I started wearing ( or trying to) contacts a few years ago. I have issues with them but I shoot better with them. Rifle, shotgun and longbow. I have difficulty getting them in place. They stick to my finger. Some mornings it takes me 15 mins to seat them both. But I shoot better with them. I work outside most of the time and they dry out. I couldn’t wear them in Montana because they dried out so quick. But I shoot better with them. I’m going back to Montana this Sept, I need to see to kill a bull. I have my doubts about being able to get them in my eyes while in a darkish tent in Elk camp. I guess I could take some artificial tears for the drying out. Or do I just try to practice with glasses on? I’m sure I’m not the only one who has this problem, so I’m taking all advice. Thanks Guys.

I went from nothing to bifocals overnight, sometimes it a struggle I have killed game with them but can't do contacts for some reason. My biggest fear is that game can spot them.

I had the lasik done and haven't regreted it. Honestly I had no trouble with contacts or putting them in (soft contacts) but when the temperature was cold like it would be on your hunt, the cleaning solution would burn my eyes. I guess it had to have normal temperatures to work. Think about having lasik done if you can. It's a little expensive but so are contacts and the cleaning solutions.

I changed my anchor point because i was smacking my glasses somehow upon release. I grip the string 1/4" below the nock(3 under). You just have to find what works best for you.

SHOOTALOT X2....I had lasik eye surgery 17 years ago and it is priceless....at least it has been in my experience !!!! Get some info from a REPUTABLE eye surgeon and decide.Remember it is eye surgery. Des

You know thanks for posting this. This is something that I have struggled with a lot the last few years. I regularly wear contacts but when I am outdoors with the wind and the weather it screws with my contacts. Specifically the ability to focus. I have noticed significant better shooting and ability to "pick a spot" with glasses. I only hunt out west in WY and ID. What are others experience? What does lasik run these days?

If you're asking can you hunt, shoot with glasses, the answer is yes. I've been doing it that way for about 40 years now.

In most of Montana, especially at usual elk elevations, it would be prudent to wear sunglasses. Most people who spend a lot of time outdoors, especially at elevation, get cataracts in their eyes as they age.

So I suggest dark prescription glasses, maybe the kind that get darker in sunlight. Most of us are able to learn to shoot well with eyeglasses. I bet you can too. - lbg

Been wearing soft contacts for 20+ years w/ just minor irritations. Sometimes dry eye, but good drops will solve that, and occasionally, cool windy weather will make my eyes tear up some, but that's mostly allergies. In short, I love 'em, not enough problems to change to glasses. And the correction is 20-15, I can see like back when I was 20!

I got the dreaded trifocals now, but honestly i don’t believe they hinder me now. When I first got glasses it was a struggle while shooting, I had to change my face anchor and head angle and it wasn’t easy at first. Fortunately, it all worked out, but I would recommend if your going to hunt with the glasses make your changes now that you need to make and always carry an extra pair while hunting.

Idaho Steel, I had it done probably twenty years ago and it was $1000 per eye. I don't think it has went up much.

If your contacts are sticking to your fingers you may not be lubricating them enough. Be very generous soaking them with solution before putting them in and carry rewetting drops thru the day for when they start to feel dry. I’m used to putting mine in my eyes while in front of a mirror so when I am hunting from a tent I take a small hanging mirror to use. A dark tent does make it a little tricky though. I just can’t stand shooting with glasses. As soon as I feel either the string or my fingers touch the glasses it throws off my concentration. And then you have the issue with them fogging up if you’re hunting hard and getting hot. Good luck

Thank you all. The glasses themselves distract me, being in my fight line. I can’t golf with a hat on either, because the brim is in my sight line. Sue had lazik surgery some years ago and it’s fading now. Sometimes looking thru my glasses I think I see like looking into water. You see the fish here but it’s actually there.

Chain -

You're describing a common problem with glasses, as for the contact lenses, that's some thing you really have to discuss with your eye doc. You could be using the wrong lenses or there could be something with your eyes that needs correcting.

Viper out.

Thanks Viper. I took me awhile agin this morning to get them on again. I think I’m going to do some research on glasses. Getting older ain’t for sissies.

I shoot 3 under right handed and pull nock to the side of my nose with fletching touching the tip of my nose. I can't see through my right eye lens if I try my glasses. Can anyone tell me how they make this work? Thanks, Tom

It's best to speak with your eye care professional about the issue.

What Dave Mitchell said X 10.

I've been wearing glasses for fifty+ years so it would seem not natural without them. Never had an issue hitting them since the string doesn't go behind them. This year I think I am going to just a single prescription versus transition that I have now. I used contacts one time but really didn't like them. My daughter is just the opposite, she can put them in, in about twenty seconds while walking. Not me.

Tomas -

One of two things.

You aren't fulling turning your head towards the target or you have the wrong frames.

Assuming no issues with your neck, you might have to modify your form to allow further rotation, getting your head more square to the target.

Regarding frames: For most people, optimal shooting glasses are single Rx, set to distance, and a slight offset of the optical center toward your nose (on the aiming side) and frames that are sit fairly close to the face. There really does need to be a small air gap on the top and bottom to prevent (or lessen) fogging in hot/humid conditions.

For people with fair eyesight, sometimes a slight loss in acuity (without using their glasses) is better than better acuity with glasses.

Viper out.

Contacts for me. I can shoot with my glasses, buy don't like them.

Viper,

Your suggestions helped. Thanks! Tom

I`m wearing bifocals, its taken me 10 years to start to get used to wearing glasses. Last year I got the progressives, cant shoot at all with them. You have to aim your glasses straight at what your looking at for them to focus. They work ok for everything but shooting. I do much better with my regular glasses. One eye place said they can make a flat progressive lens that is suppose to work better for shooting.Maybe I`ll try that in the future

I couldn’t use bi-vocals to shoot with at all. I’ve never tried progressive. Is there anyone here familiar with coatings on lenses? Like anti-glare? Better vision in low light ? I’ve seen some of these things in articles I’ve read. Thanks guys

Chain -

You do NOT want to use progressives for shooting. Besides having a relatively narrow vertical "keyhole" of optimal correction, the "progressive" part is undefined, which can make focusing more difficult. As I said, if you have to wear glasses, a single Rx, possibly with the optical center slightly offset is your best option.

Coating for lenses, (anti-glare and and scratch) are pretty standard these day, but only partially effective.

Viper1 out.

I’ve never thought about it until now and every animal I’ve killed with a bow has been while wearing glasses. I’ve tried contacts and they’re just not for me. My glass frames have to sit on the bridge of my nose so the frames are not in my sight line. I had glasses with the nose pad/arms and didn’t like them because they raised the frame into my sight line.

I can understand the frustration. Been wearing glasses most of my life for nearsightedness. Tried contacts in my 20's when I wanted to look cool. I live in the desert and they were uncomfortable for me. Went back to glasses and did fine until my eyes started loosing their ability to focus correctly on nearby objects. Now I need bifocals or progressives but know that will mess me all up. Shooting a compound through a peep using sights is much more difficult than focusing on a distant object with both eyes with a trad bow. Hopefully your eye doctor can help you solve this deal! Good Luck!

I've worn contacts since 1970. Hard, gas permeable, and now soft. I got to a point, a few years ago, where I couldn't wear them all day like I used to. I started wearing soft lenses. and now I can wear them all day again, but I only use them in the fall now for squirrel and deer hunting. The rest of the year I wear my glasses for 3Ds.

If I had to wear glasses deer hunting, and needed progressive or bifocals, I'd have two pair of glasses. One with just the single RX to wear hunting like Viper suggested.

I’m almost like a drugstore counter. I’ve got readers all over the place. I have readers for when I’m wearing contacts and readers for when I’m not. Does anyone hunt with the lens that get dark as the day brightens ? Thanks Guys

My son is an optometrist in Indiana. He works with his patients to accommodate their vision needs for whatever sport they may pursue. What works for one person may not work well for another. Our vision needs can differ greatly. But even something like the size of frames can make a difference. I wore trifocal lenses for years until I had cataract surgery a couple of years ago. But even with the trifocals I had no issues shooting with the correct frames.

I use contacts for distance and keep a bottle of saline solution in my pocket to moist. Works the same to me as high price eye drops. My glasses are trifocal and not good for shooting with 3 zones to look at. I also went to dailies contacts as monthly just got too gritty for me after a few days. I might use my dailies 2 or 3 days just depends on how long I leave them in. If I'm inside all day I just wear my glasses. My anchor point changes with my glasses which is shorter. I can make it work but I shoot better with contacts. The other thing about glasses for me is they fog up on very humid days here in Georgia while hunting pigs in the Summertime. Right now I have reader glasses over my contacts to type this and read. I cut two yard this morning so contact day. Probably go out and shoot some arrows in a while. I wet my eye down before trying to put them in with what the contacts come in or saline solution and use a dry finger to put the contact on. It can get frustrated some days but I get through it. My eyes are very dry. At night I use a gel to help me sleep.

I wear the extended wear ones. Night/day that you can sleep in. I wear for a lot longer than they say to. Also went to Mono vision technique. When I had both contacts in I had to have readers to see close. Now I where one lens and can see both long and short distance. When rifle season comes I wear the single contact in the non dominate eye to see the iron sights up close. I switch eyes with the one contact when it is not hunting season. Vision is actually getting better.

I shoot with both. If I am wearing my glasses and don't hit my target I blame it on my glasses. I f I wear contacts and miss I blame it on the contacts. Hope that helps. Just a fun reply. I know it is hard to decide.Good luck with your choice.

I've been wearing soft contacts for nearly 30 years (and I'm 41 - my eyes suck), so I've put them on in all sorts of conditions. First, be absolutely certain you've got the right lenses. If you have developed an astigmatism or other issue with a misshapen eye, normal contacts will not sit right and will be blurry and uncomfortable. If yours don't feel comfortable, something's wrong. They should be comfortable enough you don't notice them.

This is probably the biggest challenge I have - and I fight it daily. You have to look directly forward, and often we move our eye at the last second. It's a reflex, but it's 10 times easier if you can make yourself look directly into the lens and the tip of your finger as you insert it. I had to stand in front of a mirror and practice for several practice rounds, because I didn't realize how often I was doing this.

Make sure that your finger tip is dry before you put the lense on it to insert. The moist lens will stick better and be less likely to fall off or get off-center as you put it in. Put 2-3 small drops of contact solution or saline in the actual lense (it should be bowl-shaped and hold it well. This will help it adhere to your eye more easily, and it will help rinse out little dust particles that can irritate the eye.

I had much of the same problem up until I had cataract surgery. One deer I killed was under the circumstances of having come home from work with my eyes too dry to tolerate the contacts any longer. I was still able to harvest a buck with my eyeglasses, but I concentrated on focusing through the middle of my lenses. And I practiced with my eyeglasses. I was too nearsighted for lasik, but when I developed cataracts and had surgery. no more contacts or eyeglasses. So you may have something to look forward to!

put drops in your eyes before putting in contacts. and make sure finger is pretty dry. the extra liquids of drops in your eyes will suck the lens right off your finger into you eye. do you pass the contact from one finger to another to dry your fingers? that will help a bunch.

Thanks everyone. I think I am flinching at the last second. I’ll focus on that and definitely try the drops.

+1 on having clean and dry finger tips to put soft contacts in. You want your eye moist like the contacts and your fingertip dry. I have astigmatism and find the latest soft disposable contacts to be remarkably comfortable with good visual acuity.

But I only wear ‘em I’m bitterly cold weather where I’ll get frostbite unless I cover most of my face and use ‘em then because my glasses fog. I’ve worn glasses to shoot every animal and target for 40+ years except for my buck last year where it was very cold & I wore contacts. I wear progressive lenses and have no real problem and believe that’s because my lenses are about as large as I can get. Small progressive lenses would for me be virtually useless for hunting, shooting or pretty much anything. I like to have a big lens so I don’t have to turn my head sharply to see off to the side a bit and that also gives me more of the lens to look through before they “progress” into readers. I did have cataract surgery on my right eye and that also greatly improved vision, remarkably so.

The only downsides to big glasses lenses are the fogging if you cover your face etc, and the looks.

I have worn glasses since I was 8 years old. 18 years ago I went to progressive lenses. While it took a bit getting used to( like walking up and down stairs and on uneven ground) I did not have any trouble shooting, bow or rifle. I did find that larger lenses make focusing long and short much easier. Kind of like a longer bow is more forgiving, larger lenses are more forgiving when focusing. wpab

I wear bifocal progressive's and have had to learn to square my face up to the target. It was an easy transition and the byproduct has improved my shooting with or without glasses immensely. Looking squarely at the target improves my focus as well as concentration.

Low powered contacts are thin and it can be problematic inserting them. Also, high water content lenses dry out faster. Because lenses come in different materials your doctor should be able to suggest lenses that will work better for you e.g. are easier to handle and less prone to drying out. Secondly, you can have your dry eye treated which should help with the lenses drying out. Restasis or a similar drop can be beneficial. Again, ask your doctor. Most of the newer disposable lenses are very thin and can be difficult to insert. This is especially true if one is presbyopic (needs readers). Just seeing the lens to manipulate it on the fingertip and seeing it to insert it can be difficult. If you have problems with dry eye then getting LASIK will make it worse.

I am dead in the water with out my glasses. They are a normal part of me,and no problems with hunting,or any thing else.

I got them both in first try today. Drops in my eyes and made sure to stare the contact into place. Thank you

It sounds to me like they don't fit correctly.

I've worn contacts for 35 years btw.

I wore glasses from age 12 to 18. Then contacts until I scratched my cornea in my mid twenties and went back to glasses. Had LASIK in 2003 and did well until I noticed some changes a couple of years ago. I can go through life without glasses but they do then to sharpen things a bit. I can shoot fine until dusk when my pupils dilate and my vision changes.

I have bifocals for hunting and progressives for everyday wear when I choose. The newer progressives offer a very wide field of view for distance, far better than in years past where you had to point your nose at something to see it clearly.

I also bought my last couple of pair of glasses from an internet provider and paid about 25% of what the optometrist or Pearle Vision charges. Full progressives with all the necessary coatings for $130.

Viper is correct. Wearing progressives for shooting doesn't work. I switched to one prescription lenses for distance, that will work.

Once they are on they are fine. I’m sure it’s my club fingers and my inability to see close. But whenever I can I’m going in for a recheck. Thanks Guys.

I have never regretted having refractive lens replacements done on both eyes.They remove the lenses and fit special silicon ones.No need for glasses or contacts for reading,driving or shooting. Have the same vision I did when I was a teenager.130% vision and will never deteriorate over the years.Was pricey at $12,000 for both but worth every cent.

Even though I normally shoot without glasses, I shoot a little better with them. One thing I had to do to be able to shoot with glasses was to have a pair made without bifocals. The bifocals (the lower part for reading for better clarification) created a really hard situation to get the glasses lines up just right. Without bifocals, the use of glasses to shoot a bow was much easier for me.

Lasik, and never have to worry about it again

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