Nicky T
Well-known member
As many of you already know i'm currently grasped by real life responsibilities and time for throwing lead down range has taken a back-seat this year in favour of handling business at home and at work. Thankfully both of the aforementioned are getting easier to manage; at least for the time being :wink:
Having already assigned (at least) this year to laying the foundation required to become a better shooter I've already been attacking the "to-do" list and now have the 682 where I want it, have settled on a cartridge and choke combination that i'm equally impressed by and confident with, and have begun to think a little more before taking to each stand. The next task that needed addressing was that of an irritable contact lens that seemed intent on making shooting as challenging as possible whenever the opportunity arose!
I've been on at my opticians about this for the past 18 months and nothing that they had suggested or tried seemed to alleviate the sporadic blurriness that i was experiencing so i decided to do something more constructive about the situation and arranged a Sports Vision Consultation with Ed Lyons at Flint & Partners Optometrists near Wolverhampton. For those unfamiliar with Ed and what he offers, the Sports Vision Consultations are (in Ed's own words) "to help the client see and perform visually to their potential, and advise/provide the most appropriate eye wear solutions to do this". On top of this Ed can also devise Vision training plans for those that show issues with various eye dominance, poor oculomotor (eye muscle) control, difficulties with tracking, peripheral vision etc.
Having chatted with Ed via email in the run up to the appointment, I was advised to bring my gun and current shooting glasses to the session; a combination which provided the first surreal experience of the day - sitting in the waiting room with a shotgun and range bag next to other customers who clearly were not there for anything to do with shooting
Ed clearly runs a tight ship as the appointment began on time and he soon got down to business asking about my optical history and my current situation regarding my eyes when shooting. I've been a contact lens wearer for at least the last ten years and use my monthly disposables for everything 7 days a week, religiously. Whilst my left eye rarely gives me any grief, my right eye can play havoc mainly due to the fact that the astigmatism i have can cause the lens to sit incorrectly and that consequently leads to blurriness in my vision; not a fantastic attribute when shooting :huh:
After the usual Optician-esque checks, Ed brought out the big guns and did a variety of tests on my eyes including:
- Taking a picture of each of the back of my eyes. The detail was incredible as every blood vessel and optical nerve could clearly be seen! The difference between my two eyes was evident as the blurry lens looking out also provided a blurred image for the camera looking in at my right eye confirming the early suspicions that the lens was struggling to stay in place.
- A peripheral vision test where you place a patch over one eye then sit with your face in what appears to be a big dome. In the centre (directly in front of your open eye) is a red LED. All that you are told is to focus on the red LED and green LEDS will light up randomly in your peripheral vision. Every time you see one you press a clicker and the computer records the results. I scored 67/68 with each eye consistently missing the one that appeared in the section of my peripheral vision that the optical nerve resides in, which is apparently normal!
- A series of charts that provided visual tests designed to simulate shooting in bright conditions as well as overcast conditions where the letters were ridiculously difficult to see! Throughout these tests Ed was adding varying strengths of lens for me to look through to see if things could be improved on to of my current prescription.
- Looking through a special filter that tested to see how well my eyes worked together and independantly. It was quite surreal watching what i was looking at intermittently appear and disappear as my brain navigated control of my eye balls and what i was permitting myself to see!
- Eye dominance testing through a series of photos with and without my gun clearly showing which eye has control; in my case i am right eye dominant and a right handed shooter.
With the analysis side of things complete, Ed confirmed that my vision was above average and that the only issue that needed addressing was that of the fit of my right lens. We then began to discuss the options available to me and decided that contact lenses best suited my needs, with the option of enhancing the fit of my right lens in a daily disposable speciifcally intended for use on days when i was shooting as the ultimate solution.
We then set about trying a variety of different lenses; some with different fits, some made from different materials and/or by different manufacturers to see the affects and found a more stable alternative to my current lens (which incidentally is a Boots own brand).
Finally, we headed outside to the courtyard armed with a blaze clay and an assortment of shooting specific glasses as well as my trusty Hidefspex Blades to experience the variety of lens/frame combinations that were on offer and assess whether or not there was merit in changing anything. The Blades tick all of the relevant boxes for me so they are staying! That said I only use one frame and one lens so the others that are surplus to requirements might have to make way to top up the nappy fund!
All in all i was very pleased with the progress made today; it gave me answers to the many questions that i had whilst clarifying my prescription was correct yet providing information on how i could improve my situation for shooting. If you have any doubts about your vision in a shooting related context then i would hesitate to recommend dropping Ed a line on: [email protected] to find out how he can assist you.
(pictures now added - thanks Matt for the help!)
Having already assigned (at least) this year to laying the foundation required to become a better shooter I've already been attacking the "to-do" list and now have the 682 where I want it, have settled on a cartridge and choke combination that i'm equally impressed by and confident with, and have begun to think a little more before taking to each stand. The next task that needed addressing was that of an irritable contact lens that seemed intent on making shooting as challenging as possible whenever the opportunity arose!
I've been on at my opticians about this for the past 18 months and nothing that they had suggested or tried seemed to alleviate the sporadic blurriness that i was experiencing so i decided to do something more constructive about the situation and arranged a Sports Vision Consultation with Ed Lyons at Flint & Partners Optometrists near Wolverhampton. For those unfamiliar with Ed and what he offers, the Sports Vision Consultations are (in Ed's own words) "to help the client see and perform visually to their potential, and advise/provide the most appropriate eye wear solutions to do this". On top of this Ed can also devise Vision training plans for those that show issues with various eye dominance, poor oculomotor (eye muscle) control, difficulties with tracking, peripheral vision etc.
Having chatted with Ed via email in the run up to the appointment, I was advised to bring my gun and current shooting glasses to the session; a combination which provided the first surreal experience of the day - sitting in the waiting room with a shotgun and range bag next to other customers who clearly were not there for anything to do with shooting
Ed clearly runs a tight ship as the appointment began on time and he soon got down to business asking about my optical history and my current situation regarding my eyes when shooting. I've been a contact lens wearer for at least the last ten years and use my monthly disposables for everything 7 days a week, religiously. Whilst my left eye rarely gives me any grief, my right eye can play havoc mainly due to the fact that the astigmatism i have can cause the lens to sit incorrectly and that consequently leads to blurriness in my vision; not a fantastic attribute when shooting :huh: After the usual Optician-esque checks, Ed brought out the big guns and did a variety of tests on my eyes including:
- Taking a picture of each of the back of my eyes. The detail was incredible as every blood vessel and optical nerve could clearly be seen! The difference between my two eyes was evident as the blurry lens looking out also provided a blurred image for the camera looking in at my right eye confirming the early suspicions that the lens was struggling to stay in place.
- A peripheral vision test where you place a patch over one eye then sit with your face in what appears to be a big dome. In the centre (directly in front of your open eye) is a red LED. All that you are told is to focus on the red LED and green LEDS will light up randomly in your peripheral vision. Every time you see one you press a clicker and the computer records the results. I scored 67/68 with each eye consistently missing the one that appeared in the section of my peripheral vision that the optical nerve resides in, which is apparently normal!
- A series of charts that provided visual tests designed to simulate shooting in bright conditions as well as overcast conditions where the letters were ridiculously difficult to see! Throughout these tests Ed was adding varying strengths of lens for me to look through to see if things could be improved on to of my current prescription.
- Looking through a special filter that tested to see how well my eyes worked together and independantly. It was quite surreal watching what i was looking at intermittently appear and disappear as my brain navigated control of my eye balls and what i was permitting myself to see!
- Eye dominance testing through a series of photos with and without my gun clearly showing which eye has control; in my case i am right eye dominant and a right handed shooter.
With the analysis side of things complete, Ed confirmed that my vision was above average and that the only issue that needed addressing was that of the fit of my right lens. We then began to discuss the options available to me and decided that contact lenses best suited my needs, with the option of enhancing the fit of my right lens in a daily disposable speciifcally intended for use on days when i was shooting as the ultimate solution.
We then set about trying a variety of different lenses; some with different fits, some made from different materials and/or by different manufacturers to see the affects and found a more stable alternative to my current lens (which incidentally is a Boots own brand).
Finally, we headed outside to the courtyard armed with a blaze clay and an assortment of shooting specific glasses as well as my trusty Hidefspex Blades to experience the variety of lens/frame combinations that were on offer and assess whether or not there was merit in changing anything. The Blades tick all of the relevant boxes for me so they are staying! That said I only use one frame and one lens so the others that are surplus to requirements might have to make way to top up the nappy fund!
All in all i was very pleased with the progress made today; it gave me answers to the many questions that i had whilst clarifying my prescription was correct yet providing information on how i could improve my situation for shooting. If you have any doubts about your vision in a shooting related context then i would hesitate to recommend dropping Ed a line on: [email protected] to find out how he can assist you.
(pictures now added - thanks Matt for the help!)
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