Glasses...

[pocketpared]

I had need...

I had need for glasses with corrected vision at around 5 feet. I'm near sighted with relatively poor vision and quite a bit of astigmatism. I went to question an eye doctor at Costco and luckily she had experience making glasses for shooters. We set up a picture from a magazine at 5 feet and she found the right prescription for me at that distance. I went with the biggest lens I could (to let the most light in) because sometimes I used them in less than optical light conditions and the large lens proved fantastic for that. The best I can describe the change at the distance they were designed for is it is like the last bit of fine adjustment on a microscope or binoculars that brings everything into sharp focus. I estimate they improved my vision in the area of 15%, which is quite a bit in use. Add in the low light improvement and the difference is remarkable.

I don't feel anti-reflective coatings are any good and, in my experience, they seem to create more glare. As for playing pool, my regular glasses are better than the special ones because I lose vision at the far end of the table. I believe if I had a pair made with corrected vision at 9 feet they would be perfect for pool.

 

[JoeW]

When I got the eye exam I told the optometrist that I wanted to use them for pocket billiards with the sharpest areas set from 4 - 12 feet. After the exam she figured that the regular perscription needed to be reduced by .5 diopters. She checked my vision again with the new settings and said that would be right for me. Faxed the script to Dr Harrison and he took care of the rest.

I did get the anti-reflective coating and it works well for me. Before that I had played (at home) with a ball cap and that helped. After I got the new glasses I no longer needed the ball cap. I have eight foot of daylight quality florescent lights about 36" over my table.

I guess different things work for different people.

At my age (66) I found that my eyes tire more easily than when I was younger. The daylight lights allow me to play for many hours (I think about 10 is my max lately) without getting "tired" eyes.

I am not sure but I think the anti-relective coating is also a way to polarize light and I do not see the glare on the balls when I am aiming. It is worth checking out.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Here are the glasses I designed with my optician a few years ago. Best thing I ever did for my game.

Go to post #7 to see my post and picture.

 

[Marcl3954]

Contacts

You couldn't tell it by looking at me (is this were I say lol), but I'm getting a little long in the tooth, and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. The edges of pool balls are becoming more and more difficult to see, especially on the long shots up or down table.
Has anyone had any experience with eyeglasses that were especially made for playing pool? Glasses that correct one's vision only as far as the table area itself.
I would not want to play and have to cock my head at uncomfortable angles in order to peer over a set of bi-focals, etc.
Any comments?

I had the same pronlem.
The solution that has helped me greatly is contacts.
What I have though is dominat eye for distance (right eye for me) Left eye for close (reading).
This was suggested by my eye doctor and works great.
This way I can avoid trying adjust through bifocals.

 

[mooseman]

When I finally pull the trigger on a pair of glasses it will be this one...

http://www.spex4less.com/acatalog/snooker_glasses_hurricane2.html

I have a very similar pair that work exactly the same way. They are great until you start to get sweaty. Seem to fog up pretty easily when tilted towards your forehead.

 

[Tramp Steamer]

I had the same pronlem.
The solution that has helped me greatly is contacts.
What I have though is dominat eye for distance (right eye for me) Left eye for close (reading).
This was suggested by my eye doctor and works great.
This way I can avoid trying adjust through bifocals.

What about cigarette smoke. Sometimes the smoke in my favorite poolroom gets really bad, especially during a tournament. Is it a problem with contacts?

 

[Fastolfe]

When I finally pull the trigger on a pair of glasses it will be this one...

Don't waste your money and make your own. My experience is that optometrists usually don't understand what you need, and even if they do, they make you pay a LOT for glasses that end up being fragile, or just not exactly what you want.

If you have old specs around with the proper correction, all you need to do is adapt the frame a bit to make it good when your head is bowed down and you're looking up. Hese are the modifications you need to do to your old glasses:

- Lower the nose pads, so the lenses sit higher on your nose. If your glasses have long "coils" (you know, the U-bent metal wires that connects the nose pads to the rest of the frame), then simply use a thin pair of round pliers to uncoil them, then bend them lower down. If you have short "coils", you can de-solder them to solder them lower down on the frame. It's easy to do, most metal frames are made of nickel silver, which solders easily with a electronics soldering iron and tin solder, provided you clean the solder points with sandpaper first. Don't forget to remove the lenses first

- Bend the arms 15/20 degrees up, about 1 1/2" to 2" from the hinge. It's not enough to raise the lenses, your eyes also need to look through them at the correct angle, otherwise you'll get a distorted image. Bending the arms takes care of that.

- Redo the curve of the section of the arms that sit on your ears. Most likely, the above modifications will bring the arms forward, and so the ear sections need to bend further away. Also, adjust the curve so your glasses slip less easily (you'll be wearing them mostly with your head down, and you may get sweaty). If you still have trouble keeping your glasses on your nose for more than 5 minutes, use an elastic cord to solve the problem once and for all.

That's all you need to do. Total cost (old pair of glasses excluded) is $0, and you get to do them exactly how you want them.

Here are my glasses for instance: they are progressives, but they now sit so high on my nose that I can easily correct near and far without hurting my neck when I'm down on a shot. I had discarded them because the lenses had yellowed over time, and the frame is not exactly in fashion anymore. Now as pool glasses, the slightly tinted lenses are great to take the glare off the balls.

I love those glasses. I can play and completely forget that I wear them. And yes, I do look like a hillbilly with them on

Hope this helps...

 

[Dead Crab]

Those homebrews are similar to mine, although I used a 25 degree sidepiece angle.

Some sidepieces won't bend well. You can buy 1/8" brass rods at any big box store and make your own.

 

[thebigdog]

Prk

I had the PRK surgery last year and can say that it was the best deciscion for me. Just had my 12 month follow up and vision is 20/15. I wore glasses for 21 years prior and could never play with glasses on.

 

[Wolven]

Great thread. My vision is fine close up but for anything past ½ meter I need glasses.
So far I’m torn between the glasses recommend by JoeW from Dr Harrison and the ones from Randy G website.
I need more input from people that use either one of those as I’m having hard time deciding!

Help!!!

 

[Marcl3954]

What about cigarette smoke. Sometimes the smoke in my favorite poolroom gets really bad, especially during a tournament. Is it a problem with contacts?

Smoke has never been an issue for me with contacts. Some people carry eye drops but most don't need to.
The great thing about contacts is that they move with youe eye,so you never lose focus.

 

[randyg]

Great thread. My vision is fine close up but for anything past ½ meter I need glasses.
So far I’m torn between the glasses recommend by JoeW from Dr Harrison and the ones from Randy G website.
I need more input from people that use either one of those as I’m having hard time deciding!

Help!!!

Call me and I will give you the three things that you need. Then you can compare properly.......SPF=randyg............1 800 707-0158

 

[Wolven]

Call me and I will give you the three things that you need. Then you can compare properly.......SPF=randyg............1 800 707-0158

Sure thing Randy, I will call you either today or tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[poolshootr]

try www.sportglasses.com Hy-Wyd Decot. I use them when shooting firearms and for pool.........work fine.

 

[JoeW]

If Randy is selling them they have got to be good. I just got mine someplace else before I knew about RandyG stuff.

 

[Wolven]

try www.sportglasses.com Hy-Wyd Decot. I use them when shooting firearms and for pool.........work fine.

Thanks. They have new ones Hy-WYD with Hi & Low.

 

[Wolven]

If Randy is selling them they have got to be good. I just got mine someplace else before I knew about RandyG stuff.

I will be calling RandyG. Yours have been recommended by Grady Mathews.