Shooting blind!

[Firefighterchen]

Wonder how many people got pissed just from the title.

Anyways, I wear glasses. I have horrible vision uncorrected. I can clearly see about 3 feet in front of me, beyond that distance, it's just blurry movement. Now I can distinctly tell you when I see a human standing in front of me out to about 50 yards, but beyond telling you that I think it's a human, I can not tell you anything else about that person/object (ie: what they are wearing, if they are a guy or girl, if they are holding anything: I am sure those that are vision impaired to my degree will completely understand). My question to all you other vision impaired, do you practice shooting with your correction lens off (safety glasses on of course)?

We practice two handed shooting, singled handed shooting, reaction hand shooting, and if we have the time, place, and money, shooting from awkward positions (sitting, on our back, sides, fetal, prone, etc). But, if at night, you wake up to a horrific sound at your bedroom door, and you have no time to put on your glasses, have you practiced to make that shot? How about this scenario, someone jumps from a hidden spot and knocks your glasses off, can you make the shot with uncorrected vision?

 

[fuhr52]

My vision isn't quite as bad as yours. To answer your question, I don't practice without my glasses. I hope I never have to make that shot. Does remind me of rule number 4: Know your target and what is beyond it. Just one of many things to consider in a split second.

 

[Firefighterchen]

My vision isn't quite as bad as yours. To answer your question, I don't practice without my glasses. I hope I never have to make that shot. Does remind me of rule number 4: Know your target and what is beyond it. Just one of many things to consider in a split second.

True, let's say for simplicity, you know the other person is a threat, within 10 yards (like in the home invasion situation). Especially since there are far better options than shooting if the threat is 50+ yards away.

 

[fuhr52]

True, let's say for simplicity, you know the other person is a threat, within 10 yards (like in the home invasion situation). Especially since there are far better options than shooting if the threat is 50+ yards away.

In this case sense i"m an empty nester and no neighbors within a half mile, I don't have much to worry about down range.

 

[Mobuck]

Laser sights are your friend. Use them.
My younger Son has much worse vision than you describe but he can hit a silhouette target at 7 yards using a Crimson Trace laser grip.

 

[Firefighterchen]

Laser sights are your friend. Use them.
My younger Son has much worse vision than you describe but he can hit a silhouette target at 7 yards using a Crimson Trace laser grip.

I will have to try this, I don't think I can pick up a laser sight without my glasses on. I feel, mastering the ability to point shoot, will benefit me greatly. I am surprised more blind people aren't chiming in...maybe its because the font is too small.....

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[Woody1960]

I like to do alot of "point shooting". As long as I am close I am happy with it. A bad guy isnt going to stand still anyway. I think alot of folks worry to much about hitting the center of a target. Thats great if your doing IDPA or something like that. But if you were in a real life situation,I feel if your within an inch or two of the center of your target {bag guy** I am pretty sure the taget will go down.

 

[1911_Marine]

If this is an issue you are working through, and i think it is extremely insightful, you might want to consider a different tool for the job of "blind home defense". My recommendation would be have a shotgun with a good buckshot load. It will definitely improve your ability to hit in the scenario you are talking about. I am not saying you should ditch the pistol just make it your second line of defense. I do applaud you for taking your home security plan seriously and considering every scenario. Just my opinion.

 

[Firefighterchen]

If this is an issue you are working through, and i think it is extremely insightful, you might want to consider a different tool for the job of "blind home defense". My recommendation would be have a shotgun with a good buckshot load. It will definitely improve your ability to hit in the scenario you are talking about. I am not saying you should ditch the pistol just make it your second line of defense. I do applaud you for taking your home security plan seriously and considering every scenario. Just my opinion.

Thanks, I do have a shotgun with 4 buck in it right now, sitting next to my handgun. At 10 yards I was getting about 5 inches of spread, so while it does increase I will still need to aim. All the pellets that miss are liabilities, so while my hit percentage may increase, so does my liabilities if I were to miss.

My OP was more so about training than the home defense weaponry. Do people train without correcting their vision? Just in case, it would be better to do it safely when you have the time, than to try and do it when shtf.

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[creatism]

My eye sights not that bad, but to answer your question I absolutely do. In a home invasion situation it's gun flash light, search (or bunker down, depending.) I have ADHD and will be lucky if I remember my gun so I'm not messing with glasses at that point.
So it makes sense to practice with out glasses periodically.

 

[Caribou]

I second the shotgun. You are less likely to miss with a 3" to 5" spread than a .355 or .45 bullet. Even if you miss the #4 buck will have far less energy after going through sheetrock, plywood, and siding than a pistol round.

You are never more than an arms length away from your glasses with eyes like you describe. You put your glasses on if you walk to the bathroom in the dark. I wouldn't worry about shooting without your glasses as it is the first thing you grab when you wake but practice is always good. You might also want to practice in low light. I improved my vision with laser surgery.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

Have you heard of Air Optix day and night wear contact lenses? They are great! I can read nearer than far so I have to have me fitted with corrective lenses. I started with the daily ones first for 6 months. Then I had me fixed with a shooting range one which is about or on the tip of my index finger when handling a gun. Now I use these ones that are day and night and for my computer.

 

[Firefighterchen]

Have you heard of Air Optix day and night wear contact lenses? They are great! I can read nearer than far so I have to have me fitted with corrective lenses. I started with the daily ones first for 6 months. Then I had me fixed with a shooting range one which is about or on the tip of my index finger when handling a gun. Now I use these ones that are day and night and for my computer.

I also wear contacts, and I do have the Oasis (7 days) kind. My eyes do not do well with them in longer than a few days, or I will get start getting eye infections. So I usually only wear glasses and contacts every once in a while to keep my eyes as healthy as possible

I second the shotgun. You are less likely to miss with a 3" to 5" spread than a .355 or .45 bullet. Even if you miss the #4 buck will have far less energy after going through sheetrock, plywood, and siding than a pistol round.

You are never more than an arms length away from your glasses with eyes like you describe. You put your glasses on if you walk to the bathroom in the dark. I wouldn't worry about shooting without your glasses as it is the first thing you grab when you wake but practice is always good. You might also want to practice in low light. I improved my vision with laser surgery.

I have neighbors through a wall and kids always running around the neighborhood, that is why I choose #4, so it would not penetrate through an entire wall. My glasses are never more than an arms length away that is true, but I do not grab for them when I first wake up, or when I go to the bathroom in the dark. I got pretty good at point shooting that gun, so I do so blindly

How did your laser surgery go? My new eye doctor said she wants to start keeping better record of my eye sight, so we can hopefully have the surgery it within 2 years.

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[Caribou]

I had an infection in one eye but that cleared up well. It took me a week or two till I felt comfortable driving. My eyes were dry for a while but eye drops took care of that. All in all it was worth it to me. After a while I needed reading glasses but that beat looking around for old coke bottles to cut the bottoms out of when I wanted new glasses.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

When you decide to have your eye surgery, go for the PRK instead of the laser one. Before our son went to the military, we had his done so he can have 20/20 vision. His eyes now is 20/15...and is doing very good. But don't take my word for it, do your own research. It is well worth the money to have it done especially if you are still young.

 

[Firefighterchen]

When you decide to have your eye surgery, go for the PRK instead of the laser one. Before our son went to the military, we had his done so he can have 20/20 vision. His eyes now is 20/15...and is doing very good. But don't take my word for it, do your own research. It is well worth the money to have it done especially if you are still young.

Thanks for the advice, I will ask my doctor to measure the thickness of my cornea to see which surgery would suit me best.

 

[Danmc]

I agree with "know your target". But putting that aside, like you said, suppose you know for a fact that you are in danger and for whatever reason you are not wearing your glasses. I think it would be a great idea to practice "blind". My CCP instructor said to practice in low-light situations often. So why not practice without glasses? My eyesight isn't quite as bad as you made yours out to be, but I like your idea. I will practice.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

After a while I needed reading glasses but that beat looking around for old coke bottles to cut the bottoms out of when I wanted new glasses.

You wrote this tongue in cheeks did you? :smile:

 

[Mobuck]

Not sure if you're comment about this thread being read by blind shooters was sarcastic or honest.
I only know of ONE blind shooter-my younger Son. He lost most of his vision due to a traumatic brain injury in 2000 and has recovered a very limited amount in a very small area-just enough to find a doorway or see a contrasting shape. At close range, he can differentiate a light colored cardboard target on a darker background. If conditions allow him to determine this target, he can also pick out the laser. A dark shape backlighted in a doorway @ 10' would be within his capabilities.
For those who've mentioned their vision problems, Brad can't normally see the muzzle of his rifle but has killed over 30 deer, a bull elk, Corsican ram, and a couple of pheasants on the fly. If you'd like to hear more, I can start a new thread.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

Not sure if you're comment about this thread being read by blind shooters was sarcastic or honest.
I only know of ONE blind shooter-my younger Son. He lost most of his vision due to a traumatic brain injury in 2000 and has recovered a very limited amount in a very small area-just enough to find a doorway or see a contrasting shape. At close range, he can differentiate a light colored cardboard target on a darker background. If conditions allow him to determine this target, he can also pick out the laser. A dark shape backlighted in a doorway @ 10' would be within his capabilities.
For those who've mentioned their vision problems, Brad can't normally see the muzzle of his rifle but has killed over 30 deer, a bull elk, Corsican ram, and a couple of pheasants on the fly. If you'd like to hear more, I can start a new thread.

I am sorry for what happened to your son. I feel for you. Parents are hit hardest most when their kid got hurt. But despite that, he had turned a bad thing into a good turn for his life. What a remarkable boy!