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Corrective lenses, scopes, clarifiers, etc.? Suggestions for hunting?

wihunter50

Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2020
Messages
78
I currently don't wear corrective lenses, but did recently get a prescription for night driving and far vision. As you might guess, far vision and low light vision are important for hunting. I have not had success with wearing glasses due to the frame obstructing my view, but have worn contact lenses with success, but then I cannot see anything up close. I am wondering if anyone uses corrective lenses on their bow and could share the pro's and con's. I have done some research on using clarifiers with a scope, but wondering if there are other options for just a peep lens that might work for seeing the target better. Thanks.
 
Can't help as my eyes are just the opposite, but a buddy of mine only wears glasses to bowhunt. You may want to adjust how you hold your head a bit in order to "miss" the glasses frame and/or adjust peep location before diving too deep into it.
 
I had never had glasses but purchased a prodigy second hand a few years back that had a clarifier in it and I LOVED that thing. My eyes weren't so bad I couldn't spot deer but it was nice to be able to see them super clearly when lining up my shot.

I will say that since then I financed Lasik. Consult on Monday, surgery on Friday. I bow hunted Saturday evening. It was $3400 and I financed it for 24 months same as cash. If this is an option I'd highly encourage you to look into it. My only regret is not looking into it sooner!
 
I use progressive lenses. I tried contacts because with my glasses I had to hold my head in slightly poor form to see clearly. Contacts gave me a clear and perfect sight picture but i had no long range clarity. On my most recent pair of glasses, I went with a bigger lens and that seems to have helped. Going with a fixed power lens is an option as well, but I am sticking with my regular glasses. I have decided that of my choices, I'd rather have my head cocked a little bit than to lose the advantages of being able to see both near and far. One less thing to worry about as well. I am interested in clarifier but haven't tried one yet.
 
@kbetts I am trying to avoid having to change my head position and I am also a little resistant to wanting to commit to glasses just yet. @trailblazer75 I had lasik probably 20 years ago and unfortunately age is winning out. You won't be disappointed with having it done, but it is no longer an option for me.
 
I had lasik about 12 years ago. One of the best things I ever spent a pile of money on. Even so, I sometimes wear glasses when I'm driving, usually when it's overcast or at night. I can drive just fine at night without them, but I'm more comfortable behind the wheel with them. Probably a scar from when I was 17 and had to drive home at night after losing my glasses on some misadventure.

I also have a few pairs of prescription safety glasses, I get them for $60 at the Walmart vision center. I wear them on my motorcycle, at the range, and during certain activities at work. I bring them into the woods with me when I hunt, just for comfort, but only rarely wear them in the woods. I lucked out and found an eye doctor at Walmart who was a "gun gal" and helped me dial in the focus. She had me hold a pen in my outstretched hand to simulate a front pistol sight, to optimize my (very mild) prescription for pistol marksmanship. You could do something similar with your eye doc.

I've seen, but never used, peep lenses for use on rifle sights. Personally, I'm skeptical of them for hunting, as they seem like the sort of thing that would fog up or catch a snowflake or debris at the exact wrong time.

If you're having trouble balancing focus on your front sight and target, you might need to transition from a pin sight to a red dot. Never used one on a bow but an old co-worker loved his for 3D shoots. But you'll probably want to hold off on that until you see how you shoot with your new glasses.
 
I have to wear contacts for hunting with my compound. Bifocals are a no go. The last time I had my eyes examined, I asked the doc to make the contact for my sighting eye distance only as I shoot archery. She did, and I have had no problems looking through the peep. The other contact is both

Just a thought.
 
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I wear contacts and my eye dr. set me up with what I believe is called monovision... My left eye is for up close and my right eye is for distance. It took a couple days to get used to it but I have no issues at all looking through a peep.
 
I struggled many years with these same problems, I finally found the right eye Dr and told him exactly what was going on with how I hunted, I now wear a custom made contact lens in my shooting eye, not cheap but it solved all my problems like your having, well worth it for me I hate glasses for anything but being at home. The company is called “special eyes” I think, it’s impossible to order them myself even with a prescription I have to go through my Dr, I think it was my 4th eye Dr that finally got things right, I missed a big rack buck the last weekend of season and told him I don't care what this costs or takes I wana be able to see again this madness has to end, I went right after season was over so I had plenty of time to adjust and deal with all the trial and error of him ordering samples and making adjustments, he nailed it, and now I have a custom lens, my first 3 eye drs wouldn’t spend the time to make things right.
 
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