Contacts for astigmatism

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  • kz45

    1911 cool-aid drinker
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    Does anyone use them? What are your thoughts, love, hate them?

    Also is your script set for one eye close to read (see the sights) and the other for distance? My sister says that's the only way to go! Uncle Lloyd agrees, just want to hear some of BS's thoughts
    Thanks
     

    BOSS351

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    My rt. eye has a slight astigmatism and I've been wearing contacts for over 25 years now. I have my left eye set for reading and my right for my distance. I gotta tell you though its a bitch shooting with this set up. When i know I'm going to the range I'll usually take the contacts out and use my bi focals. Really hard to see the rear sight on my pistols with the contacts in if I"m shooting for a bullseye. As far as shooting for defense, you should be good to go out to about 10 yards or so. When shooting my rifles, I always use my glasses. Try it out and see how it works for you. I tried bi-focal contacts but didn't like them at all.
     

    MOTOR51

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    I wore contacts for astigmatism for the last year. They were Ok I guess but I ended up with RX Oakley with transition lenses and it's a lot less of a hassle.

    MOTOR 51
     

    CEHollier

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    I'm 51 and have an astigmatism, I have worn contacts since the 7th grade. I do everything in them except sleep. Water ski, swim, whatever. They work well for me.
     

    kz45

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    I'm a trim carpenter so the saw dust might be a problem I would think, anyone working in dusty environments?

    I'm also thinking about going the Rudy Project Rx way
     

    peterf225

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    I have it in both eyes. I've worn contacts for the past 14 years and love them. I don't have trouble shooting iron sights on handguns or shotguns and using scopes on rifles. I am an electrician for a grain elevator and don't have any issues with dust.
     
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    BOSS351

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    Whats the Rudy Project RX?? Hollier, do you shoot with yours in? Are they for distance, one different for each eye, or what?? Very curious cause I gotta tell ya I hate wearing glasses. I too am 51 and it really sucks not having the vision I used to have when I was in HS.

    Same question to you Peter...what contact configuration do you have??

    Presently I've got a -1.50 in my rt. eye and a +0.5 in my lt.

    KZ, if your worried about getting dust in the contacts you could use goggles over your eyes instead of safety glasses, which I hope you wear now. I resisted contacts for years cause I didn't want to deal with hassle of taking them out, cleaning/storing them etc. BUT once I got them in and realized how easy they are to deal with I absolutely love them.....plus wearing contacts allows me to be able to wear my cool daddy shades.
     
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    CEHollier

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    Whats the Rudy Project RX?? Hollier, do you shoot with yours in? Are they for distance, one different for each eye, or what?? Very curious cause I gotta tell ya I hate wearing glasses. I too am 51 and it really sucks not having the vision I used to have when I was in HS.

    Same question to you Peter...what contact configuration do you have??

    Presently I've got a -1.50 in my rt. eye and a +0.5 in my lt.

    KZ, if your worried about getting dust in the contacts you could use goggles over your eyes instead of safety glasses, which I hope you wear now. I resisted contacts for years cause I didn't want to deal with hassle of taking them out, cleaning/storing them etc. BUT once I got them in and realized how easy they are to deal with I absolutely love them.....plus wearing contacts allows me to be able to wear my cool daddy shades.

    Yes. I shoot in them with safety glasses of course. And Yes. My right eye is adjusted for distance and left is close up. I still wear hard lenses. Any one wear bifocal contacts?
     

    kz45

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    Rudy Projects are high performance sun/safety glasses, the ones I have now are photocramatic and I love them!
    What ever I get needs to work well for shooting, that's very important
     

    BOSS351

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    Talk to your eye doctor about this being a major thing for you, shooting that is. Since Charles and Peter are shooting with theirs in I'm guessing I need to do the same thing and talk to my doc some more....or, maybe I'm expecting too much precision at a distance that is not practical. Need to look into that also..
    So the Rudy Projects are prescriptions?
    Get back to ya'll this evening..need to get out of here and into the marsh!
     

    peterf225

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    My vision sucks without my contacts. I can't see the big letter on the chart without them. My right contact power is -1.75/-.75x130 and my left is -1.75/-1.75x070. I've never talked to my dr about adjusting one eye or the other for shooting specifically. I shoot left and right handed even though I'm right eye dominant. I guess since I've never had a problem shooting I've never asked about making one Rx specific for shooting.
     

    zbaw

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    I am wearing the new O2 Optix for Astigmatism contacts and love them. I don't have them setup differently for either eye, just what my prescription is in each. I don't have a problem shooting with them in at all. This brand is a little flimsier than the regular ones to me. They curl up in my hands a little easier. In my eye though, I don't have a problem at all with them. These are made supposedly with 2 different magnifications across them for the astigmatism correction. Here is a link: http://www.airoptix.com/contact-lenses/air-optix-for-astigmatism.shtml
     

    madwabbit

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    different prescrips for each eye. difference is night and day, but its plain hell to get them in and out.
     

    JNieman

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    I've got an astigmatism in both eyes, and red dots are much worse than they should be, for me. I didn't know you could get contacts for this. I also have poor eye sight that's deteriorating. Not making excuses, but in addition to my lack of disciplined practice, I expect my eye sight keeps me from being quicker and more precise with the gun sights.

    I may need to look into this... thanks for all the variations and suggestions, everyone.
     

    SpeedRacer

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    I've got an astigmatism in both eyes, and red dots are much worse than they should be, for me. I didn't know you could get contacts for this. I also have poor eye sight that's deteriorating. Not making excuses, but in addition to my lack of disciplined practice, I expect my eye sight keeps me from being quicker and more precise with the gun sights.

    I may need to look into this... thanks for all the variations and suggestions, everyone.

    I have the same issue. I can barely even focus on a pistol's front sight, so I've adapted by using Ameriglo ProGlo fronts and basically learning to shoot with blurry sights. At least the big orange front gives me a good blurry reference point. I'll never be a bullseye shooter but it works good enough for defensive distances. Same with red dots, I've just adapted to shooting the blurry red flower in the middle. It works decent with Eotech's 1MOA dot, okay with Aimpoint's 2MOA dot, and is laughable with anything 4MOA or bigger.

    I actually had prescription glasses made just for shooting and shot with them for a while. Man what a difference. It felt like cheating. One day I didn't have my glasses at the range and shot worse than ever without them. At that point I realized it was all or nothing, either wear glasses/contacts full time or not at all. Since I don't need or want to wear them fulltime, I no longer shoot with them either.
     

    JNieman

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    ugh, that's my problem. I wore glasses for about a month and a half, at work only, a couple years ago. I ended up ditching them out of inconvenience and not ever getting used to them. But if I wanted to do that, I'd want to get prescription glasses for the range, and contacts/glasses for work/play... and I'd have to reconcile the reality of a "bump in the night" situation being without corrective lenses. it'd be a PITA.

    I think I'll try it though, if insurance helps out, or if it counts toward my deducitble.
     

    deuxlatch

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    I have astigmatism in both eyes with -3.25 in left eye and -3.75 in right eye. I also have a blind spot dead center of my right eye from a macular hemmorage a few years ago so that makes a right eye dominant shooter suck at the range. I have been wearing the AirOptics brand contacts for a few years and love them, but I can't wear them to work because staring at a computer screen all day makes them dry out and I end up rubbing my eyes raw. I only wear my contacts to ride my dirtbike or play softball and wear glasses the rest of the time.
     

    kz45

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    Just an update
    Got some contacts set in mono vision, the doc either misunderstood what I wanted as far as each eye, or just did what she wanted, she set my dominant for distance and non for close! I tried it and it doesn't work! Also me and contacts don't get along, their not bad putting in, or wearing, but taking them out was an hour job! My eyes would be raw after getting them out, missing fingers on one hand doesn't help in getting them out either!
    So I've given up on contacts and just went with glasses
     
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