Well I went and got a physical done this week and barely passed the vision section of it. I made an appointment for the eye doctor since things were so borderline and I've noticed my distance vision has been deteriorating the last few years.

I was wondering what some of your thoughts might be on this. I will be getting glasses for the first time and live out in the village. Since my vision is not too bad yet I was thinking about getting a pair of glasses and contacts as well to try both out. I was also thinking of maybe getting a more durable pair for outdoor use and another for general use. My main concerns are with what I should get for a better set for the outdoors; should I get ones that are shaded or auto tint that I've heard about and what other considerations should I think about, especially with being out in the cold.

I would imagine that contacts could be a hassle to use in the winter from what I have heard.

I did a search on the different forums and got some info so far, but not as much as I would like so far.

Looking forward to learning from all your experiences.

Thanks,
Mike

Mike, you could well be a good candidate for lasik , possibly.

I wore glasses and contacts growing up . I didn't wear contacts when sleeping, so in the night I had to find my glasses when I wished to see what was going on outside, etc.

What I didn't like were glasses getting rained on, fogging up when transferring from cold or warm environment, loosing or even cracking the lens ...but that said, a good pair of prescription sunglasses is a must .

Lasik was one of the best things Ive ever decided to do, health wise .

If you are a candidate for this, it would save you lots of switching between glasses or contacts, like I used to do. Still have good sunglasses, though.

If you have a pair of clear glasses for night and indoor use, and a pair of good sunglasses, those two can serve you well . If something happens to one of them, you still have the other , instead of loosing both night and sun uses with auto tint.

X2 on what Sharon said. Lasik was the best thing that I ever did. 20 years and no problems. I would not advise contacts, went through that. I found you need to have impeccably clean hands to put them in, which does not work so well in a camping, hunting, fishing etc. lifestyle.
They have made a lot of advances in the field over the years, get to a good optometrist and see what yer options are.
I had to wear glasses since the 5th grade and there is no good thing to say about them. You lose them, they steam up, you break them etc.

Good Luck. Zim

Thanks for the information Sharon and Zim. Based on my timeline for being back to work I'll probably just have to go with glasses for the next year. I couldn't get an appointment to see anyone until the end of this month, so I'll have to see what they say after that.

Thank you

Glasses are damed hassle. Transistion lenses will freeze dark, won't get clear again until after they warm back up. Contacts are great if you can get your hands clean to take them out and put them in. I abused them and started growing a pimple on one eye, and haven't been able to use them regular since. I'll suffer through them on occasion when glasses are untenable. I lost my glasses this spring beaver trapping, and didn't have spares like I thought. Nearly hit a moose on the way home. Keep spares. Wearing any kind of correction is a giant hassle, get Lasik if you can afford it. My insurance won't cover it, so until I can swing it out of pocket I'm going to get my insurance to buy everything I can.

Speaking about glasses. My son needs them too now. He’s got a good attitude though and he says even super man (Clark Kent) wears glasses.

I grew into glasses with age as many do and i hate the darn things when outdoors trapping, fishing or hunting Talked to my eye Dr and she put me i. a transitional lense contacs and I love em I can see up close so my cross hairs are no longer blurry and can still tell a bull is a bull at 300+ yards I use the glasses for around the house and town but if Im going out to do pretty much anything outside the contacts get put in Next step is to get the daily wear so I don’t have to mess with cleaning and crap while in moose camp or out for days at a time

I started wearing glasses a few years ago. They are a real pain for anyone who spends time in the bush as others have stated. I havent tried contacts. I need cataract surgery and am on the 3 year wait list for it.....Yup our socialized system is that far behind! I will get the lenses put in when I have my cataracts taken care of and shouldn't need glasses then...I buy expensive frames that you can twist like a pretzel and not break. I got two years out of the last pair.....

Do your homework before you get lasik....I watched a documentary on it last winter. The doctor that pioneered the procedure said it was the worst thing he ever did, then went on to say, that no one should ever get it period. I guess when it goes wrong it really goes wrong. Lots of people have ended up committing sucicide because of the constant pain and dry eyes from lasik. Apparently there is no fix once it goes bad.....my brother in law had it done and wishes he hadn't. He doesn't have the pain some experience, but his eyes are constantly dry and get irritated easily. Others really like it and have no problems, so look into it yourself before you have it done.

Castor ,the Zenni internet glasses for $50 are as good as the Wally worlds for $350 .I am going to get a pair of single vision (distance ) for hunting . And readers for inside. The progressives (Zenni )I wear around the place for general use.For shotgunning I am at a TOTAL loss because when I am on the stock I am looking OVER the glasses .Shooting trap is a pain unless I spend $400 for some special order .I feel your pain at 70 ,what will 75 bring !

Castor gitter when you can't see a Red Squirrel at 30 yards and put up the 22 for a shot and miss the nose tap..............you need glasses.
do you have stars when at dark driving in oncoming traffic ?
I'm lucky in that my hunting buddy is an optimist of the same age and his eyes are doing the same as mine as I age, so he has me covered.
Years ago whne I came home I opened a home brew beer and the pressure was extreme and the CAP flew into my eye...luckily flat. The ER Dr wanted to hold me over night for observations, NO I said we can phone my Dr at home.......he was reluctant but when I said he would be watching Colbert he phone him. I told the ER DR the first question he would ask is if "is my shooting eye", sure enough the first response was "is it his shooting eye" Got my pass out of observation that night. It REALLY DID HURT that tramma.
It not who you know but HOW YOU KNOW . That counts

now that I need #2 for reading print is a age thing,,,,I hope