LPVO Solve Eye Problems?

[John Hearne]

I'm now fighting the slow degradation of my vision. For several years, I've run contacts setup with monovision. My right (dominant) eye is set up to see the front sight of my pistol. My left (non-dominant) eye is set up for far vision. This works great for shooting handguns.

However, it's not working out for long gun stuff. I took a rifle to the range to zero a new optic - an Aimpoint PRO. If I closed my left eye, the target was so blurry that I struggled with consistently placing the dot in the bullseye. I tried running both eyes open and that simply didn't work - ended up with vision that was indecipherable.

In the past, when I knew I was going to shoot long guns, I'd wear my glasses and it worked out with a red dot. The transition back to contacts once the gun was zeroed seemed OK.

I've been told that going to a LPVO might solve this issue and allow me to keep using the monovision contacts setup. Anyone else dealing with this or have a solution. (Prismatic optics aren't agency approved)

[Noah]

I bet that would work. For once, the unencumbered true vision image and therefore focal distance of a red dot is not an advantage here.

The artifical image and altered focal distance of a LPVO, even on 1x, especially with the adjustable diopter, should help.

[cosermann]

Spent about 4 hrs at the range Saturday and reached a similar conclusion for myself. Switching to LPVO (and probably an offset RDS as a backup).

[mmc45414]

I am the opposite of you, monovision (from cataract implant lenses) with distant vision in my right/strong side eye.
What I am finding is both eyes open is not such a big advantage with the RDO. Even with the pistol I am finding distant shots to be a little better with my off eye closed. This could be comfort zone stuff, I only have 5k-10k behind the pistol optic, I could still just be getting the hang of it.
But I am appreciating the LPVO more and more, and I have been using one for three gun, so not just static range bench stuff. In your case I think you might even be better off, with distance vision in your off side eye, you might appreciate 2x or so, and be able to see the target with both eyes open when you present the gun, maybe or maybe not squinting out the off side eye.
You could buy that 1-6 Brownells sells with a mount for $300 and try it out, I might buy it if you don't like it...

[BillSWPA]

As a former contact lens wearer for 30 years, I understand very well the desire to use them where possible. At least for me, I have had the most success with glasses with Varilux X lenses. There is a thread somewhere on this forum discussing these lenses. They use a pattern of hexagonal lens sections, with each section having a different portion of your prescription, so that distance, close, and medium range sections are spread throughout the lens. Your eye then picks the most useful image com the multiple resulting images.

They are expensive, but I am not going back to more conventional multi-focal lenses.

A previous eye doctor thought he could keep me in contacts by dialing down the prescription in one eye. He kept insisting on dialing down my non-dominant eye when dialing down the dominant eye would have been more helpful for my needs. His prescriptions resulted in screwed up distance and close vision when wearing contacts. I do not think switching the lens he dialed down would have helped.

[BK14]

Strong astigmatism here, so slightly different. I struggle with target focus, when using optics that are not true 1x when shooting off hand, since it’s my non-dominant eye looking through the optic. And my dots are blurry. The LPVO is much more crisp.

That said, is running a red dot on the pistol, and having both eyes the same prescription an option?

[John Hearne]

That said, is running a red dot on the pistol, and having both eyes the same prescription an option?

The agency is schizophrenic with red dots. One year it was "dots aren't being considered." The next year it was "we have conducted a T&E program and have selected the approved models." The next year it is "we've decided that moving forward with dots isn't a priority." As I understand it, the whole program is complete and ready for launch. It is just lacking a management signature. I suspect that they will only sign when they're embarrassed that we're the last agency without approved dots.

[Chuck Whitlock]

John,

I don't know if this will be helpful or not. I'm near-sighted and have worn contacts for several decades. The time came a couple of years ago where my distance vision was great, but I was having a hard time focusing on my front sight, and needed cheaters to read. My optometrist put me into bifocal contacts a little over a year ago. It been fantastic. I am giving up some clarity at infinity-distance, such as reading billboards on the horizon, but I can see my front sight and no longer use reading glasses. I have no issues doing "normal earth people activities", except needing to be a little closer to read faded street signs, maybe. Now, I haven't really done any shooting beyond 25 yards with pistols, and not beyond 50 yards with a rifle, and I haven't been using an optic yet, so I'm not sure how that will pan out.