Question about eye glasses

macguy

macguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I need to start playing with my glasses. I have tried wearing my regular glasses and i don't know what was worse. Not being able to see or trying to play with my glasses. If someone has always played with glasses it probably doesn't matter but having to go to glasses after 45 years of playing without needing them is really really hard. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Should they be tinted for example, type of frame, size etc. I am desperate.

Thank you in advance
 
macguy said:
I need to start playing with my glasses. I have tried wearing my regular glasses and i don't know what was worse. Not being able to see or trying to play with my glasses. If someone has always played with glasses it probably doesn't matter but having to go to glasses after 45 years of playing without needing them is really really hard. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Should they be tinted for example, type of frame, size etc. I am desperate.

Thank you in advance
Click to expand...

I shoot with these. I played with contacts before, but the dust and chalk in the poolroom caused me to use eyedrops too often. I've been using these for about a year and a half, and bumped my game up 2 levels. No joke. Any type of sports goggles will suffice. The frames won't get in your line of sight when shooting. Mine also are transitions, so they look exactly like sporty sunglasses in the sun.

Chris

http://www.heavyglare.com/morpheus-ii.html
 
glasses

Hello,

Normally I don't have a lot to say on this forum but this issue is something I have gone through for the last three or four years.

Here is what worked for me...

I took a digital clock (with red numbers - due to red being a longer wave length) to the eye doctor and had him put it about six feet in front of the eye machine thing...
and had him give me a prescription for that distance. Works great for pool. Not really for any thing else but that's not the point.

I tried several types of lenses. The high index lenses work best. They already have non-glare on them and scratch resistance too.
Zeiss lenses in my experience are the best high index lenses. They cost quite a bit more but are worth it to me. They are thinner and lighter too.
Lightweight glasses are important. As lightweight as you can get them anyway.

As far as frames go... well that's up to you. What ever makes you look good :-) Though you need them to be "tall" enough so you
can see without the top of the rim interfering with seeing the balls when you are down on a shot.

Also, if possible, find an eye doctor that plays pool too... it helps alot as he has a much better understanding of what you need.

I hope this helps. I found out the hard way, though experience... LOL


ZenCues.com
 
Anti glare is important. Make sure when you get the glasses adjusted for your head that it's nice and snug and doesn't slide down your nose when you put your chin down. I've gotten so used to shooting with glasses that my preshot routine has me pushing up my glasses before I get down to shoot, people bust my ass for that. :embarrassed2: And they think I have some type of computer in my glasses that makes me pocket balls on the table. :rolleyes:

If you want frames specifically for cuesports, I'd maybe recommend the snooker style glasses that Dennis Taylor or Karen Corr wears. I've also seen frames that snap and tilt upward when you get down to shoot. I also remember someone AZB saying they had their doctor fashion lenses slightly taller for the frame so they can still see when they get down.
 
I bought a pair of billiard glasses from here. Very reasonably priced for what you get and he does offer anti glare as an option too. I didn't get that but
I rely on these now.
At first, I only used glasses for driving at night, then it was all the time.
Depending on the lighting condition at the bar for league or at the hall, my eyes were gritty or hazy. After I got these, truthfully it did take a bit of time to get used to them but now I rely on them most nights.

http://www.billiard-eyeglasses.com/

Give them a try, they are quality glasses and the guy is very honest.
When I first started using them, I thought I had a problem with them. He told me to get my eyes rechecked with the optometrist while I was wearing them and if there was any change in that from the scrip I sent him, that he would change the lenses for free. Can't get any more honest than that.
 
zencues.com said:
Hello,

Normally I don't have a lot to say on this forum but this issue is something I have gone through for the last three or four years.

Here is what worked for me...

I took a digital clock (with red numbers - due to red being a longer wave length) to the eye doctor and had him put it about six feet in front of the eye machine thing...
and had him give me a prescription for that distance. Works great for pool. Not really for any thing else but that's not the point.

I tried several types of lenses. The high index lenses work best. They already have non-glare on them and scratch resistance too.
Zeiss lenses in my experience are the best high index lenses. They cost quite a bit more but are worth it to me. They are thinner and lighter too.
Lightweight glasses are important. As lightweight as you can get them anyway.

As far as frames go... well that's up to you. What ever makes you look good :-) Though you need them to be "tall" enough so you
can see without the top of the rim interfering with seeing the balls when you are down on a shot.

Also, if possible, find an eye doctor that plays pool too... it helps alot as he has a much better understanding of what you need.

I hope this helps. I found out the hard way, though experience... LOL


ZenCues.com
Click to expand...

Good information, and I'd like to add something. It seems your pool glasses were fit for a focal point of 6 feet, if I'm understanding your post. That's correct if you're nearsighted. IOW you needed help seeing the balls at farther distances. I'm the opposite, farsighted.

My pool glasses were fit to a focal point of 2 feet away. That doesn't sound like very much but when wearing them the difference is like night and day.

Also, I believe pool glasses can be better fitted by an Opthamoligist, rather than a Optometrist.
 
I have a pair of glasses i use only for pool (as I normally wear trifocals I'm so sorry to admit and they were a headache to play in besides trying to hold my head in a position where the frames weren't in the way was killer).

I had them made by a real helpful (and real cute) Optometrist at Lenscrafters. I told her what I wanted to do and she was actually excited about the project (I'm pretty cute too for an old guy with trifocals). She choose some oversize sunglasses frames and adjusted the nose rests in such a way that the top of the frames rest above my eyebrows, kind kooky looking but I never have the frames in my vision and I generally get my head pretty low over the shaft. She had me get in my shooting stance and fixed the focal point at 6.5 feet which works fine for me, I can see the edges sharp even on the longest full table shot. We went with glare resistant glass and that works great for pool lighting. I'm nearsighted and at that focal length I have to peer out the bottom of the frames in order to see close (like to tell if a ball is frozen), but that's the only problem I've encountered.

Thanks

Kevin
 
macguy said:
I need to start playing with my glasses. I have tried wearing my regular glasses and i don't know what was worse. Not being able to see or trying to play with my glasses. If someone has always played with glasses it probably doesn't matter but having to go to glasses after 45 years of playing without needing them is really really hard. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Should they be tinted for example, type of frame, size etc. I am desperate.

Thank you in advance
Click to expand...

I wore glasses for years and then took the leap and got Lasik, I'm very happy that I did.
 
I've been using Dycot Shooting Glasses for many years now. I had my Eye Doc write a perscription for a distance from 3 to 10 feet. They work very well. I only use them when I shoot pool and carry them in my cue case.

These Dycot galsses are made for trap and skeet shooter. They ride very high on your face and there is no interference witht e brow bridge...that's important when you're down on the shot.

Just another option to consider. Good luck.

L8R...Ken
 
I knew a guy that had to wear glasses while he played. He took a pair of his normal glasses and had the optometrist adjust the bridge by making it longer so the glasses were raised up high enough to use while shooting pool. It looked a little weird since it was a little out of the ordinary, but he was a heck of a player, so no one cared and he also didn't wear them any other time.
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
I bought a pair of billiard glasses from here. Very reasonably priced for what you get and he does offer anti glare as an option too. I didn't get that but
I rely on these now.
At first, I only used glasses for driving at night, then it was all the time.
Depending on the lighting condition at the bar for league or at the hall, my eyes were gritty or hazy. After I got these, truthfully it did take a bit of time to get used to them but now I rely on them most nights.

http://www.billiard-eyeglasses.com/

Give them a try, they are quality glasses and the guy is very honest.
When I first started using them, I thought I had a problem with them. He told me to get my eyes rechecked with the optometrist while I was wearing them and if there was any change in that from the scrip I sent him, that he would change the lenses for free. Can't get any more honest than that.
Click to expand...

I've got 'em to. Works like a charm. :)
 
Does anyone know what specific instruction/request one might need give an optometrist to get a proper prescription for pool? I've tried several times and usually get no better than a confused look and a prescription that doesn't work. More than a few hundred dollars later, still no suitable glasses.

The Decot people are very proud of their lenses and you won't get a corrected pair free. My next attempt will be the Canadian fellow at the link already provided - but I truly need to find a pool playing optometrist first.

With diabetes, it's a crap shoot at best.
 
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Maniac said:
http://www.billiard-eyeglasses.com/

Blue Hog ridr and dmgwalsh, I'm glad that I'm not the only poolplayer to have to hear "Hey, you've got your glasses on upside down." at the poolhall :D.

BTW, these are a very good pair of glasses for playing pool!!!

Maniac
Click to expand...

I had a local optometrist make me a pair. Frames are upside down and the lenses are large, which work well as I like to shoot from a very low position. Admittedly, they look a bit odd but they've helped my game. Several months ago, there was a very attractive young woman at the room with her date. She left to go to the restroom and when she returned, she gently placed her hand on my shoulder to excuse herself as she passed. She made the comment that she liked my glasses. I responded: "The better to see you with, my dear" and she literally froze in midstep and slowly turned around and gave me the sweetest, sexiest smile. I must say it made my day! :cool:
 
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Two questions:

1. Aren't anti-glare coatings for the people looking at you rather than to reduce the glare that you see? I can't see too much value in that for shooting glasses.

2. How come nobody mentioned having (and none of the websites are offering) bifocals in their shooting glasses? I have a pair that are fine for shooting, but without the bifocals like I have in my everyday glasses, I can't read scorecards, league schedules, tournament results, etc. This comes up a lot.
 
Saturated Fats said:
1. Aren't anti-glare coatings for the people looking at you rather than to reduce the glare that you see? I can't see too much value in that for shooting glasses.

2. How come nobody mentioned having (and none of the websites are offering) bifocals in their shooting glasses? I have a pair that are fine for shooting, but without the bifocals like I have in my everyday glasses, I can't read scorecards, league schedules, tournament results, etc. This comes up a lot.
Click to expand...

Fats, whenever I need to read something; checking my phone for emails, etc, I simply lift up the glasses to be able to read as I'm nearsighted. If I'm taking a break to grab a bite to eat, I'll simply put my regular glasses back on.
 
Height of the frame

Thru many years of helping friends find the right glasses, now myself on some occasions,
the trick is >>> the height of the "ear bar" must NOT be above the center of the lens (like most normal glasses), this brings the lens higher on the head, and of course, get an oversize, larger lens.
I have found quite a few in regular "Eye" stores but still hard to find. And, with the oversize lenses, it's very hard to get a good, proper size, glasses case.
 
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