Glass vs contacts while hunting and scouting

[Stalker69]

I wear my glasses, never had an issue with bino’s, scopes, peep or anything. They are easier and they offer some protection to my eyes. I always wear shooting glasses any way, while shooting so it’s just natural to wear my glasses.

 

[T3clay]

Thanks everyone, anyone with an astigmatism have issues seeing double reticles when using contacts?

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I've never had a problem with contacts over glasses...until Wyoming this year. The wind dried my eyes out way faster than I expected. I had to toss that pair and wear glasses the second day of hunting. One thing that may have helped would have been daily contacts, but I don't think it would've helped much the first day. I'm now looking at getting a better pair of glasses to wear as a backup.

The dry wind can be rough some days but I use daily contacts and have a pair of glasses along at camp, if things are bothering me I can just wear glasses or pull my contacts out early to wear the glasses and start with fresh contacts the next day.

 

[Wrathchild]

I wear glasses daily. Disposable contacts when hunting multiple days or if it’s rainy/snowy. My buddy always laughs at me fighting with the contacts in the am when leaving camp. Would love to get lasik or similar someday...

 

[fwafwow]

Thanks everyone, anyone with an astigmatism have issues seeing double reticles when using contacts?

No problems at all. I use daily disposable contacts and I have an astigmatism. If you have had problems in the past, go back to the doctor, as the market changes. For years there were no daily disposable options for astigmatism, but now there are several. And with dailies, I don't need much solution - two drops for each eye. And before I went into the backcountry, I just practiced without a mirror. I of course take glasses as a backup.

Another benefit to contacts, is that for people who need "readers", they can do "mono vision" - with one eye corrected for distance, and another corrected for reading/close things. I tried this once and it didn't work, but then was encouraged to just suck it up for 2-3 weeks. Doesn't work for everyone, but it was life changing for me.

Personally I have no desire to try lasik.

 

[*zap*]

I use both but as far as glasses for outdoor use/work I really like sports glasses with a headband vs anything that goes over my ears. Very comfortable glasses.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I use both but as far as glasses for outdoor use/work I really like sports glasses with a headband vs anything that goes over my ears. Very comfortable glasses.
View attachment 151283

Those seem like a pretty good option. Where did you pick those up?

Esse quam videri

 

[*zap*]

Walmart.

 

[SoDaky]

Decades ago I had a Jennings bow implode on the draw.I was 16-18 feet up a tree in NW Wisconsin at the time,a time before harnesses,safety ropes etc.Miracle I didn't fall out.However my glasses were busted and 10 feet or so from the bottom of the tree.My forehead and one cheek were bleeding and one lens cracked requiring replacement.No doubt in my mind at least one eye would have been seriously injured absent glasses.
Hopefully limbs nowadays wouldn't completely disintegrate as those did.Violently.Also was present years ago on a 'blowback' eye injury at a rifle range.
When feasible and when conditions permit,I'd wear eye protection when hunting.

 

[MillCreekMike]

There’s options now for keratoconus called corneal cross linking. Some docs will do cross linking and follow that up with prk to get rid of the glasses. If you are in/near a major metro area anywhere across the country you could find someone that would do that.

What about Lasic with glaucoma? Is it possible? My eye doctor told me to stop wearing contacts after she diagnosed me wth glaucoma. I would really like to do Lasik.

 

[T3clay]

Thanks everyone, anyone with an astigmatism have issues seeing double reticles?

No problems at all. I use daily disposable contacts and I have an astigmatism. If you have had problems in the past, go back to the doctor, as the market changes. For years there were no daily disposable options for astigmatism, but now there are several. And with dailies, I don't need much solution - two drops for each eye. And before I went into the backcountry, I just practiced without a mirror. I of course take glasses as a backup.

Another benefit to contacts, is that for people who need "readers", they can do "mono vision" - with one eye corrected for distance, and another corrected for reading/close things. I tried this once and it didn't work, but then was encouraged to just suck it up for 2-3 weeks. Doesn't work for everyone, but it was life changing for me.

Personally I have no desire to try lasik.

The contacts I wear are not as strong as my prescription, because I have a pretty strong astigmatism, many of the daily options were not available in the strengths I need...

On top of that I am also near sided.... My eyewear prescription is like a dock drawer.....

 

[Stalker69]

I have bad astigmatism, reason I don’t get lasik. I would still need glasses I guess. I see a double image of everything ( smear down, is how I describe it) it is worse when looking at white target with black rings for some reason. But it’s how I see everything, and I try and focus while shooting on the part I know is correct.

 

[Lil dude]

Guys/gals, get lasik and be done with glasses and contacts. If you are above age 40-45, then a lens replacement with a multi focal lens will have you seeing things from distance to reading zone quite easily and you won’t have to worry about fosses or contacts again.

This is what I do, it is a safe surgery to have with today’s technology and there are lots of options out there for everyone, including those with astigmatism.

Money is a factor, but you are gonna spend that same money over your life on glasses or contacts anyway, so get rid of the hassle and come see me in sunny Dallas Fort Worth and we can hook you up with a vision improving surgery.

I know some folks around the country doh g this stuff as well, and will answer any questions you have, so feel free to ask away about your local doc or eye stuff in general

Texasbuckeye

Like a few others have mentioned I have a bad astigmatism...... is this still a no go for Lasik. I was always told in the past by my optometrist that I'm not a candidate......but I never really know how much I can trust their opinion/knowledge on the subject. There seem to be a high number of varying opinions on what is fixable and what is not.

I hate glasses and get more reliant every year I wear them, where now it takes multiple days for my eyes to adjust back to no glasses. They are now an absolute PIA when glassing which I do all day every day hunting. Never really thought about contacts as we tend to stay in the backcountry for 5-10 day periods and didn't know how that would work.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[camping1601]

Contacts suck. Glasses suck worse.
Lasik in my future.

 

[Texasbuckeye]

Stalker, lil dude, and anyone else with similar concerns....

Astigmatism can be corrected up to 6 units via lasik. Yes it isn’t really reliable that high a correction, but with a second treatment (enhancement) most of the time we can get really close to fully correcting that much. For 2-3 units of astigmatism, it’s a no brainer.

Sometimes the issue with “astigmatism” is the cornea is actually weak and at risk for having a bad outcome from cutting on it. The only way to know if that’s the case is to visit a lasik center and have them run the tests. Most optometrists do not have that equipment, only ophthalmologists. It’s just expensive for an optometrist to get it and even then, they don’t have the final say. So go get checked out. Things have advanced a lot over the last 15 years

 

[Trevor73402]

I figured someone would have mentioned this already, but I wear 30 day/night contacts. I never take them out for a month. I never have any dry eye issues. I’ve been doing this for ~15 years. If I had to mess with taking contacts out every night and back in every morning, I’d have gotten Lasik long ago. I wear the Air Optix Night & Day lenses. I’ve tried others, but these work the best for me. I wore Focus Night & Day until they quit making them I guess.

 

[howl]

I've had my hard contacts dislodged when in the field by things like a branch slapping me in the face or a foreign object popping one off when blinking. So, I feel the need to wear safety or sunglasses in addition to the contacts. I see better with contacts, but if I have to wear glasses anyway I might as well wear eyeglasses. All my optics are adjusted for eyeglasses.

You will need longer eye relief when wearing glasses.

Your glasses for shotgunning need to sit up and out to put the optical center of the lens closer to where you look with your head down on the stock. You can get glasses made for shotgunning specifically, but you may have to go out of your way to find someone to sell them to you.

Scopes may need to be mounted medium or higher so you can look through the optical center of the eyeglass lens with your head down for a good cheek weld. This wasn't an issue for me when I was younger but now it is necessary.

Speaking of, getting over the bleeping hill wrecks your eyes. I was about blind before. Now it's just pathetic.

 

[howl]

Thanks everyone, anyone with an astigmatism have issues seeing double reticles when using contacts?

I had to pick one or the other, raise my scopes and focus for the one I picked.

 

[wesfromky]

I like wearing contacts vs glasses, but needed to get a verifier for my bow, as the pins were super blurry. I cannot shoot iron site pistols with contacts either, so going to get some prescription shooting glasses made for when I do USPSA. Maybe with my bi focal prescription on the top half of the glasses, or maybe without that part, as I can see the front sight OK with just glasses.

I use disposalble contacts, so super easy to deal with in the morning. I used to do the extended wear, but started having real problems with them drying out, so switched to the disposables.

 

[shoeshineman]

Guys/gals, get lasik and be done with glasses and contacts. If you are above age 40-45, then a lens replacement with a multi focal lens will have you seeing things from distance to reading zone quite easily and you won’t have to worry about fosses or contacts again.

This is what I do, it is a safe surgery to have with today’s technology and there are lots of options out there for everyone, including those with astigmatism.

Money is a factor, but you are gonna spend that same money over your life on glasses or contacts anyway, so get rid of the hassle and come see me in sunny Dallas Fort Worth and we can hook you up with a vision improving surgery.

I know some folks around the country doh g this stuff as well, and will answer any questions you have, so feel free to ask away about your local doc or eye stuff in general

I have astigmatism and I also have rheumatoid arthritis and take humira. Every lasik place in Denver that I've spoken to rejects me immediately. My rheumatologist told me that she has many patients who get lasik. Is there some conspiracy against me or are there only certain places that take arthritis/humira patients?