This year's deer season was TOUGH. Not because of the deer, or lack thereof. I couldn't hit them.

1st miss was a long shot that was purely operator error. (nice buck)

#2 was a clean over the back at 13yds. Practice shot afterwards was the same, a foot high. (buck)

Spent some time practicing and all seemed well. Blamed it on operator error again.

#3 12 yards clean over the back by a foot. (buck) Now I'm MAD. Went home and shot in the back yard a bunch and all is perfect. Shot at 10-15-20-25-30 individually and did a walk back and walk up from 10 to 30 and nothing was outside the 4 ring.

OK I'm ready. BAM! miss #4 at 14. (doe) Again a foot over the back.

This time I did realize things were a tad fuzzy at the shot. Having had such great success (can you feel the sarcasm...) I now had 3 vermin arrows in my quiver to practice. #1 arrow a foot high of aim point at a marked 20 from my treestand. I slip my glasses down the end of nose thinking the progressive lenses are the culprit. #2 arrow, SPOT ON! #3 arrow with glasses in the same spot. CLIPPED fletching of #2! The AHA! moment has arrived. Progressive lenses at elevation and close shots seem to be a bad mix.

I make the trip home again and find an old pair of single vision glasses. I can't see quite as clearly, but well. (20-20 versus 20-13)

First sit with the old glasses a young 5 point comes in at 8 yards and he is now in the freezer.

So, if you have bifocals, practice from an elevated stand. You may find the closer shots put your eyes in no man's land like I did.

I use the progressive lenses an have learned to deal with them. Matter of fact I don't even think about them anymore unless someone asks. After I first got them, I had issues on the field range out toward fifty+ yards, but after awhile that just went away. I do agree that single vision is better and I'm going to get a pair of them when I get my next checkup. Glad you got it worked out.

Yep, i wear my single vision glasses for archery period. Learned that this summer

I wear progressive lenses glasses. If my head is up they magnify the arrow. Even with people that don't think they see the arrow find that perhaps they do when the arrow gets magnified in the reader part of the lens. What i hate is that my plastic lens glasses don't focus good unless I am looking straight at the target, anything catty corner is kitty womp assed and out of focus. My normal vision is 20/25 with astigmatism. I see better without them when shooting.

I leave mine in the truck. Can't stand wearing them or the hearing aids. Congratulations on you deer and more on fixing the problem.

I shoot with progressive bifocals and do not have that issue. Not sure why you would.

I have trifocals so I went to contacts for distance.

Had that same problem. Got rid of the bi-focals. Just have to take off my glasses to work on stuff up close.

You need Progressive lenses!

I find that I cannot shoot well with progressives, archery that is! They are great for pistol but for archery, I always wear trifocals. The distortion of looking out the side of progressives makes the target look like it is somewhere else -- for me.

Guess everyone needs to find their own solution but I have found most students I work with have a left right problem using progressive lenses.

Arne

Here in Vermont 4 chances of taking a shot at a whitetail equals 4 years worth of hunting....geesh!!!

But aside from that, I can see how frustrated you must have been. I am glad you got it figured out. That buck is a pretty one.

Congrats on a fine buck and an even bigger congrats on not giving up and figuring out a solution for your problem!

I had the same issue when I got the first pair of progressive lens. Issue was worst with bifocals so I had a pair made for distance only. In those days we shot a lot for score, I couldn’t see close up so was not trusted to keep score. Hey, worked for me.

Man I tell you I don't know how you guys do it. I wore glasses and shot my bows for 20 years. Couldn't get contacts into my eyes so I had Lasik about 17 years ago and I've shot without since then. I don't know how I'd ever go back. Tried it once with some sunglasses and I couldn't get out of my own way. I was a disaster. I don't know how I ever did it all those years.

I went back to bifocals since I could not shoot with progressive lenses. That was 25 years ago and I have never looked back. Maybe new technology will improve things for others, but I'm good with the lines.

Bifocals, or progressive lenses?

I never could get used to lined bifocals (they drove me nutz), but once I got used to the progressive lenses (didn't take long) I haven't had any problem with them.

It's funny how different we all are when it comes to stuff like this (and other things).

Rick

I can’t get used to my progressive lenses. They drive me nuts. I wear a contact in my right eye and don’t need anything in my left since my cataract surgery with lens implant.

I started progressive about 3 years ago. Could not learn to shoot with them any way, shape,or form. Second pair I told my eye doctor what I was fighting, and I ended up have the reading part dropped to as low as they could in the lense, and increase my distance part of the lense and it made all the difference in the world.

Progressives.

Like Bentstick when I started using them a few years back I had to get the optometrist to drop the bifocal lower than they determine is correct. I still have it set there.

Maybe this pair is just a tad higher than before. I don't know, but I do know I am going to get a set of single vision for hunting. I've wanted some anyhow.

Level ground I have no issues.

My vision was restored by cataract surgery thank God. I no longer need glasses except readers. But i never go in the woods or shhot without eye protection. I have very little vision in my r eye so am protective of my l eye. I recently bought a pair of safety glasses w built in bifocals. No problems whatsoever.

For wingshooting I wear large shooting glasses with a small round bi- focal portion in the lower middle for close up stuff. My regular glasses would cover the flushing bird, but the large glasses did not. Looking at cataract surgery in the future and hope that will help me.

Congratulations on your hunt.

I wear bifocals and the hardest thing is wading (or walking) in a rocky place. Have to look straight down, and I do mean straight!

Shot a course last year with a couple of very steep downhill shots, had to remind myself to bend at the waist. A lot! Not sure I'd want to do that in a tight tree stand unless properly harnessed.

Anyway, nice deer, glad you worked it out in the moments you had.

I hate progressive lenses, and now have bifocals, but it doesn't matter, I never get a shot at anything anyway. Nice buck you got there.

Congrats on a great buck!

Arne, as is usual, hit the problem the closest. The difference twixt lined vs. progressives is that as the eye moves away from lens center the progressives lose clarity. So the problem is individual archer form. If you anchor such that you are looking thru the center of the lens, all's well. But if at anchor your head is angled such that you are looking across your nose, typically you are seeing thru the inside edge of the lens where progressives ain't progressing . The target can disappear entirely.

Lots of hard lessons before I made 2 changes. I have had my lined "tri's" built such that the mid and close lens leave a distance lens view on the inner nose side so that when I anchor and look at the target I'm using the distance lens.

With the pistol, focus is on the front sight, arms length away and more clear with the mid distance lens. So they can work ok for deliberate slow aiming. But shooting fast and a lean forward needed to best control the gun means the head is tilted down and you are looking thru the upper (distance) lens.

I have a second pair built single vision at front sight distance for the master eye and distance only in the other. Works fine for pistol competition, and as a gapper using both eyes open is ok for casual/3D/hunting archery. If I am trying to put arrows into a 1" X ring though, the distance lens clarity wins out.

In Sum, if you choose progressives and draw the bow such that your head isn't more square to the target allowing you to look thru the center of the lens, you have the problem our OP has described. Lined bi's or tri's centered in the lens that let you look thru the distance portion at anchor is the better answer.

RickR

I switched to single vision glasses for another reason. That blur caused me to trip and fall on several occasions where a root or sink hole was not noticed. I carry folding readers if needed.

Congrats!

Soft contacts lens-no problems.

I've, fought with this also I now have trifocals, and this is the first year I actually have had to wear my glasses while hunting. I do have progressive lenses, I had to change my head angle and face anchor and it wasn't an easy task, I've been shooting the same way since I was 9 , which is 40 years ago. My groups did open a bit but, they're getting better all the time though as I'm still getting use to the new head angle and face anchors.

Im a young man and wear glasses recently my shooting has decreases because i do not wear my glasses when i shoot and my spot i shoot at becomes a blur. i have tried and cannot shoot at all with my glasses on Because of my anchors. Contacts are on the list soon for me to try very soon.

I'm shooting with glasses for the first time (long overdue). It's great to actually see what I'm shooting at, but it's taking some getting used to and I'm not quite there yet. I got a pair of single vision glasses exclusively for shooting, about to get bifocals for everyday use.

I'm shooting with glasses for the first time (long overdue). It's great to actually see what I'm shooting at, but it's taking some getting used to and I'm not quite there yet. I got a pair of single vision glasses exclusively for shooting, about to get bifocals for everyday use.

Nice deer. Glad you figured it out.

I am beyond bifocals & have been wearing trifocals for a number of years. I tried the progressive lenses but could never get used to them & the lines don't bother me. It is very important that you have your optician get the placement of the bifocal or trifocal portion of your lenses exactly right. If you are the least bit uncomfortable, don't hesitate to go back & have them corrected. I usually get a new pair each year even though my prescription seldom changes. I have had issues in the past when changing frame styles where they had problems getting the lenses aligned properly. Glasses are a curse but can be tolerated if they are properly fitted.

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