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Bowhunters with Bad Eyes

Nutterbuster

Nutterbuster

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Oct 12, 2017
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Where the skys are so blue!
Just got off the phone with my dad and he's trying to figure out what bowhunting will look like this year. Apparently it's hard to shoot a bow with trifocals. He took all but one pin off of his bow at my suggestion, but apparently getting the pin and the deer in focus is tough.

I'm not much help, because that isn't something I've had to deal with yet. The immediate solution that comes to my mind is a mini vertical with a red dot sight, but he's not with that program just yet.

So, folks with bad vision who shoot bows, what helps?
 
similar discussion going on here perhaps.

Bad eye, need help.

I have an issue going on with my shooting eye. Over the last 2 yrs its gone from perfect to crosshairs becoming S curves & hard to see my sight pins or target through my peep site. Id rather use my bow, over cross rifle, but it is becoming a problem. If I put readers on to shoot, I can make the...
saddlehunter.com

Peep or no peep for you dad?
 
I'm your classic myopic (near sightedness) with a severe astigmatism. I'm in my early 50's and have worn glasses or contacts or both now that I'm also getting aging eyes for reading up close. I've found the single focal plane type sights like red dots to be the best for shooting but also be sure he is using his dominant eye. Aging eyes and trying to shoot with a non-dominate eye is going to magnify (no pun intended other issues). I still don't really have problems with a normal single pin sight but I'm a focus on the pin person to begin with, just like shooting a handgun. My target is always blurry and my sight pin is clear. You could go with clarifiers and all that but I've switched to a Garmin Xero this season so far and it works the best of anything thus far. Very clear and open sight picture and just a dot. Another consideration if he already has a red dot is the redefined Adjustable Red Dot sight. They have an option for a whole sight with a red dot or just a moveable rail and you mount your own red dot sight if you have one. You don't even need a peep sight with this system. I haven't' used the ARD system myself but I was seriously looking at it in the past.

https://www.adjustablereddot.com/

Average Jack Archery also reviewed them, I think he's fairly objective of a person

 
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For me (bifocals but not quite trifocals yet) the EZ-V made a big difference. With it I don't have to focus on both the pin and the target simultaneously. Its more of a process where I can frame the target in the "V" and then concentrate my focus on where I want the arrow to go. It wasn't an immediate fix but I'm very comfortable with it now. Unfortunately I'm at a point now where I can only see one or the other but not both at the same time (firearm iron sights are another casualty of getting old). "Aiming small" just isn't possible if I have to focus on the pin too.

Edit: FWIW I'm a no peep guy on the bow too. Never have liked them even when I could still see. :tearsofjoy: Nose button defines my sight line.

Edit 2: Also FWIW, I wear contacts that only correct for my distance vision when hunting. I carry readers with me that I can put on if I need to see up close. Actually I carry cheap safety glasses with built in magnifiers. That way I can see through them if I want them on and I can use the magnifiers in the bottom of the lenses to correct for close up things if I need to, i.e. camera focus, phone.
 
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There is another option. It defies the rules but works really well for a couple of guys I know that are well up in years and more or less nearly out of sight. Worked on compounds and when they had to switch of crossguns worked well there too. Laser pointer mounted and sighted for 20 yards.
 
i have progressive lenses for the first time this year

i wear them day to day

i kept my single vision glasses for shooting and hunting

i plan to alternate new progressives and single vision year to year as needed, since my insurance allows one new pair per year

i keep a cheap pair of readers in my pack for if i need to read something on stand with the single vision glasses on...i put the readers on right over top of my regular glasses, works great
 
BackSpasm said:
I was watching Tbone shooting his bow the other day on youtube and he mentioned he has a rectifier or verifier in his peep that focuses his pins for his eye. Could be a big big help for someone with vision issues

Here is the link to the video and the product

Peep Sight Verifiers Built For Precision | Specialty Archeryhttps://specialtyarch.com › verifiers


He talks about it at 1:25 or so
Click to expand...
On further review, there appear to be 3 dealers in the Mobile area with all 9 of the rectifiers they make on hand that he could try them out and see if they work for him.
 
BackSpasm said:
I was watching Tbone shooting his bow the other day on youtube and he mentioned he has a rectifier or verifier in his peep that focuses his pins for his eye. Could be a big big help for someone with vision issues

Here is the link to the video and the product

Peep Sight Verifiers Built For Precision | Specialty Archeryhttps://specialtyarch.com › verifiers


He talks about it at 1:25 or so
Click to expand...

i'll probably need one of these one day....it would probably help me now

i believe there are clarifiers and verifiers...something about in the peep vs the pin....some use one or the other and some use both

archerytalk is good for this info also
 
I have had trifocals for about 20 years and you can adjust to them. I have a single pin on my recurves and my target is always a bit out of focus. It really isn't a big deal at 20 to 25 yards. When I was a compound shooter I couldn't ever get synced with a peep. I used a product called Hind Sight and it was not in focus but really made alignment super accurate. I would highly recommend it for persons with eye focus problems whom are compound shooters.
 
I’m with raisins on this one. Progressive for daily work chores, single vision for hunting and readers in the pack.
 
I got the wife a clarifier. She was ok with results? I went with an EZV and have had success with it. Once you get used to framing your target it is one of the easiest sights to use. And no range finder to carry around or try to range with when deer are coming in. No pins to break. No lights to turn on or off. Etc. It just works. If you can learn to frame the target you'll hit your target.
 
I am 51 with glaucoma and mild cataracts. The ezv works for me pretty well. Right now I have my peep in, but I am thinking that I need to remove it . I just have to test it a little bit more and it is in season for me so that will be for next year. Bifocals are driving me nuts and with all the suggestions with single vision I think I am going to go back to them while just out in the woods so that is a great help. I just received the mini 2 weeks ago and that does work really well.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 
I had to go to contacts because the split on my bifocals really messed me up sighting through my peep. And the eye I am sighting with is distance only, no bifocal. Works good.
 
BackSpasm said:
I was watching Tbone shooting his bow the other day on youtube and he mentioned he has a rectifier or verifier in his peep that focuses his pins for his eye. Could be a big big help for someone with vision issues

Here is the link to the video and the product

Peep Sight Verifiers Built For Precision | Specialty Archeryhttps://specialtyarch.com › verifiers


He talks about it at 1:25 or so
Click to expand...
I have the verifier. I had a pro shop set me up helps me a lot. I use a #6 in my peep.
Like readers on my bow.
 
Single vision contacts for me. I dont shoot well at all with glasses. But I'm not using sights so no need to focus on 2 or 3 objects.
How far does he shoot? Under 30 and he could learn to gap shoot pretty effectively.
 
I had lasik and now have to wear readers. Pins were fuzzy colored dots. EZV was my solution.
 
If I hadn't spent my life savings on saddles, ropes, climbing means, etc, I would add the ARD to mine. That made my pistol shooting way next level.
 
I have to use single Vision contacts and take readers in my bag. I could shoot with my last pair of progressives but my new ones not so much. The inside of my new frames line up perfectly with my pins and obscure them. I had thought about switching to an EZV or a red dot but they are a bit cost prohibitive right now. Nice thing about the contact is they don’t fog when I wear a face mask.
 
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