Missing shots more often?

[jjohnson]

Missing shots more often?

I met a guy coming out of the 99 Cent store. He was holding a pair of glasses. He told me they sold "readers" in there for 99 cents. A month later I finally went in there and bought one pair of each different power reader. Cost me about 8 dollars. I have my 46 inch Samsung lcd hd television up against the wall about 6 feet from the foot of my bed. I've been thinking about getting a 4k Samsung uhd 50 inch television for about one third the price I paid for the 46 incher about 5 years ago. Anyway, turned on channel 4 that broadcasts 1080i programming. I put on the lowest power glasses at 1.25. I couldn't believe it. I am not getting a 4k television now until this one conks out. I am still amazed at how sharp and clear these glasses make the picture appear. i knew my eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be but I had no idea. Now I can easily read fine print when before I simply gave up. I am planning to go to an eye doctor ASAP and have my eyes checked and get prescription glasses. I am absolutely certain my pool game will step up another level automatically. I didn't even realize my situation until now. Check it out.

 

[buckshotshoey]

It happens so gradually, that you dont know it's a problem. I cant read without them, but see ok far away. Very farsighted.

Now the bad about glasses.... when you are down on a shot, you are looking over the top of the frames. Unless you get glasses specifically made for playing pool, consider contacts.

 

[bbb]

remeber to mention to the eye doc you need to be in prime focus for 3-12 feet if you play on 9 footers and plan to use this prescription for pool
you will also need a frame that allows you to see thru the lens when down on the shot
also when down on the shot the sweet spot of the lens has to be alittle higher than in a normal lens

 

[smoooothstroke]

Missing shots more often?

I met a guy coming out of the 99 Cent store. He was holding a pair of glasses. He told me they sold "readers" in there for 99 cents. A month later I finally went in there and bought one pair of each different power reader. Cost me about 8 dollars. I have my 46 inch Samsung lcd hd television up against the wall about 6 feet from the foot of my bed. I've been thinking about getting a 4k Samsung uhd 50 inch television for about one third the price I paid for the 46 incher about 5 years ago. Anyway, turned on channel 4 that broadcasts 1080i programming. I put on the lowest power glasses at 1.25. I couldn't believe it. I am not getting a 4k television now until this one conks out. I am still amazed at how sharp and clear these glasses make the picture appear. i knew my eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be but I had no idea. Now I can easily read fine print when before I simply gave up. I am planning to go to an eye doctor ASAP and have my eyes checked and get prescription glasses. I am absolutely certain my pool game will step up another level automatically. I didn't even realize my situation until now. Check it out.

Don't do that JJ. The readers will make your eyesight worser. BTW do I know you? This is Tacoma Jerry.

 

[Black-Balled]

Don't do that JJ. The readers will make your eyesight worser. BTW do I know you? This is Tacoma Jerry.

Yes...cheap readers do not have appropriate curvature for man's eyes.

 

[Stickman9]

I would get a pair of contact lenses. A lot of pros wear glasses, but wear contacts when they play. For short practice sessions at home, I will not bother with the contacts and just wear my glasses. But it's much easier to see with contacts.

 

[336Robin]

It happens so gradually, that you dont know it's a problem. I cant read without them, but see ok far away. Very farsighted.

Now the bad about glasses.... when you are down on a shot, you are looking over the top of the frames. Unless you get glasses specifically made for playing pool, consider contacts.

One of the best shot makers I ever knew had problems reading but he could look at a shot and knew how to cut it.
He told me that as long as he could see the edges of the balls he was fine.

 

[HNTFSH]

I would get a pair of contact lenses. A lot of pros wear glasses, but wear contacts when they play. For short practice sessions at home, I will not bother with the contacts and just wear my glasses. But it's much easier to see with contacts.

On this front I don't disagree but the eye doc will identify what you need to improve eyesight. I was having issues with small print and ends up the left eye was a bigger problem than the right. So contact lens for left eye and none for right. Premise being the left eye trains to read, the right (no contact) takes on the distance vision. It didn't take long for the brain to adjust.

That works fine in everyday life stuff but does not work well on a pool table. Checking/looking at the cue ball and looking at the object ball is too much and too quick for the brain (mine anyway) so I do not wear the contact when shooting pool.

Point being - factor in the objectives and options for what to wear when doing what.

 

[336Robin]

On this front I don't disagree but the eye doc will identify what you need to improve eyesight. I was having issues with small print and ends up the left eye was a bigger problem than the right. So contact lens for left eye and none for right. Premise being the left eye trains to read, the right (no contact) takes on the distance vision. It didn't take long for the brain to adjust.

That works fine in everyday life stuff but does not work well on a pool table. Checking/looking at the cue ball and looking at the object ball is too much and too quick for the brain (mine anyway) so I do not wear the contact when shooting pool.

Point being - factor in the objectives and options for what to wear when doing what.

So you haven't tried the contacts long enough to make the adjustment? or is there something fundamentally wrong with the contacts and Pool?

 

[HNTFSH]

So you haven't tried the contacts long enough to make the adjustment? or is there something fundamentally wrong with the contacts and Pool?

I'm always on a 9 footer (for distance perspective) and since I am not reading fine print on the cue ball, there's no need to ask my brain to work double time over a total distance of a few feet. Essentially, there's nothing to fix vision-wise when shooting pool. I only mention it because whatever the Dr. prescribes may not apply to when you're on the table but probably helpful the rest of the time.

 

[smoooothstroke]

I got my first prescription 2 years ago and am on a long pool break. I did try hitting balls with and without glasses. The glasses are a pain because they are to low. I tried without glasses and although I feel like I can't see well I can still play just as well, I can see the shapes and angles but no detail. It doesn't seam to effect my depth perception unless I am wearing my glasses before playing. I only wear my glasses to read now so my brain sees better without them for driving etc.

 

[jimmyco]

Disclaimer: Not intended to replace professional diagnosis.

Since your cheap $0.99 readers have the same "script" for both lenses, next time you are on the table, put them on upside down. If this helps, swap the temple pieces left to right, vice versa.

If you like the outcome, then consider $$$ pool specific glasses.

 

[jjohnson]

Don't do that JJ. The readers will make your eyesight worser. BTW do I know you? This is Tacoma Jerry.

The only way you could know me is if we met at Hard Times in Bellflower in the past 5+ years. I am not a very good player but I just discovered how to sight a shot precisely just as the pandemic started. You need excellent eyesight but you also need to know how to use what your see.

 

[mikemosconi]

There is a lot written here about eyesight and pool. From experience, there is no one set answer. Many here speak of not correcting eyes to 20/20 vision, but to some vision ideal for 1 to 9 or 3 to 12 feet for pool.
First of all, if you are over 60, make sure to check for cataracts as if you are cloudy in vision due to cataracts- no prescription power will help you with pool.

Secondly, glasses vs. contacts is a very individual thing - some of the best players I have ever seen wore glasses, and not necessarily the custom "pool" glasses either. You need to try both to make a final decision on glasses vs. contacts for YOU.

Third, vision for pool as a deciding factor in performance is a bit over- rated. Even Mark Wilson in his book " Play Great Pool" debunks the myth about needing perfect vision to play perfect pool. You want to see the cue ball AND the object balls clearly - one is about 8 inches from your eyes and the other is a maximum of about 107 inches. Healthy eyes with perfect to somewhere around 20/50 uncorrected distance vision should be more than adequate to allow you to play excellent pool without making any excuses for your eyes.

Age is NOT a factor if you eyes are healthy - the focus required for pool is a relatively short distance for a very short time period during the actual stroke. My mom is approaching 98 and has never owned a pair of glasses in her life - health of eyes is not always age related. I have known many folks in their 90s who never wore glasses for any distance vision.

"Correcting" vision for 1 to 9 feet of distance just means dumbing down a standard 20/20 prescription to a small degree, it really is such a small factor for anyone to actually play better pool. If you have natural 20/50 distance vision or better, with no other eye issues ( cataracts, etc.) you are just fine for pool.

Visual alignment to the shot, visual perception of an angle, visual picture of the entire sphere of the object balls while aiming are all more valuable to a pool player than perfectly corrected eyesight.

 

[livemusic]

Missing shots more often?

I met a guy coming out of the 99 Cent store. He was holding a pair of glasses. He told me they sold "readers" in there for 99 cents. A month later I finally went in there and bought one pair of each different power reader. Cost me about 8 dollars. I have my 46 inch Samsung lcd hd television up against the wall about 6 feet from the foot of my bed. I've been thinking about getting a 4k Samsung uhd 50 inch television for about one third the price I paid for the 46 incher about 5 years ago. Anyway, turned on channel 4 that broadcasts 1080i programming. I put on the lowest power glasses at 1.25. I couldn't believe it. I am not getting a 4k television now until this one conks out. I am still amazed at how sharp and clear these glasses make the picture appear. i knew my eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be but I had no idea. Now I can easily read fine print when before I simply gave up. I am planning to go to an eye doctor ASAP and have my eyes checked and get prescription glasses. I am absolutely certain my pool game will step up another level automatically. I didn't even realize my situation until now. Check it out.

I don't get it. I thought readers just magnified for close-up vision and are not for far-sighted vision. Your t.v. being six feet from the foot of your bed puts it about ten feet away and I would think that with a reader, your t.v. image would be blurry. Any reader I have ever tried, it's for close-up vision of a foot or so. Maybe it works differently depending on if one is near-sighted or far-sighted? FWIW, for many years, I was near-sighted but over time (age 67 now), my distance vision improved and my near vision got slightly worse. So, I no longer wear glasses for driving but occasionally need readers for reading up close. But my response here applies to my perception of what readers do even before my eyes changed as I described. I am just surprised that a magnifying reader would allow you to see better at ten feet.

 

[hang-the-9]

Anyone use progressives to play with? I have been needing to get new glasses for like 5 years now and my close up vision is pretty bad, I also need correction for distance with one of my eyes and the doctor said progressive lenses are good in my situation. Issue is that with pool how we bend over the table and sight between the cueball/tip and the object ball this setup would not work well.

 

[dquarasr]

I've used progressive lenses for decades. No eyesight-related issues in playing pool, and in daily life the worst is when I am working on something above my head but it's up close (like wiring a ceiling fixture on a ladder), and I have to look through the bottom of my lenses to focus up close. I got used to progressives years ago extremely easily. It was very natural and easy to adapt. You can mention to whomever is cutting your lenses what your up-close distance is (such as reading a book in your hands), and what your mid-distance activities are (such as viewing a computer monitor). Mention pool and the distances you encounter and your focus centers can be set for you.

But now that I think about it . . . . On another thread where I was asking for some instructor assistance, a poster mentioned that I should try to keep my head still while going back and forth between the OB and CB. The video I posted showed I was moving my head about an inch up and down. I originally thought I did that because of having broken my neck in 2010, but in retrospect, I might be doing that because of my focus. I'll have to check that later . . . .

 

[Tennesseejoe]

Just to add another option....consider lens implants. Doctors suggested lens implants for me due to cataracts. Threw away the readers and never looked back. About 6 months later I went back for a small laser adjustment. Fifteen years later, I am 78 with near perfect DAY AND NIGHT vision without glasses.

 

[Toxictom]

Anyone use progressives to play with? I have been needing to get new glasses for like 5 years now and my close up vision is pretty bad, I also need correction for distance with one of my eyes and the doctor said progressive lenses are good in my situation. Issue is that with pool how we bend over the table and sight between the cueball/tip and the object ball this setup would not work well.

I wear progressives normally but I have a pair of $100 prescription Hurricane Snooker Glasses with hinged temple pieces that I use for playing out and about. If you find yourself looking over the top you just tilt the lenses. I've kinda incorporated the glasses tilt thing into my PSR and use it to think about visualizing the shot. I often wear my progressives at home when practicing but I think I can see better with the snooker glasses that have single vision correction and the correct focal point for billiards.

 

[middleofnowhere]

Well I wear bifocals in general I never used to wear them playing pool I just played and shot at the fuzzy balls. When I got glasses I had no idea they would make that much difference. I designed them myself for playing pool.


You can see how the ear pieces are angled and the extra padding on the nose so they sit high up on my nose. When I bend down over the shot the glasses are essentially perpendicular in front of my eyes so I'm not looking through the lens at an angle, but straight at the object ball. When I'm just standing around not shooting I can actually almost look underneath the lenses.

This was not very expensive at all. The frames are an old titanium set I had from a long time ago and a single vision lenses for like $40 to have installed.
It's not an original idea I've seen English snooker players use almost an identical frame setup.
For me it was all the difference in the world I could play again.