Getting contacts today
Equipment
OK I have needed to wear glasses for the past 25 years I never wear them for the last two visits at the Ohio BMV I basically failed my test of reading the chart but luckily back in high school I dated the girl who manages that BMV location so she's always giving me a free pass because it's been marginal of failure that I failed.
What I realized is how much fuzziness I have been seeing for the past half of my life!
Fortunately there's a guy at work he and I have the exact same prescription I put his glasses on and it was like the world opened up to me.
I was never able to use Contacts before because my astigmatism but with today's technology that will not be a problem my eye doctor told me .
The biggest reason I never wore glasses is because the way I always shot my bow I was always seeing the frame or the edge of the lense if they were frameless so I just said the hell with it. Plus I've never found one pair of glasses that I look good in or that I felt comfortable with.
My family doctor has contacts that he wears for 30 days without taking them out my eye doctor said I won't be able to do that which I do not understand because my eye doctor has an astigmatism also? Perhaps different kind?
My eye doctor said kelly with these contacts you're going to have to use reading glasses I chuckled and said Todd I've been wearing reading glasses for the last four years I can't read squat up close. Nor can I see far away with any clarity!
Has anyone here went to contacts and if so what does it do to your shooting? I shoot with a Peepsight and a pin.
Can I expect to have issues clarifying the pin and the target down field ?
Genesis/Steve if you're reading this can you please reply?
I've shot with both glasses and contacts my entire shooting career, maybe I am just lucky, but I've never noticed issues with shooting with either.
With your astigmatism (I have it too), the contacts will be "weighted" they will have a mark on them that you put in towards the bottom of the eye, don't worry, they will also spin to the right spot on their own. You WILL notice if they spin away, just blink a few times, mine only spin off if I rub my eyes.
I have daily wear, no cleaning, no mess. Pop them in the morning and toss em out at night. I've slept in them in the past by mistake and holy crap that doesn't feel good in the morning.
I've wore contacts for at least 20 years. The only thing that ever sucks from my point of view is backcountry hunting, so I doubt you'll have many concerns with the contacts. Once the contact is in, you really don't know it is there, so shooting is a non-issue. At least that is my experience.
I wear the two-week throw away kind (which I wear for 1-2 months at a time), and I take them out each night. I never used to, but I think I get springtime allergies now. My eyes are one thing that bothers me, and sometimes that becomes an issue with my contacts. I also buy a pack or two of daily throw-aways, which sometimes help when I have the allergy issues. Having an absolutely clean contact for a day seems to work wonders for the most part, but not always.
I've worn contacts for over 25 years. I've never had a probelm shooting my bow with them. I also use a peep and pin. I can shoot with glasses on but, like you, I find the frame is kind of annoying to work around. I don't have astigmatism, but I would never recommend leaving the contacts in over night. I really don't even like to nap in them for too long. I use 30 day disposables and take them out every evening.
It's kind of pricey, but you could consider the laser Lasik procedure. I've thought about it, but I'm cheap so the price keeps me from it.
I don't know what the difference is, but the last bunch of contacts I got are AMAZING! I looked up at an airliner and for the first time I-don't-know-when, not only was it sharp as a tack, but there wasn't a second one flying tight formation.....
I love the 1-day kind, because I only need correction for things that are farther away than my 'puter screen (and I work at one all day), so I hardly ever wear the contacts; I'd get 3-4 days' use out of a pair of 30-days and then get spooked off by the thought that their first use had been a month or two or three ago... And if you've ever gotten a bad eye infection, you'll understand.
Anyway, the few times that I shot sights with them, they were zero issue; you don't see the peep anyway, and the light from a sight pin is actually coming from a long ways off, right? So I just floated the Fuzzy Green Dot in front of where I wanted the arrow to go and that was Good.
One thing to keep in mind when you get fitted is that you can try a couple different flavors if the first thing they try doesn't seem quite right. First time I got fitted, I ended up going up one level of correction (compared to the script for my glasses); last time, I thought I was going to need to do the same, but changing to a different flavor did the magic.
So if at first you don't succeed.... Just don't give up so that you have to schedule (and pay for!) a second appointment.....
Also a contact wearer for about 20 years. Since 6th grade. Also have a slight astigmatism.
I also wear the 30 day throwaways. I wear them FAR longer than I'm supposed to. I'm not going to say how long, because I don't want Genesis to lecture me :)
I never take them out. Ever. Until they get dirty and I throw them away. My eye doctor has quit lecturing me, but I think it's because I have healthy eyes and few problems. :)
I don't know how they affect shooting, because I don't know any different. I literally got my contacts right before my first deer hunting season. I've never shot without them, bow or rifle. I have very few problems. I'm not a great bow shot, but it ain't because of my eyes.
I always keep an extra contact (my eyes are the same prescription) in my pack along with my extra release. I steal old makeup compacts from my wife that have a mirror in them, clean them out, and carry one of those as well, in case I have to put one in. I RARELY have problems, but I can remember one instance, in 20 years of hunting, where I had a contact pop out in the woods, and I had to use the scope lens as a poor mirror to put it back in.
welcome to the new world :) :)
kelly- If you are not too old and have significant astigmatism and poor distance vision you could consider lasik surgery to correct both. However, lasik or contacts to improve distance vision will worsen near vision ( presbyopia) to some degree. Also , there are potential complications from surgery. Some people only correct their shooting eye if they can read with their non shooting eye and just wear one contact for sports. I had lasik and it is the best money I ever spent. My vision, like many after lasik, did regress some over the years but still worlds better than before. I now wear soft contacts for hunting and sports, daily variety and they are wonderful. Because of the lasik I need less correction and don't have astigmatism so the lenses are far thinner and more comfortable than those I tried to wear before. You will almost certainly have blurring when u look at your pins depending on how much correction you need (either thru contacts or lasik) and other factors. This close vision is worsened by low light but you will see your target at a distance far better, usually 20/20. Wind and dust can be a problem but overall the current contact technology is fantastic. There are bowsights now that have a longer arm to push the site further from your eye which helps most with this problem. I am ordering one this week. I agree with others you should talk to your ophthalmologist about extended wear, daily wear and maybe even hard lenses if severe astigmatism. Different brands work for different folks, professional advice and some trial and error works for most archers. Your enjoyment of the outdoors in general will greatly increase. Just finished a 10 day sheep hunt in NWT and daily use contacts were perfect. I do pack a pair of 30 day lenses as backup. Let us know how this plays out for you and good luck. Although doing well I am always looking for tips and advice on contacts/vision and archery. Albert
I have an astigmatism as well, and use the daily throwaways. Prefer that to the 30 day contacts. No fuss no muss, put it in take it out end of day.
Bake- I didn't want to admit it and I didn't want to encourage bad behavior, but I also wear my 30 day disposables until they become too uncomfortable or get a tear. I've been lectured about not doing this many times by different eye doctors, but my eyes are healthy and my prescription hasn't changed in the last 20 years. Also, your suggestion about keeping a spare set with you is a great idea. I carry a spare set with a small bottle of saline in my "man bag" everyday to work and never go out of town with spares. I haven't stolen a compact from my wife, but I will tonight.
I have an astigmatism as well. I have glasses but never wear them. I have tried contacts but can't seem to get a pair that are comfortable. It usually feels like I have sand in the bottom of my eye no matter which brand I have tried. I don't wear my glasses because they just get in the way while cutting meat and especially on the slaughter floor. I see just fine close and shoot great actually. I would like to see animals with just my bare eyes further out without having to see them move first. I get tired of someone saying "you can't see that elk right there!?"
I have an astigmatism and have been wearing contacts for 20 years. I use the 30 day disposables, usually leave them in for 5-6 weeks until my eyes get sick of them, then sleep one night without them before putting in a new pair. My eye doc said it's not the best thing to do but he didn't see any effects on my eyes from it. I also have an issue with allergies around May/June, I have to remove them about once a week and let them soak overnight.
They work great for me so I've never seriously considered Lasik. Even on backcountry trips I just make sure to start with a new pair in my eyes and bring a spare pair with. I can only think of a couple times when I've had to replace one on a trip.
I popped my first pair of contacts in in 1979 and I've been wearing them everyday since. I have astigmatism also and it got worse through about 15 years ago and now has stabilized. I wear the weighted toric lenses like you would need so they sit a certain way in your eye. I also wear lenses that last me about 2 months. I put them in and take them out everyday. My doc said it was fine to wear them for up to three months if my eyes didn't protest. At my prescription level, I can't see up close when I'm wearing my contacts so it does impact my viewing of the sight pins. They are a little blurry but not too bad. I can still shoot long distances accurately. The target is great. No problem there. The bad thing about toric lenses is they have to sit a certain way. If you are having a bad eye day (which happens for me for whatever reason, dry eyes, allergies, tired, etc.) the lens might not sit exactly right in your eye which is very frustrating. But it beats the living crap out of wearing glasses. And I just have to have good long distance vision or it would drive me nuts. I like the idea of the extendable sight. That might be worth looking into. Good luck. I think you will like them.
I wear glasses and have never had contacts. But, I too couldn't shot my bow with them on. So I now have a verifier peep and it works great. So, Kelly, if your sight pins are blurry with the contacts, then try a verifier.
I've used the daily contacts for years, and much prefer them when hunting or shooting serious 3D.
I also have moderate astigmatism in my right (aiming) eye, but am now experimenting with some regular ones without the toric correction for astigmatism, and so far, so good.
I prefer the right eye to be about one full diopter less correction than the left, so my pns aren't fuzzy, but the animal/target is slightly out of perfect focus when the left eye is closed. I only close the left when I'm coming to final aim, so the slightly fuzzy view of the target/animal is almost completely unnoticeable, When both eyes are open, I acquire the target and find the animal just fine with the sharp distance vision provided by the left eye. It's called "monovision" and works perfectly for me. Tested it while I still played golf, and I could watch my ball disappear into the bushes and take note of the particular weed or bush where it left the fairway, so I could find it in the rough, and could still write my scores down on the card without needing to remove glasses or fetch others from a pocket. Most people can use that method to good advantage when their needs are frequently varying for near vision to distance. Doesn't really help much with an aging swing or poor shot execution, though.
Since you're used to wearing no glasses, you should have no trouble with the other problem I encountered when I first began wearing mine to hunt. Those of us who wore glasses for a few generations of hunting in the woods and then switched to contacts find the lack of the familiar "windshield" leading the way leads to a disturbing frequency of pokes in the eye with sharp sticks and such, until our reflexes get used to leading the way with naked eyeballs.
BAKE, I have been doing the same thing for 25 years with no problems.
Well ,if all of you guys are having the same problem I am then what new excuse can I use for my poor shooting?
I'm 35 years old and have worn contacts since I was in probably 8th grade. I love them, and don't see how you guys shoot with glasses on! Be careful with contacts though! I went to a small town eye doctor my whole life until he retired last year. All of his patients were sent to a large office with all kinds of state of the art equipment. My new doctor, some young attractive girl, runs me through all kinds of tests and machines that I never saw before and tells me my prescription is the same, but I should try a different brand. She orders me these contacts and I can see fine. My small town doctor always brought me back in a few days to check fit, new doctor just sends me out the door. Two weeks go by and my left eye (I shoot left handed) starts to hurt like crazy and feels like there is something in it. Long story short, I end up at a specialist with a corneal ulcer on my eye from improper lens fit. I've been dealing with it for 3 weeks and it is getting better, but I have to wear glasses and my vision is not at all sharp like it use to be. They are hoping they can adjust my prescription when I finish treatment to get me back to 20/20. I'm hoping that's the case because my vision seems to be worse in the woods and I don't feel comfortable shooting past 20 yards. Bottom line, just be careful with contacts!
I did just recall one issue that I've had with contacts - one cold, windy day, up in a tree, one of 'em started to bother me and I rubbed my eye a little bit. Blinked a couple times. Everything was blurry, and that eye still felt like I had something in it. When I got back to the car, I checked in the mirror and sure enough, it was long gone.
Went back to wearing glasses for a few days and then I woke up one morning to find a contact lens on my pillow.
Just be careful that you don't end up like THIS lady!!
When hunting with contacts "ALWAYS" carry an extra contact, solution and small mirror in your bag. Nothing worse than blinking to go blind in one eye 30 minutes into a hunt.
