Hi all,

I'm looking to purchase a new set of Rx shooting glasses. I still use an old pair of Randolph Ranger glasses I got many years ago when first starting out in shotgunning. Now that my shooting hobby encompasses pistol, rifle, and shotgun I'd like to get a versatile pair. I'm due to see my optometrist soon, but thought I'd check in here to see what you guys might recommend. I have pretty high astigmatism (+4.25 cylinder), so my doctor always recommends the lenses in my everyday glasses be as small and flat (little curvature) as possible. But that makes shooting rifles difficult since you're often looking out of the top/corner of the lens rather than straight out. This also makes getting Rx shooting glasses a bit hard because the wrap-around types are so popular and give great protection. Does anyone else with high astigmatism use Rx shooting glasses? If so, what specific makes or models would you recommend? Thanks for your time.

Chris

Randolph Ranger Classic

Contact DECOT in Arizona I have prescription glasses that they crafted the lens for. They have been making shooting glasses since middle 1940's

I have the same problem. I don’t mind wearing glasses, but I’m considering disposable contacts just for shooting.

https://www.tacticalrx.com/ makes some pretty nice prescription shooting glasses. I’d get the prescription, then shoot them a call and see if there are limitations on what frames they can fit it in.

Hi Chris, Are you able to wear Rigid Gas Permeable Contacts? THis is what they gave me for a similar condition and I can wear any cheap safety glasses with the contacts.

Its worth asking about.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, guys. No, I've tried putting contacts in my eyes, but I just can't do it. I've worn glasses my whole life, so I'm good with trying to find a pair of Rx shooting glasses. I'm not a competitive shooter, just a hobbyist, so some compromises are fine.

Endorsed by USPSA...

Hunter's Gold

Haven't tried them, but their spiel sounds impressive.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

The issue is the high cyl (astigmatism). Any...ANY wrap will be unacceptable to you because of the aberrations induced.

Your best bet would be having a pair of custom-made specs specifically for rifle shooting. Your optometrist can specify all the parameters, and they *will* be non-standard parameters. Specifically, you would want the optical center (OC) of the lens for the eye you use to shoot to be placed up and in in the frame (where you would normally look when shooting rifles). This is *critical* for a high cyl Rx like you have.

By placing the OC up and in, this may limit your frame eye size as lens blanks are only so big, and if you have a large eyesize frame (think aviator style) the lens may not cut out for your frame. This means a smaller eyesize frame could be necessary.

Wraps for your type of Rx are not appropriate. Having said that, I'm sure some will come on here and say they have no problem with their high cyl wraps, and that may very well be true, but the vast majority of those with Rxs similar to yours would find wrap-style frames unwearable for even everyday uses, much less high-demand uses such as shooting.

IMNSHO!!

Thank you, bcereuss! I have an appt with my optometrist this afternoon, so I'll mention all that.

OK, just got back from my optometrist appt. My Rx has not changed, so that's good. I mentioned moving the optical center of my lenses to the optician in the office, and she said she likely could do it, but then she also mentioned something called "digital lenses", which according to her have multiple areas of focus instead of just one. It's a new technology. She said that could possibly be an option for me to get, using Trivex lens material. Has anyone ever heard of "digital lenses"? I guess I should do some research on that.

Chris

I wear rx safety glasses for work. They are rated z87+. I am sure they exceed any shooting glasses. I do know Oakleys are only rated z87. Our vendor has many options to choose from.

I just had LASIK in August to fix my astigmatism. I'm very happy with the results. Have you considered it?

I have talked to various folks over the years about getting shooting glasses but never bought. That changed a month ago.

Folks on the trapshooting forum rave about Morgan Optical. I found Tom to be knowledgeable and extremely helpful. He looked at my prescription and asked what type of shooting I wanted to do. I'm really pleased with what I received. I was looking primarily for glasses for shotgun sports so my needs are probably different from yours.

As an aside, my ophthalmologist said I'm not a good candidate for LASIK. If I was, I would go the LASIK route and get normally less expensive shooting glasses.

quote:

Originally posted by RFSALES:
Contact DECOT in Arizona I have prescription glasses that they crafted the lens for. They have been making shooting glasses since middle 1940's

+1! Great folks to deal with. I went to their shop last week on an issue and couldn't be happier with the personalized service!

Thanks again for all the suggestions, guys. It's encouraging to hear all of the good reviews for purchasing Rx shooting glasses online.

Does anyone use wrap-around glasses with Rx inserts? I see a few Wiley-X models that have 3 different tint protective lenses, and have an Rx insert. Do the inserts work well? I'm thinking the may be a good option for my Rx since they are small and flat, which is what I need.

Ok, here's my $0.02 on the issue. I shoot high power, smallbore, bullseye pistol, and a little trap. Most shooting glasses are fine for pistol and anything standing because you can bring the sights up to eye level. The problem is they don't sit high enough on the face when you're shooting prone or sitting. The only glasses I know of with an adjustable noise piece are Randolph Rangers and Decot Hy -Wyd. The Rangers use and Rx insert, and the Decot are an Rx lens. I went with the Randolph because the front lenses are cheap, and I can get multiple colors for different light conditions. With Decot you have to buy multiple Rx lenses to change colors, and that is much more expensive.

I used the Wiley-X system when I was in the Army. It works well for standing shooting positions, and I used the Rx insert towards the end of my career. The insert is fairly flat, and a little on the small side. The Randolph insert is larger, and the Decot is the largest because you get the whole lens. If you want to try the Wiley-X on for size let me know. I don't use them any more so you could try a set of mine to see if they work for you.

My brother has an astigmatism, but strong eyes. He wears Rudys. I have no astigmatism, but very weak eyes, and can't find an insert flat enough to work.

HOWEVER, get digital lenses. ALWAYS get digital lenses. Once I wore my first pair, I was amazed at their superiority to the others.

I have an extreme astigmatism due to a trauma to my left eye from a car accident. I have a scar across my pupil and that scar has a blep as well.

For my driving/shooting glasses I got the "Nash" from Wiley-X, part of their Black Ops collection. They are wraparound but the optics dispensary called the factory for advise. They recommended 3 styles for me and indicated that to get the best results I needed to have the prescription filled at the factory and that the dispensary utilize their 3D digital mapping. For the last 35+ years I have had to endure distortion and usually need to take off my glasses every 20-30 minutes since wearing them for long periods makes me dizzy. These are now my best and most comfortable glasses and I don't notice the distortion as I do with all of the glasses I have purchased since I had my surgery.