For those who wear prescription eyeglasses...

[j1132s]

Here's an interesting event that I'd like to share with you.

One night while sleeping I was woke up by some noise outside, and I got a bit scared and decided to arm myself. So I go to the garage and retrieve my pistol. Then I realized that I’m not wearing my glasses. Since pretty nearsighted, I think I’d have problems w/ target identification w/o glasses. Fortunately, nothing happened that night.

So, I’m wondering what you do to plan for something like this? Do you just keep a pair of eyeglasses next to you and always wear them? (I have a pair next to my bed, just forgot to put them on in the excitement. Any suggestions to solving this?)

Laser vision correction?
Day/night 24x7 contacts?

I’m now more seriously considering laser option, but that won’t be until next year since I’ll need to budget it (and very much prefer to put it on my 2008 medical flex spending). 24x7 Contacts seems like a compromise fix (you can still loose them but there's a good chance they'll stay in), but I’m not sure how comfortable they are.

Do you think about it?
What's your strategy/plan to be sure that you are wearing your glasses?
What if you happen to loose them or forget them?

[seamusTX]

I'm extremely nearsighted and wear glasses or contact lenses. I keep my glasses next to the bed. I put them in exactly the same place every time, and can put my hand on them in total darkness.

Another solution, not one that I currently use, is to have a clock with a glow-in-the-dark face and always put the glasses in front of the clock.

Those who like to plan more than I do could attach a spare pair of glasses to their bedside weapon.

Extended-wear contact lenses (the type that you can sleep in) are expensive and have caused permanent vision impairment in some users. For that reason, I have chosen not to use them.

Contact lenses and laser surgery do not correct for presbyopia (difficulty seeing at close range that comes with age). However, unless you're shooting 50-yard bullseye competitions, that's not relevant to this question.

- Jim

[RPBrown]

I'm extremely nearsighted and wear glasses or contact lenses. I keep my glasses next to the bed. I put them in exactly the same place every time, and can put my hand on them in total darkness.

Another solution, not one that I currently use, is to have a clock with a glow-in-the-dark face and always put the glasses in front of the clock.

Those who like to plan more than I do could attach a spare pair of glasses to their bedside weapon.

Extended-wear contact lenses (the type that you can sleep in) are expensive and have caused permanent vision impairment in some users. For that reason, I have chosen not to use them.

Contact lenses and laser surgery do not correct for presbyopia (difficulty seeing at close range that comes with age). However, unless you're shooting 50-yard bullseye competitions, that's not relevant to this question.

- Jim

I agree. I also keep my glasses next to the bed in the same spot each time.

One question is why did you have to go to the garage to get your weapon?
Seems (to me at least) that storing your weapon in the garage puts you in harms way to retrieve it.

[Mithras61]

I wear extended wear, disposable contacts 24/7. On the "change-out" day (the day I take the old pair out & put in the new pair) I have to wear glasses for at least 8 hours, so I just make sure & take 'em out in the morning. I will be looking at both laser surgery & something called Crystalens (a lens replacement developed originally for cataract surgery, but it corrects presbyopia and nearsightedness as well).

The only problem I have with the contacts is if I sleep with my eyes open (I do sometimes, but don't know why) the contacts dry out & I can't see for a few minutes (hence consideration of surgery).

BTW, my contacts aren't that expensive. I pay $20 for a box of six, and can wear each lens for up to four weeks. A year's supply for $80-$100 and no need for lens cases, storage solution or daily futzing with the lenses isn't too pricey (and yes, that's the uninsured rate), and if I loose one, I not only always have a replacement, but I also get a brand new (and VERY comfortable) lens every few weeks.

Most of the reports you've seen on the problems with extended wear are from several years ago, and most of the problems were because the wearer didn't change lenses after a few weeks (hey, when it gets itchy, it's time for a new lens) or because of the solution they used (some people stored their lenses in wetting solution, instead of saline storage solution). Modern extended wear lenses (the disposable ones) don't get contaminated by solutions or improper storage (they come in factory sealed blisters and you throw 'em out after you're done with 'em - no storage or cleaning solution).

[seamusTX]

A year's supply for $80-$100 ...

OK. When they first came out, they were about $1,000 a year. I haven't looked at them since.

- Jim

[G.C.Montgomery]

Here's an interesting event that I'd like to share with you.

One night while sleeping I was woke up by some noise outside, and I got a bit scared and decided to arm myself. So I go to the garage and retrieve my pistol. Then I realized that I’m not wearing my glasses. Since pretty nearsighted, I think I’d have problems w/ target identification w/o glasses. Fortunately, nothing happened that night.

So, I’m wondering what you do to plan for something like this? Do you just keep a pair of eyeglasses next to you and always wear them? (I have a pair next to my bed, just forgot to put them on in the excitement. Any suggestions to solving this?)

Laser vision correction?
Day/night 24x7 contacts?

I’m now more seriously considering laser option, but that won’t be until next year since I’ll need to budget it (and very much prefer to put it on my 2008 medical flex spending). 24x7 Contacts seems like a compromise fix (you can still loose them but there's a good chance they'll stay in), but I’m not sure how comfortable they are.

Do you think about it?
What's your strategy/plan to be sure that you are wearing your glasses?
What if you happen to loose them or forget them?

I've been thinking about it for some time. LASIK has been at the top of my list of considerations but cost and potential complications have made me continue wearing glasses for now.

In the meantime, like others, I make sure my glasses are always in the same place when I go to bed. I also secure ready weapons (AR15 and EDC pistol) in my bedroom rather than risk moving across the house to arm myself but that's a decision based on the layout of my home and my own desired level of readiness.

[9mmGuy]

One question is why did you have to go to the garage to get your weapon?
Seems (to me at least) that storing your weapon in the garage puts you in harms way to retrieve it.

thats what i was wondering? i could see that if you had childeren and had to lock up your fireamrs, but why so far away?

i have good eye sight so i have no comments on your question.

[jimlongley]

Back in 1993 I had RK, with the knife, and have passed all driver's license visual exams without glasses since. The problem is that fixing my distance vision left me with impaired near vision, requiring me to wear glasses anyway, just not as bad as the ones I used to wear. I also had a pretty significant astigmatism.

Lasik is not an option now due to the RK scars, but I understand that some of the newest technologies can compensate for RK scars and correct astigmatism too, so that's on the one of these days list.

My wife had lens replacement surgery and is very happy, but it has left her with halos and other night vision problems - once again better than wearing glasses.

I have a tendency to wear them all the time, even if I don't really need them for distance, just because they are easier to find that way, and I keep them in the same place on the night stand and they are always the first thing that gets picked up when I go to investigate a bump in the night.

My gun resides on the next shelf down on the night stand and it's second - body covering is optional depending on the "urgency" of the bump.

[Crossfire]

I guess this would be the time to post my LASIK experience.

Folks, if you are considering LASIK to improve your shooting, then you need to make sure you have ALL the facts before you do it, and know what the possible worst case outcome could be.

I have worn glasses since I started 1st grade. I wore my glasses all the time. Even if I had to get up during the night, I might not turn on a light, but I would put on my glasses. That is how dependant I was. My biggest fear was that I might break or lose my glasses. We are not talking about the kind of lenses you can get replaced in an hour! Being almost blind for 10 days while waiting for new glasses was a very real fear.

My combination astigmatism and near-sightedness has gotten progressively worse over the years, until I reached the point where I could no longer get 20/20 correction with glasses, and had daily headaches. That is when I started looking into LASIK. For a long while, I was outside the parameters, and no one would consider me a viable candidate. But, finally the technology caught up and a new laser was available that would correct cases like mine. I had my first LASIK procedure in February 2006, just about a year ago.

I was NOT able to see clearly right after surgery, as you hear about, but my doctor said it would get better over the next 24 hours. This was on a Friday, and I was supposed to drive myself back on Saturday morning for a followup. By Sat morning, my eyes had swelled so much that I couldn't even find the car, let alone drive it anywhere! And now, not only could I not see without glasses, but I couldn't see WITH glasses!

They fitted me for contacts on Monday morning to make me somewhat functional. Every Friday I went back for a new contact fitting, as my vision was changing weekly. This went on until May. In May, I had the 2nd LASIK procedure to correct the first one.

This time it went a little better. I did not have as much swelling, so it wasn't as uncomfortable, but I still could not see without contacts. I continued to go back to the eye doctor every week through November, when my vision had finally stabilized. He recommended a 3rd LASIK procedure to correct the remaining astigmatism, which had returned. I could not deal with going through this again. I said no, and now I wear glasses again.

So, bottom line is, I am not completely dependant on glasses anymore, as I was before LASIK. I am sitting at the PC right now typing this without glasses on. I am also legal to drive without glasses, but I rarely do, unless I am very familiar with where I am. I can't read street signs without them. I also have diminshed night vision. Not halos or starbursts, as others have said. I just don't see well in low light situations. Nothing can be done about that. LASIK can permanently change the way you perceive light.

So, yes, I am MUCH better off than I was before, but it took me almost a year to get here. And lots of frustration and discomfort. So, do your research, get all the facts, and be aware that your outcome may not be exactly as advertised.

[stroo]

My eyes aren't too bad although I do need bifocals. However I often work at the computer without glasses and can see the front sight better without glasses than with them. I do have trouble seeing the front sight with my glasses on. Are there any sights that work better for this? I have been looking at the XS sight system as well as laser sights.

[aerod1]

The older I get the worse my eyes seem to get. I really need my glasses if I am awake therefore I keep them on the nightstand, right next to my Smith & Wesson model 638.

Jim

[Skiprr]

This topic is close to my heart...or rather, head; to each side of my nose, specifically. Ever see Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven? The young wannabe gunslinger who acts tough but can't see a darned thing?

I've often wondered if the popularization of glasses helped lead to the population boom in America in the mid-19th century. If the frontiersmen who moved west in the early 1800s had bad eyesight, they probably didn't last very long...

I've also worn glasses for myopia since I was a kid. Then, as a teenager, astigmatism in one eye. Then, as I aged, presbyopia. Then, as I aged some more, more presbyopia. The prescription changed almost yearly from the time I was about 43 or 44.

So I wear variable lens trifocals. Now, my eyesight without glasses ain't great, but I don't wear glasses to navigate around the house in the morning getting ready for work. And until about four years ago, even with the presbyopia, I was still comfortable reading for extended periods without glasses. But to correct my vision for all purposes, I need correction at close, mid, and far distances.

Poking holes in paper targets without a timer didn't present a problem. But there was only a very narrow sliver of area along the height of my glasses that brought the front sight into focus. Trying IDPA or defensive handgun drills was a different matter, though. With no time to tilt my head back and try to find that one little focal area that would bring the sight into focus, I was, 90% of the time, shooting fuzzy...just hoping that the sights were sort of aligned.

Then I accidentally discovered that putting on my first pair of single-vision reading glasses from about five years ago brought the front sight into crystal clarity. Wow. In dry-fire practice, I suddenly felt like the bionic man. Draw, present--and the front sight was right there. The target was fuzzy, but better than without glasses. At the range, I could discern the X-ring well enough to put the sights on it. And I could see well up to about 14 inches, so magazine reloads were also no problem.

The difficulty? On anything but a shoot-and-see or splatter type target, I could seldom see where I hit the target until I changed back to my regular glasses. On a taped-up IDPA target, I had absolutely no clue if I'd even hit it.

Last Wednesday, I went to my opthamologist of 15 years for my annual exam. I approached the matter gingerly, not knowing how he might react to learning I'm a handgunner. I explained my problem: that I needed crystal clear, rapid focus at 25 inches from my eyes...but I also needed to be able to focus distantly almost as quickly. I took along some examples I'd found on the 'Net of shooting glasses with an inverted bifocal on the dominant eye, and even drew a sketch of one of my ideas with a thin strip of distance vision at the top of the lenses, and the rest of the glasses a "bifocal" set at that 25-inch distance.

He didn't flinch, and said I wasn't the first patient who'd approached him with this. He said the brain and the dominant eye can work in our favor in a simple solution. He checked my focal point at 25 inches, then pulled away the big black viewer thing and reset the lenses. With the focal object still set at 25 inches, he swung it back and asked me how it looked.

"Strange, sort of blurry but I can read the smallest line just fine."

"Close your eyes." He moved the focal object to the normal far-distance setting. "Okay, open. How does it look?"

"Still strange, but I can read the smallest line with no problem."

What he recommended was a "monocular solution:" the right lens, my dominant eye, set to the 25-inch focal distance; the left lens set to my distance prescription. He said that depth perception accuracy will suffer a bit, but that I should be able to switch automatically from front-sight acquisition to distance vision.

It'll be a week or so before I get the new glasses. After a little testing time, I'll let you know if this works, or if I'll decide to donate them to the Lion's Eye Bank.

[quidni]

BTW, my contacts aren't that expensive. I pay $20 for a box of six, and can wear each lens for up to four weeks. A year's supply for $80-$100 and no need for lens cases, storage solution or daily futzing with the lenses isn't too pricey (and yes, that's the uninsured rate), and if I loose one, I not only always have a replacement, but I also get a brand new (and VERY comfortable) lens every few weeks.

That's interesting... I've tried contacts three different times in my life, & really liked them - but could never wear them longer than a few months because I would develop allergies to the solutions required to keep them clean. Having extended-wear disposables that don't require the cleaning may alleviate that problem. That's worth asking the doc about the next time I go in for an exam.

I've been in bifocals for 2 1/2 years now, but I'm far-sighted (with astigmatism). I can still read without my glasses, if the book or computer screen is at arm's length so target identification isn't quite as much of a problem.

However, when I first started carrying (and sleeping with a gun nearby) we had a family discussion about this issue. Especially with the son's job, and the hours he sometimes keeps, he may get home late long after I'm asleep. Our family rule became, simply: Make noise. Ordinary "getting home" noise and activity is sufficient - closing the front door normally, turning on a light, talking to the dog, etc. will let me know, even half-asleep, that it's family and not an intruder.

A friend of ours, long retired, once worked as a Dallas LEO. He tells the story of how he'd been on graveyard for a while, and went to work one evening as usual to find the schedule had been changed unexpectedly and he wasn't supposed to be on duty that night. He went back home, and because his wife had already turned out the lights he came in quietly so he wouldn't wake her. He eased the front door shut, took his shoes and duty belt off by the door, and then crept back to the bedroom. He was just tucking things into the closet by feel, in the dark, when he heard the unmistakeable >click< of a pistol being cocked behind him.

Hands in the air, he yelled, "Don't shoot, honey, it's me!" She gave him a royal chewing out for having scared her into almost shooting him. And he swears that after that day, if he ever came home unexpectedly, whatever hour, he'd slam the door shut (two or three times, just to make sure), stomp his boots on the floor, and yell, "Honey, it's me! I'm home!"

But, he says, on the bright side, it was comforting to know that if it had been a real intruder, his wife would have been able to respond to protect herself.

[Popshot]

In my case, I can see OK without my glasses, it's just harder to see fine details. Therefore, when I am awake, the eyeglasses are on may face, and at least one weapon is close. When sleeping, eyeglasses are very near the nighttime weapons, which are located very close to the bed. For shooting, I recently got some Wiley X safety glasses with inserts for my prescription. I like them very much.

My wife has very poor vision, until two weeks ago when she had Lasik. The results are nearly miraculous. Prior to this procedure, she could make out only ghostly images without her very thick glasses or contacts. Her vision should be to full clarity in the next week or two.

Regardless of your choice of vision correction, please keep that weapon close to you, especially late at night.

[BobCat]

Skiprr,

Please do post an update to this topic when you have had a chance to try those glasses and have an opinion. This is a very interesting approach.

I wear bifocals and have single-prescription mid-range glasses for shooting, but can't see the target well with them - and can't see the sights very well with my street glasses.

Thanks!

Regards,
Andrew