Astigmatism - Shooting with Glasses

[Bayou Buck]

Greetings,

I started wearing glasses to manage my astigmatism and the resulting headaches, and I'm curious about what other traditional shooters do to manage this little nuisance. To be perfectly honest, I don't notice that my shooting is any better or worse when I wear my glasses.

I assume that consistency is probably the most important thing--either shooting with glasses on all of the time or none of the time. Do y'all find that to be the case?

I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice from folks who have been dealing with this for a while.

Thank you!

[cyred4d]

I have astigmatism in both eyes. I have never experienced headaches because of it though. I wear contacts to correct it. I have found that works much better than glasses.

[old_goat2]

I wear glasses all the time, biggest thing is glasses that fit. I anchor back farther than most and glasses that are too wide get hit by the string. If your a corner of the mouth  shooter you won't see a problem.

[stujay]

I too wear glasses all the time, and don't even notice that I'm wearing them. Doesn't interfere in any way with my shooting...middle finger to corner of my mouth.

[cacciatore]

I made the Lasik 4 years ago,free from any device now and so happy!
The main reason I went with the Lasik is because traditional bowhunting,I didn't want to depend on something I had could loose on a elk camp. But in everyday life is so sweet to see as I was young with out wearing stuff I could loose. Ceaper at the end too.

[Rob DiStefano]

glasses are not a problem, you'll adapt, keep shooting, that's all that matters.

[Elkchaser]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
glasses are not a problem, you'll adapt, keep shooting, that's all that matters.

X2 - I've worn glasses for 42 years now and though they are a pain in the rain and snow while hunting, I don't think my shooting is affected. But then again, I have nothing to compare it to. Glasses came first.    

[jt85]

I personally have tried shooting with glasses and my string hits them, must be cause I anchor higher on my cheek bone but I can't do it without changing my anchor.

[bowhuntingrn]

The only issue I have with glasses is fogging. I have tried multiple sprays and wipes on them. Some work better than others, but most all are gone as soon as you clean the lenses. As a result, I wear contacts most of the time when hunting, but continue to wear glasses if just shooting around the house.

[Burnsie]

Started with glasses when I was in 5th grade and I'm 52 now - bad astigmatism in both eyes.  Tried contacts for a brief period in my early 20's,  but they were never a good option for me - eyes don't tear enough and spent half the day putting in eye drops.
Would love Lasik,  but haven't been able to justify it with kids braces, college payments and household repairs taking priority. I figure, I have went this long with glasses, I can keep going.  
Glasses only affect my shooting when combined with inclement weather.  They can be a pain in the rain and snow,  but I've learned to deal with it.

[fnshtr]

Went to contacts for my astigmatism. I would not go back to glasses. However, Cacciatore may have found the best solution!

I have shot with and without my contacts in. I shoot a little better with them. My right eye (dominate) is my worst eye...

Good luck!

[Red Beastmaster]

I started wearing glasses 15 years ago. It took me about 5 years to get used to shooting with the danged things. What a pain in the arse!

I tried the contact thing. That went OK but eventually I needed bifocals. I had to carry reading glasses for up close vision. So why bother?

Also, contacts for astigmatism have weights to keep them oriented on your eye. It can take up to 1/2 hour for them to roll around for clear vision. I left my last pair of contacts in the SC swamps at Wild Things. I had enough! What a pain in the arse!

I now wear glasses with very low lined bifocals for shooting/hunting. Works pretty well.

Sucks getting older.

[Archie]

I have been told by doctors that I have a 1 in 100,000 case of astigmatism.  I can wear relatively thin glasses, but without them I have a hard time even brushing my hair.  I've tried contact lenses - soft contacts, rigid gas permeables, custom torics... but I've found them all to be uncomfortable and labor-intensive, and I see better with  glasses.  So I shoot with glasses, and have no problems doing so.  I used to put the string right in front of my eye, and in doing so, would get wax smudges on my glasses.  But I cant the bow now and that problem has gone away.  I have often had problems with fogging up in colder weather, and have to work around that, but I manage.

I sometimes hunt with a face mask, which always ends up fogging up my glasses.  But I got a cotton face mask, cut out the mouth hold well, and hand-sewed a piece of soldering wire around the eyes, so that I can easily bend it around my glasses, and it works really well.  

Glasses are a hassle, and I wish I could Lasik, but I am not a candidate.  Evidently I have astigmatism in both my eyes and in the lenses in my eyes.  So, I have to take care around bug dope, in the rain, when sleeping in a tent, paddling on a river, etc.  And my glasses cannot be wide due to my prescription, so my peripheral vision suffers a bit.

But as far as shooting goes, I feel that my shooting is not negatively impacted by my wearing glasses.

[GreyGoose]

I've got astigmatism, too, and always wear glasses. Problems would start if I tried shooting WITHOUT them.  I will say, my aging eyes are far less taxed shooting traditional/instinctive than they were when I lined a pin up with a distant target while peering through a peep.  I was accurate, but focusing was problematic.  Almost like it was easier to hit the target than to see it.

[the rifleman]

I started wearing glasses almost 50 yrs ago.  I am right handed but have had to learn to shoot left handed due to very weak right eye.  I recently had cataract surgery in both eyes and praise God every day for my sight!  I am seeing things I never knew existed!  Now I only wear glasses to read.   First thing I did was buy good eye protection-- I wear it when I shoot and tromp around woods not wanting to risk injury to my good eye.  Nocks and strings break-- bows break-- and sticks stick.  Maybe I'm paranoid, but that being said glasses don't interfere with my shooting.

[96ssportsp]

I suffered from the same issue. Wore glasses for over 30 years. Last year while elk hunting, with a spike only tag, had a unique encounter.
Heard a bugling bull and moved in on him. Was going into rising sun. Glasses smudged, took them off to clean and dropped the screw out of the arm. Froze, put glasses on and found tiny screw, big relief.

[Bayou Buck]

Thanks for all of the feedback--y'all are too kind. Lots to think about going forward, but the main plan is to shoot like hell until I sort it out.

[mgf]

Wearing glasses changed my shooting.

First, I can't use an anchor that's as high as the one I used to use. The glasses are just in the way.

Second, I have to shoot with my face fairly square to the target. There are two problem that come up if I don't. First is not being able to see the target through the lens with my right eye. Parallax can also cause repeatability issues.

Then there's the weather of course. I don't hunt, fish or shoot if there's much rain or snow falling because my glasses didn't come equipped with windshield wipers.

And the fogging under various conditions... I remember having to pass shooting at a tree full of squirrels on a warm humid September afternoon. Every time I looked up, my glasses fogged over and I couldn't see a thing. LOL

All that said, I can't see well at ANY distance without my glasses so I always wear them. Usually, I even sleep with them on because I hate waking up and not being able to see until I find my glasses.

Camping in cool weather provides another incentive to sleep with them on. Put those cold glasses on a warm face and they're fogged over for 10 minutes or so. Then I have to jump out of my bag and run through the woods to the latrine while blind. Not fun.

Especially around water, I always take care to wear some sort of restraint to keep my glasses from falling off my head. I'd be in a real bind if I lost them.

[mgf]

Another huge irritant while hunting with glasses is that I don't use my binoculars as much as I used to or as much as I should.

Using them with glasses is a real pain. Even with the eye cups rolled back or removed the lens is too far from my eye.

Removing the glasses to use the binoculars requires all sorts of movement and juggling of equipment.

Oh well...such is life as you get older. LOL

[cacciatore]

Another advantage of the Lasik I barely need binos,since my view has improved so much!