Varifocals

[Shewolf]

Being a newbie to archery & Archery Interchange, here goes for my first 'post'.

I wear varifocals and found that when I started recurve archery a few months ago, the target was very blurred. I'm no spring chicken and the mobility of my neck is not wonderful, so it was difficult to turn my head enough to look through the right area of my specs so that I could focus & see the target clearly, and not see the frame of my glasses.

Being a dreadful hoarder I turned out some older glasses which had a much much wider & deeper lens size (my prescription hasn't changed drastically for years). In fact they are positively O-O Owl-like, but I found that because the distance focal area was so much bigger, I was able to see the target reasonably clearly. They have been so successful that I have had a similar set of prescription sunglasses lenses fitted into another pair of large framed glasses which I had hoarded, & I shall be using these outdoors when necessary. The sunglasses lens are to my January 2007 prescription so are even better!

If I am fortunate enough to move up from 20 yds!!!!! ? I may well have to think about updating the O-O Owl frames with my most recent prescription, but as I had the sunglasses done at a local supply-only place (they don't do testing), at a very moderate cost for just lens & reglazing, then I think it will be well worth it. The total cost of reglazing both pairs is two thirds of the amount that I paid for my new varifocals in January (& they were about the cheapest frames I could find!). I also considered ordering them over the internet but there was little difference in price, and at least locally, although they were a bit surprised at what I wanted, they were very helpful and ensured that the glasses fitted correctly once they were reglazed.

Needless to say I won't be wearing these out & about! I'm not a fashion guru by any means, but there are limits (other than on the archery field where anything goes as long as it works!)

(I hope I haven’t bored you all to bits - but this may help someone else with the same problem)

[Little Miss Purple]

welcome aboard

sorry, I can't help you out on the glasses problem

[Alandee]

I used varifocals and was very happy with them, till I took up archery.
With varifocals, you have to look straight ahead, if you want to look left, or right, you rotate your head so that you look through the centre of the lens. Because this is almost impossible in archery (the head can not normally be rotated 90 degrees in either direction), varifocals, just don't work.
The next step is to try contacts.

[Furface]

My varifocals were fine, until I got new ones with a smaller frame (should have thought!). The transition phase occurred just at the level of the target at 20 yards, so I couldn't see anything useful indoors. However, I aimed at the blur and found (at the time) that I was grouping better. Now, outdoors, though I have only done clout so far this year, my aim is going through the "near" part of the lens. I suspect i shall have to have a pair of purely long-distance specs made up.

[GeoffT]

IMHO Bi-focals are far better as they are still the correct prescription in the corners.

[BobCat]

Great to have you along

I shoot with varifocals and it is teaching me to keep my head in the same place....... So I can see the target, if not then my head is not in the right place!! (or the shooting head is still in its box)

[Damage]

I wear varifocals and have some trouble focusing due to the small size of the lense and a consequently small long vision 'lense'. I have a pair of sunglasses which aren't varifocal but haven't yet tried them out when shooting......might be interesting?