switching between glasses and contact lens

A

Amaury

Member
Hello,

i am starting to wear contact lens. I am not a good or consistent player but the first time I played with them I missed every shot by a large margin. Next time I played, I started to see that my center of vision (thank you dr_dave for the concept) was slighty different. Is this possible?
Should I continue to shot with glasses or find a way to adjust every time I switch? Is this hard to do, how do you do that?

I'm sure I am not the only one with the problem

Thank you
 
I wear contacts all day, every day. I would not switch back & forth. It doesn't seem like it should change your vision center if your prescriptions are right.
 
Amaury said:
Hello,

i am starting to wear contact lens. I am not a good or consistent player but the first time I played with them I missed every shot by a large margin. Next time I played, I started to see that my center of vision (thank you dr_dave for the concept) was slighty different. Is this possible?
Should I continue to shot with glasses or find a way to adjust every time I switch? Is this hard to do, how do you do that?

I'm sure I am not the only one with the problem

Thank you
Click to expand...
People always want the <right> answer at junctions like this. Take the time to discover for yourself. At least you'll have the best answer for yourself.

Incidentally, I need readers to read this screen, prescriptions to be a licensed driver, and to top it off my vision is asymmetrically out of spec. I play pool without any corrective aids or issues.
 
Amaury said:
Hello,

i am starting to wear contact lens. I am not a good or consistent player but the first time I played with them I missed every shot by a large margin. Next time I played, I started to see that my center of vision (thank you dr_dave for the concept) was slighty different. Is this possible?
Should I continue to shot with glasses or find a way to adjust every time I switch? Is this hard to do, how do you do that?

I'm sure I am not the only one with the problem

Thank you
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's normal to need some time to adjust to contacts. Your brain just needs to recalibrate its aim. Try taking a few practice shots to get dialed in, and you might need to make some slight adjustments to your stance or alignment.
 
First response nailed it.

Your eyes need something like 4 hours between switches for something precise like aiming the CB, but only seconds for aiming something imprecise like an automobile.
 
Contacts -- no contest.

However, much depends on what you're corrected for. In my case I found an optometrist who fixed me up to optimize my vision in the 2-10' range for playing pool.

Lou Figueroa
wore them for years
 
I switch back and forth all the time, the main drawback with glasses is that standard glasses do not go high enough to allow you to get fully down on the shot. They do make "billiard glasses" to resolve that.

However, if im playing a serious match, the choice is simple, contacts every time.
 
lfigueroa said:
Contacts -- no contest.

However, much depends on what you're corrected for. In my case I found an optometrist who fixed me up to optimize my vision in the 2-10' range for playing pool.

Lou Figueroa
wore them for years
Click to expand...
Can you share who that was Lou??
 
Amaury said:
Hello,

i am starting to wear contact lens. I am not a good or consistent player but the first time I played with them I missed every shot by a large margin. Next time I played, I started to see that my center of vision (thank you dr_dave for the concept) was slighty different. Is this possible?
Should I continue to shot with glasses or find a way to adjust every time I switch? Is this hard to do, how do you do that?

I'm sure I am not the only one with the problem

Thank you
Click to expand...
Only you can figure this out. I wear progressive lens. I have a set strictly for pool... I never wore contacts but have friends that swear by them. Please experiment ...you might have to go through set to get zero'd in
 
MitchAlsup said:
First response nailed it.

Your eyes need something like 4 hours between switches for something precise like aiming the CB, but only seconds for aiming something imprecise like an automobile.
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone got your joke. I did and that's funny.
 
lfigueroa said:
Contacts -- no contest.

However, much depends on what you're corrected for. In my case I found an optometrist who fixed me up to optimize my vision in the 2-10' range for playing pool.

Lou Figueroa
wore them for years
Click to expand...
Did the same... was sort of funny/strange. After a certain distance I could not recognize anyone. But helped with pool.
The important thing is the optometrist understanding what is needed...and their willingness to stand behind them.... meaning re-make them once or twice until the player is comfortable.
 
Last edited:
lfigueroa said:
Contacts -- no contest.

However, much depends on what you're corrected for. In my case I found an optometrist who fixed me up to optimize my vision in the 2-10' range for playing pool.

Lou Figueroa
wore them for years
Click to expand...
Good point. I wish I could wear contacts but for me it is "contact" Mono vision (only one lense) because of astigmatism in one eye. Mono is weird. The other solution is Toric weighted contacts so that the lense rotates to the right position.
 
Ģüśţāṿ said:
I switch back and forth all the time, the main drawback with glasses is that standard glasses do not go high enough to allow you to get fully down on the shot. They do make "billiard glasses" to resolve that.

However, if im playing a serious match, the choice is simple, contacts every time.
Click to expand...
For those interested in "pool glasses", Costco makes them
 
I used to have a pair of these back in the days.

Anyone ever heard of them?

Suspension Eyewear

They were really great glasses because you could adjust the position and angle of the lenses by adjusting mono filament lines (super thin fishing line) that connected to the earpieces. They were very expensive. I think I paid over $600 in the very late 1980's. They had tons of lense shapes.

They just looked strange as hell. But they were popular for a short period of time in the cycling world. They would not slip off and they were super comfortable.

And chicks dug them.


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Hungarian said:
Good point. I wish I could wear contacts but for me it is "contact" Mono vision (only one lense) because of astigmatism in one eye. Mono is weird. The other solution is Toric weighted contacts so that the lense rotates to the right position.
Click to expand...
I have astigmatism in my left eye and use the Toric in that eye. a regular contact in the right. I don't have a special prescription for pool but can see the balls well.
 
I have been wearing contacts for pool for about ten years and I have an astigmatism.
There are a range of contacts that are built for wearers with astigmatisms.
My pool contacts are distance contacts and I have 20/20 vision at the table.
I keep reading glasses with me for close up such as looking at my phone.
 
philly said:
I have been wearing contacts for pool for about ten years and I have an astigmatism.
There are a range of contacts that are built for wearers with astigmatisms.
My pool contacts are distance contacts and I have 20/20 vision at the table.
I keep reading glasses with me for close up such as looking at my phone.
Click to expand...
Me too.
 
brigeton said:
Me too.
Click to expand...

Works wonders, doesn't it?
Funny how pool players will switch shafts of different materials to improve their game when the problem may be actually their vision.
I wonder how many pool players actually have their vision checked after the age of 40 on a regular basis.
Guarantee you their vision is not what it was but bad vision occurs slowly and you get used to having bad vision without realizing it
and think it is just normal.
I know plenty of people that have those large oversized billiard glasses and it works wonders for them.
Contacts are different.
Nobody is used to putting their fingers near their eyes but with perseverance you get used to it and they go in
and come out easily after a while.
No glasses and 20/20 vision at the table.
 
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