I wear eye glasses (trifocals), but take them off and put them in my pack once on stand. Seems the frames are often in my sight picture at full draw. Also, they often get fogged up when the air cools or when I wear a face mask. They sometimes fog if I'm breathing heavy after a long walk into my stand or when I get excited seeing a shooter coming in. I don't see as well without them (dah), and I hate moving so much to grab binoculars often to check things out. Tried contacts, but I need one for close vision and one for long vision. Anyone else have similar struggles or know tricks that might help me be able to keep my glasses on? :o
I've worn glasses since I've shot and I know where you're coming from. I've tried several anti fogging agents and all have failed. Spraying windex on the lenses and wiping has worked as good as any for me. I also wear facemasks all the time and a open face one leaving my nose and eyes seem to be best. Good luck!
I just deal with the fogging, but lasik is my next step.
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Been wearing glasses (progressive lenses) for at least 30 years with no problems. Sure, they fog up occasionally in cold weather.
And, they sort of dictate what I can wear to cover my face, or not wear. And they often get water spots or other junk on them. Just part of the game. I find they aid me in at least one way. If I see too much of the frame or edge of the lense and/or if I get a blurred vision, it tells me that I haven't turned my head enough toward the target. Easy to make a quick correction before I release the arrow.
I only hunt wearing glasses. My eyes don't tolerate contacts so that option is out thanks to naturally dry eyes and allergies. My head gear is bought specifically to work well with glasses. My binoculars must be comfortable with glasses. It's just a limitation to take into account. Without them I probably couldn't spot a deer in the brush at 30 yards though so to me the limitations that they impart on me are FAR LESS restrictive than not having my glasses at all.
I wore glasses for years, then needed bifocals. Wow, what a shock when I tried to shoot let alone hunt. About a week and I dumped them and got two pairs, one for long, one for close. I used a mask but took the chance and left it below my nose so I wouldn't get the foggy glasses.
I don't have major issues. I just adjust the way I need to. They're never in the way that's for sure. Is your draw correct?
Yup for long distance when I shoot.
Was having the same problem as 1arrow1kill has with the frame blocking his sight picture, as I anchored at the corner of my mouth.
Discovered if I draw a little further and anchor an inch back from the corner of my mouth, that moves the arrow to the right and lines it up right under my eye, where it should be. DUH....
Thanks Fellas. Some good information so far. Glad I'm not alone with the eye glasses issues. I do have neck stiffness (Some Say I'm stiff-Necked) which prevents me from fully turning my neck left to look squarely at the target. Probably why I see the edges in my view. I hate the thought of changing my anchor point after all these years, but I'll give Roy's idea of a deeper anchor a try with the glasses on and see if I can draw, sight and release with my trifocals on. Old Dog up for Learning Some New Tricks! :help:
Have done well in the field with glasses.
OMG, I tried trifocals one time...
I felt like one of them bobble head dolls in the rear window deck of a car on a bumpy country road.
Took them back the next day and got 2 different pair of specs:)
I have a terrible time with bifocals. There is no way I could shoot with them. They drive me nuts. I have single vision lenses that I wear while hunting and shooting. The fogging issue is something I've never been able to solve.
I wear glasses that only have the metal frame at the top of the lens. No problems shooting and I've always thought they look better than the ones
with frames all the way around.
I wouldnt be very successful if I didnt wear my glasses. Worn them for most of my life. Contact lenses are better but they seem to get dirty and gum up and aggravate me.
My regular glasses are progressive bifocals. Fine for everyday use but impossible to shoot or walk on uneven ground. I actually get nauseous in the woods.
My hunting/shooting glasses are lined bifocals with very low line. No nose pads or I'll look through the hole.
No face mask over my mouth and nose.
I wear trifocals, I shoot tournaments in them, practice off my deck to targets 16ft below in them and hunt in them, no problems. I do find it absolutely necessary to wear elastic eyeglass straps on them to hold my glasses tight to my nose with no slipping.
I've noticed in the last year or so, I'm having some accuracy issues. Not sure if I need new glasses or what, but seeing the frames drives me nuts while trying to focus on the target spot. I've also been busted hunting from the ground a couple times simply by a slight head movement. I wear transition lenses, and they have a lot of glare on them. I'm pretty sure that glare got me busted a couple times. Now I don't wear them while on the ground. Kinda sucks though, my eye sight is not great and not getting any better that's for sure. I seriously thought about eye surgery.
Tattoo Dave
Let's put it this way: better I shoot with them than without! This is just one of the things you have to tinker with--I find that the correct frame is half the problem--size, width, etc. And yes, they fog up so I tear a hole in my facemasks so I can breathe without fogging--and then there's the hat issue........ :o
Interesting to read that other's struggles are similar to mine. I went from face masks to face paint to eliminate the fogging problem. I use unscented baby wipes to remove the face paint after each hunt. Real men can use baby wipes! They work great. I do return to the facemask on really 'cool' days (still hate to admit there are 'COLD' days). I too cut holes by the mouth in my masks to help prevent fogging.
Never thought about using an elastic eyeglass strap, but I too find myself pushing my glasses up tight against my face to improve the look at the target. Thanks Eric Krewson for this great idea, I'll give it a try.
I try hard to sit so the sun is at/near my back to prevent the refection issue. Gotta give mature deer credit, they still do on occasion notice me hiding in my natural lair. Reflection is a dead giveaway.
I also recently bought expensive frameless glasses hoping they would help with the 'seeing the frame' problem. The edge of the lens still messes with a clear sight picture though. The quest to find the best way to keep my glasses on continues . . .
I just started to suspect reflection as a culprit to getting busted this year when hunting on the ground. I would have deer 20yds or less away and suddenly look right at me even though I was motionless. Makes sense though, especially since I have large lenses.
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I use this type of strap, lately I bought a pile of them off ebay fairly cheaply because I have a habit of losing them and not having one when I need one.
I fought with my glasses for years. Fogging up was my worst problem with them. Never was able to completely cure that no matter what I put or sprayed on the lenses. I would not hunt with my contacts. Too much dust and debris in the woods to contend with for me but I did shoot in my yard with the contacts successfully. The end all be all for me was lasik. One of the best things I have ever done.
Thanks Eric. Heading to ebay right now to purchase 'some' of the elastic eyeglass bands. Funny how I never thought of those. I suppose the last time I saw someone wearing them was playing b.ball in high school, before I wore glasses. I'm hoping this will help me out.
Wish I could have lasik surgery Chuck, but my eye doctor says that it would not be appropriate to fix my vision. May be time to seek out a second opinion as I sure would like to have the 'eyes of my youth' vision again. Glasses are a scourge in so many aspects of my life, but I sure do see much better with 'em on.
My problem is slipping on my nose and then trying to see through them. Thanks for pointing out the eyeglass straps. Will get some to try and keep the frames up on my nose.
Plastic lenses do not focus anywhere but in the center. I have been told that one can get glasses that put the focus center off to the side. This can help if you don't turn your all of way square to the target like I do. My eye sight is not that bad, I can go without them for every thing except reading, playing guitar and brain surgery.
Hunting is the #1 reason that I switched from glasses to contacts 28 years ago. I can not imagine going back. As my vision has changed I have worked with my doctor to tweak my prescription to allow for a compromise of good vision close and at distance. It is not perfect for either, but allows me to read without glasses and see at distance at a quality that I am satisfied with.
For you guys who think you have problems due to reflection, they do have an anti-reflection coating for lenses. Hopefully you have eye docs who are willing to work with you specifically with the issues mentioned. My son is an optometrist and avid hunter, and he specifically asks his patients about any sports they may participate in. It might be good to show your eye care provider what exactly you do when shooting--head tilt, head turn, etc.
Quote from: David Mitchell on January 17, 2019, 03:43:51 PM
For you guys who think you have problems due to reflection, they do have an anti-reflection coating for lenses. Hopefully you have eye docs who are willing to work with you specifically with the issues mentioned. My son is an optometrist and avid hunter, and he specifically asks his patients about any sports they may participate in. It might be good to show your eye care provider what exactly you do when shooting--head tilt, head turn, etc.
Funny you mention that. Years ago when I shot compounds competitively, I tried to explain to my optometrist how I had a lens in my sight at arm's length, a lens in my clarifier/peep at 4"-6", and he had to figure out a lens for my glasses/contacts. He was very confused at first!! :biglaugh:
I do have an anti-glare on my lenses, but I think that is more for cutting the glare that's entering your eye, like rain at night. But I will have to check into it some more.
I loved contacts and had no problem using them as single vision but could never find a pair of bifocal contacts that I could get use to when the need arrived. So it's back to glasses for me.
I use a Cabelas ryno skin head covering from fall to late winter. It's made to just have both eyes exposed but stretches and I pull it down to below my mouth. I love it as I spray it down with home made scent killer and as it covers my hair I think it helps a lot. I'm not sure they still sell it though. But I still have some fog issues especially on a cold days after I walk into my stand. I have one of those binocular glass cleaner cloths in a self storage sack the size of your thumb that is attached to my binoculars. It cleans the lenses of my binocs or glasses quick and easy.
For folks buying glasses I hope it's ok to post, I and my entire family have used online Zenni for years. Enter your up to date prescription numbers and within a week they are delivered to your door. I can get 3 to 4 pairs for what I pay for one pair from Wally World. So I can have a pair of single vision, progressive and or bifocal glasses for less than I spent on one pair at other places. Or just a pair for dress, a pair for hunting and a couple pair for work. My work pair of glasses that takes a beating I can order extra magnetic sun glasses for $5 each. Try that anywhere else! YMMV
I have a daughter-in-law that did work at the eye center at Vanderbilt. She said they had an age cut off on performing Lasik, I think it was 60 years old. They said you will be headed to cataract surgery in a few more years so they wouldn't do Lasik on you.
Eric I've always loved and agreed with your posts and it let the air out of me for at my age (60) to think I might not be a candidate of Lasik. Did a google search seems that's not true any more. Got me thinking.
"LASIK after age 65. LASIK eye surgery is increasingly becoming a clear option for patients over the age of 65. With more seniors turning to laser vision correction to treat aging vision problems like myopia and astigmatism, "too old for LASIK" has become a belief of the past."
Now the real question is can they afford it? For me if you happen to walk by my casket I'll probably have my glasses on! lol AND my trusty recurve by my side!
This past fall was my 2nd year with trifocals.... I've been wearing glasses since I was 16 MONTHS old. I don't know any different and I've never had a problem. ...
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started wearing glasses in 1956. Never had a problem hunting with glasses, just put up with fogging and rain. Catarac surgery was a game changer. Was near side and had astigmatism. Now without glasses I can see arrow holes at 60'. I still wear glasses when walking to and from stands in the dark just to protect my eyes.
Quote from: sneakybow on January 16, 2019, 07:25:00 PM
lasik is my next step.
Best thing I ever did. 18 years now...still 20/20 at distance. One bad thing...I never realized how many branches were slapping me in the face going to or coming from stand in the dark until my glasses weren't there to protect my eyes!
That's ok, i'm more concerned with my karate moves after I hit spider webs lol
Quote from: FlintNSteel on January 18, 2019, 04:01:13 PM
Quote from: sneakybow on January 16, 2019, 07:25:00 PM
lasik is my next step.
Best thing I ever did. 18 years now...still 20/20 at distance. One bad thing...I never realized how many branches were slapping me in the face going to or coming from stand in the dark until my glasses weren't there to protect my eyes!
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of course there have been a gazzillion successful trad bow hunts with archers wearing all manner of vision aids.
one would be surprised to find otherwise?
Of course, for over 60 years now. Not sure why some folks make it out to be an issue.
:coffee:
I don't know about other places, just Vanderbilt as of 3 or 4 years ago when my daughter-in-law worked there.
One thing I have found is people who sell the service always have glowing reports about how great the service they supply is.
I found this out when I was researching stem cell therapy for my hip and knee. Some providers make it sound like they are the answer to your prayers.
I found a provider who spent the better part of an hour giving me an honest appraisal of what kind of succes he had which admittedly wasn't 100 percent. I had the procedure done but he jury is still out on whether it will be a success or not.
On the glasses thing, I don't wear huge glasses, I will hit large glasses with the back of my hand as I draw, I had to find the correct size to use.
This size works just right.
I've worn glasses most of my life. I had lasic many years ago and it was indeed one of the best things I have ever done. Now I am back to wearing glasses for near sightedness, which the doc told me would probably happen. Anyway now wear progressives and could not shoot with them at first. Once I got used to them I can shoot fine with them. I do have to have my body more facing the target but feel the progressives may help with form, since if I am not looking straight thru them things are out of focus.
I didn't do it but had an optometrist who specializes in safety and sport glasses tell me to bring in my bow and she could help with fitting glasses for my shooting style. That was when I had first got the prosressive lens and couldn't shoot with them.
I've shot and hunted for 30 years with them. As stated before.....they have their issues. My complaints are when it's raining or aftervive been hiking hills for a long time and I get the fogging on either side of the nosepads. I just carry extra hanky's for drying em off.
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. It when it comes to eyesight cause mine was terrible, it when it came to wearing glasses. I'm 63 now and I started wearing glass in 4th grade. Had lousy eyesight. I never had any issues when it came to shooting and hunting with glasses. When I finally went to bifocals at about 50, all my friends talked about falling over themselves with bifocals. I never missed a beat. I work construction and could still get up and walk a 2x4 wall setting trusses. I will say the one thing I did have a problem with and that was the fogging up with a headnet. So I just rarely used one. Then 6 years ago I had cataract surgery and can see better than ever before. It's great.