Dot improvement for progressives

There are many posts on how dots are distorted by eye optics, especially astigmatism (cylinder).  I have significant cylinder corrected with eyeglasses, along with progressive lenses that blend reading and distance vision vertically.  However shooting with dots is annoying as just one central area of the lens renders the dot round, and any angle or tipping of the head causes the dot to distort into larger flared shapes. I find this distracting and try to reposition to get the dot round again.

It occurred to me that the progressive feature of corrective lenses might be at fault, and a test using prescription sunglasses (which only have distance Rx) confirmed this.

So I ordered new safety glasses - on sale ("Safety gear Pro", $137 after discount).  The lenses are not progressive and I entered only my distance Rx, which corrects for astigmatism and sharp focus at distance.  It takes a few weeks, but they arrived yesterday and testing the dot stays nice and round, even with the head at different angles.  

Here they are:

I have not tried them for pistol shooting but I had to get rid of progressive lenses for Trap and sporting clays

yea sucks getting old, to shoot the P-100 at Perry  i had to use a short focus glasses to see iron sights and an aperture on the other eye to see the target, oh boy. lots of fun.

I had the same problem with my progressive lens and I use a vinyl stick on dot on my shooting side and it has cured the problem,  for me.

My heart sank when I read the Title:  ' Dot improvement for progressives' as I assumed that it was something to do with the Department of Transportation, and a new mandate for EVs or managing potholes.

I solved the problem with single focus shooting glasses. Dangerous to drive with (hence DOT worry) but cheap to buy and do the job for my situation.

http://opticampus.opti.vision/files/fundamentals_of_progressive_lenses.pdf

I've worn progressive lenses for 30 years and have no problems seeing the red dot. The link to progressive designs show what we are faced with while shooting.  Although this was dated 2006, the basics are the same and improvements are made constantly.

A few things to consider:

1. The power of the add:  The higher the add, the more distortion may be noted.

2. The height of the measurement taken by the doctor or technician:  From my experiences, the technician does not adjust the eyeglass frame to the patient's face before taking the height measurement.  You may notice that the frames are adjusted after the patient returns to pickup the final completed eyeglasses, so the height measurement may be faulty.

3. Head tilt: Everyone has a particular resting head position, up, straight or down. This probably will not be noticed by the technician.

4. The brand of progressive lenses: There are numerous manufacturers and they offer several designs.

5. Choices offered to the patients:  Usually none!  The VA and Costco only provide one.  Your Optometrist and Optician may do the same.  Shooters may mention their specific needs during your next visit.

6. Single vision lenses work fine but one may need to switch to another pair of eyeglasses to see while scoring, loading and adjusting the dot position. I find this an inconvenience.

Hope this helps,

Norman H. Wong, O.D.

>Single vision lenses work fine but one may need to switch to another pair of eyeglasses to see while scoring, loading and adjusting the dot position. I find this an inconvenience. wrote:
Hope this helps,

Norman H. Wong, O.D.

Thanks Doc!  I did have this trouble with the new glasses at the local range this week. Lighting at the line is poor and I had to remove the single vision glasses to see the screw for dot adjustment, though I was able to load with the glasses on.  I haven't yet used them outdoors but that may be better with the added light.

The single vision glasses were definitely easier than my progressives, and dot shape wasn't nearly as sensitive to head position.

My dot started getting fuzzy about the time I started seeing floaters.  I started using a Merit optical attachment and it tightened things right up.   You have to play with the dot brightness and work on the tighter end of the Merit's adjustment.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015167397?pid=978528

ETA I don't know where you can still buy them new.