billy shipp]

Thanks for the clarification David. Having tried progressives in the past. I'm leaning that direction.

Brother Paul.....thanks for your input as well. As usual, your thoughts will be greatly considered, and I just love your analogy of life and your way of getting things across. You are without a doubt the biggest hoot I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Thanks guys.

[Pete McMiller]

I've had bifocals for years, first the lined and then the progressive.  For me the progressives are hands down the best.  It took me about a week to get used to them the first time I had them on and that was after several years of wearing lined bifocals.  They are so natural that I forget I have bifocals on.

The only time I have a problem, and this is with either the lined or progressives, is when I layout for ducks and have to look over my toes for incoming birds.  I need to get a pair of 100% distance glasses for that activity.

[GreyGoose]

I've worn glasses for 35 years.  Regular (traditional?) bifocals are a little easier than progressives, but I've still been able to adjust to that latter.  Biggest problem for me is sweating - slipping from the bridge of my nose, dripping or fogging lenses.  If I can keep them consistently dry, clean, and in place, I can adjust to the them.

[BowMIke]

I have used progressives for the last 17 years and they seem to work o.k. for me. I can shoot without them, but I see clearer with them on.

[Steelhead]

I wear bifocals with a descent sized frame.They have the transition option for adjusting to sunlight like sunglasses.

They also have these magnetic pins in each outside corner.So you can buy what looks like clip ons.But instead fit on the glasses with magnetic pins.I bought mirrored blue polorized clip ons (magnetic ones) for fishing and yellow for shooting skeet and archery.

I use a boonie style hat like coaster for bow shooting.Nothing better.

I am pretty happy with this setup.The reading lense is small and in the inside lower corner.Not good for reading a book.But good for tying fishing knots etc.My frames are titanium and larger and rectanguler in shape.Good peripheral vision.Lenses are polycarbonate.