Question about eyesight

[spin-right-round]

How big of a factor is good eyesight for a player’s ability to advance?
I ask because I’m technically blind without corrective lenses, and I prefer wearing contacts because my prescription is pretty heavy. I’ve noticed that I’m sometimes struggling with aiming those thin cuts, or long positional shots on 9 footers especially if I haven’t been practicing on big tables. I can practice a good stroke & mechanics but if there’s a physiological limitation my game can only go so far.

For those who do need corrective lenses, what is the conversation you have with your optometrist? Thanks in advance!

 

[hang-the-9]

If you can't see it, you can't hit it. The thing with missing is that you need a coach or instructor to look at what you are doing and see why you may be missing. Really depends on exactly what you see at the table, if things look out of focus, you won't be comfortable to aim at it with confidence.
There are probably 0 players on the planet that are so happy with how they make thin cuts or long shots that they think they never need to practice it or don't miss them.

 

[Zerksies]

You need lenses that can handle far and nearsighted vision. If your lenses can't handle that i would get new ones. Especially speak to your eye doctor about that.

 

[jimmyco]

Paramount.

 

[FranCrimi]

I've worked with hundreds of players with vision issues, and the good news is that you can adapt. Some players have told me that they have trouble shooting wearing bi-focals because it makes them a bit dizzy, so that might not be a good option.

Set up a shot that's giving you trouble and shoot it several times and note how it misses the pocket. If you're missing it different ways, then it's probably not just your vision, because even if you have trouble seeing clearly, you'll see that shot the same way each time. If your stroke and stance are consistent, then you'll also miss it the same way each time as well.

So if you consistently miss it the same way, you can adjust your aim to the left or right of what you see, even if it's not entirely clear, until you can pocket the ball several times comfortably. Then in a game, your memory will come into play, that when you see the shot, you'll make the adjustment you practiced.

Even players who don't have to wear corrective lenses have to make aim adjustments on certain shots that seem to go against what they see because nobody really sees every shot perfectly.

 

[Q77]

Not sure how bad your prescription is, but for reference my contact Rx is -7.00 L & -6.50 R. If yours is similar, you probably also experience an effect where on long shots the ball appears to curve as it moves across the table. It obviously does not curve, but simply your brain's interpretation of the data presented to it. The only solution that works for me is to work on long shots, particularly long cut shot on a very regular basis (pretty much daily). For me, if I go 3 days without working on long shots, the ball will start "curving" again, and I typically miss when that happens.
I have also had to abandon playing on full-size tables in recent years, as I can not fully get rid of the optical curving effect when playing from one end rail to the other on a 9 ft. I've accepted that my terrible 54-year old eyes are strictly kiddie-table only now. But I can still play fairly sporty on them as I recently placed 2nd in the 2022 CSI Oklahoma Platinum 8-ball Singles division.
Just keep hitting 'em.

 

[hurricane145]

For those who do need corrective lenses, what is the conversation you have with your optometrist?

I don't bother with my regular optometrist. I doubt he would be very familiar with what I would need so it might be struggle to get it right. The taller lenses, and frames to accommodate them, are probably uncommon.

The world is pretty fuzzy to me at any distance with out glasses these days. I never needed them until I was in my mid fifties (now 70).
With or without regular glasses that I wear now, playing pool is unpleasant! They just don't work well for it at all. So, I have billiard or snooker glasses and they work great for me while at the table.

There are a few businesses that make snooker glasses. I ordered mine from https://www.snookerspex.com/ they were about $300 USD.
I don't play a lot these days but I can see well if I do get out and play!

https://www.billiardglasses.com/ is another excellent choice.

 

[Bavafongoul]

Go to your optometrist and have him confirm your prescription for distance and for reading.
Then have him try a variety of prescriptions weakening your reading & strengthening distance.
If you’ve ever used no line bifocals, then this should be easy to adjust to. My optometrist took
me into his conference room and set up objects as close as 2 1/2’ away and 11-12’ away. He
had me use the portable eyeglass headset and just kept switching lens combinations until we
found a combination that works best. Took about 10-15 extra minutes but once we got it down,
it became my Billiards prescription. Bought a pair of Ray Ban Aviator 58mm Black Frames and
had prescription lenses made with just a bit of gray tint. Worked great until I had cataract surgery.
Now I don’t use any glasses for pool, driving (other than sunglasses) or reading…it’s wonderful.

 

[tg_vegas]

I had the same issue. While my glasses (progressive) were fine for daily life, and while looking over the shot, once I got down on the shot, I was looking over the frames and things turned to shit. I thought about the "special" oversized frames for billiards players but my doctor politely informed me that they are pretty ugly. At 61, she encouraged me to try contacts. I hated them and lost every match I played for the next six weeks. Then I played with nothing, and won my next three weeks in rackless shutouts. Go figure.

A little tweaking on the contact prescription and I'm back into winning form and very happy. It takes time to get the numbers right but when you do, it's pretty awesome.

 

[straightline]

I've played with a detached retina for maybe 20 years. When it was real bad the tables were loose enough, it didn't matter. By the time the Global tables with 4.25 apertures came along I was used to the offset. Over the years the retina settled (supposed to heal - didn't) and I have weird but biased vision. Don't notice it anymore except for reading - like this screen. I tried my readers upside down for pool and woopie joy for a little while but the lens distortion was too many more steps to compensate for. Back to naked vision.
Turns out the stick, balls, table, etc... are more consistent than you can see anyway; certainly more than it even matters. None of those items could GAF what you are looking at anyway. So, I maximized on the old concepts of proper alignment and stroke and that has worked the best.

 

[Tennesseejoe]

Before you go to the doctor list the items you have problems with. Double vision {in one eye, or both eyes}, blurry vision { again one or both eyes}, table light reflection, close or distance focus, the cue seems to curve, etc.

 

[Woodshaft]

I ditched my contact lenses at around age 47 and only use regular (I'm near-sighted) glasses. I have blurred vision out to about 18 inches but can instead look over my glasses to read/see up close. Bi-focals made too dizzy so I don't use them btw.
I have 20/12 corrected vision though and, for shooting pool, the 18 or so inches of upclose blurriness doesn't affect my shooting ability at all.
Also I feel the light color of wood shafts help me sight better than the dark cf shafts.

 

[Quesports]

I had the same issue. While my glasses (progressive) were fine for daily life, and while looking over the shot, once I got down on the shot, I was looking over the frames and things turned to shit. I thought about the "special" oversized frames for billiards players but my doctor politely informed me that they are pretty ugly. At 61, she encouraged me to try contacts. I hated them and lost every match I played for the next six weeks. Then I played with nothing, and won my next three weeks in rackless shutouts. Go figure.

A little tweaking on the contact prescription and I'm back into winning form and very happy. It takes time to get the numbers right but when you do, it's pretty awesome.

I would find a new optometrist. Seeing clearly is far more important than whether she thinks large framed glasses are ugly or not. Secondly getting comfortable with contacts when you are older is very difficult. As you found out.

I wore DeCot Hy Wyd glasses for years and no one ever said they were ugly. Not that I would have cared. I sure could see them racking clearly.

Now at 71 I just went to the emergency room for PVD. Posterior Vitreous Detachment. I had a procedure known as DFE. Dilated Fundus Examination.

It may be the beginning of the end of my ability to play high quality pool and the reason I have been struggling the last couple months.

Life goes on. My suggestion is don’t care what glasses look like just make sure they give you clear vision. I prefer Trivex lens material as well for clarity. You have to request it as many big box places do not offer it. Costco does not for instance. Good luck to everyone with vision issues!

One more note on PVD. In four weeks I have an appointment with an orthopedic opthomolagist (sp) at Duke Hospital for a follow up. The doctor will perform another exam to see what the extent of loss of vitreous material is. It is not an unusual issue but can lead to retinal detachment which is far more serious..

 

[MitchAlsup]

Your target is smaller than 1mm spot on OB that you are looking at from the position of CB.
If you cannot see a single 1mm dot clearly at that distance, you will not be able to figure out why you missed that shot.

 

[straightline]

Your target is smaller than 1mm spot on OB that you are looking at from the position of CB.
If you cannot see a single 1mm dot clearly at that distance, you will not be able to figure out why you missed that shot.

I use CG (contact geometry) to establish the actual shot but technically, there is no further aiming. The shot as stroked becomes a function of alignment.

 

[hurricane145]

I thought about the "special" oversized frames for billiards players but my doctor politely informed me that they are pretty ugly.

That's a dumb thing for her to say really. Probably just trying to keep frame and glasses sales in house!
Most people will never even notice that they are unusual glasses and if they improve your game who the hell cares?
If your opponent is bothered by your glasses then great! One more thing to put his game off with!!
Of course for some, their own personal sense of vanity may come into play which is really silly.

 

[FunChamp]

I can't see crap so I just go by memory of what it's supposed to look like when I shoot. Can I get a horse? Anyone wanna back me?