Shooting glasses are a very complex accessory to understand and fit correctly. They are the most mis-used piece of equipment that I have ever seen. We sell a lot of shooting glasses…..When I ask the customer what accessories he wants, the usual reply is “well, what do you think I need?. Most are buying because the good guys wear them and some spend $300.00 for all of the gadgets just to make sure they don’t miss out on some points. The most common mistake is to rush down with the prescription for reading glasses and have it ground for the lensholder…..Its great for reading a book but a bad solution for seeing your sights clearly. Shooting glasses can effectively correct almost any common eye deficiency provided that the lens is properly prescribed.

My best advice is don’t buy glasses at all until 1. you have a problem seeing what you want to see and 2. you have talked to someone who is qualified to tell you what you need. The best person to do this is your coach, hopefully he will know a little about eyesight problems as they relate to shooting. If you are really lucky you may be able to find an optometrist who has knowledge of shooter’s special needs. Only after you are convinced that you have a correctable vision problem should you buy the shooting glasses. With the correct lens and accessories you should have an optimum picture of the front sight, rear sight and target.

You may be surprised to know that something like 70% of all people have some kind of eyesight deficiency. Many of these are minor and may go un-noticed…..it is not until one is put to the test that they become evident. Shooting requires a very high degree of optical precision and even a very slight deficiency becomes uncomfortable and of course performance is adversely affected. The particular function of each of the small accessories that fit on the frames is briefly described here but first, the most important…..the fitting of the corrective lens.

We know that it is not possible for the professional Optometrist to prescribe a lens for your special shooting needs unless he is made intimately familiar with exactly what you are trying to see. He can only do this if he goes to your range to see what you do or if you take your rifle/pistol right into his office and show him. Neither one of these procedures is very practical…….most professionals don’t have the time for it and they are not really informed enough about shooting requirements to do the job properly first time. One solution to the problem is to do it yourself. My company offers the rental [you don’t want to buy it] of a self testing kit. It rents for $25.00 per week and you pay the postage. The kit consists of a special pair of Knobloch shooting glasses that accepts a range of sample lenses, a box of interchangeable test lenses and a sample of most of the available accessories. With this kit the shooter can try the full selection of lenses and select the one that corrects best for him. He can do this right on the home range under the correct lighting conditions and shooting distance and with the correct head position. After the best sight picture is determined the shooter takes the lens [number] to his optometrist or directly to the “lense grinder” and has one ground to fit the Knobloch lensholder. What you see is what you get !. The system is the best alternative to the “trial and error” system that most shooters are forced into. Even those who think their vision is OK often find that a .25 diopter correction helps. Detailed instructions come with the kit and we don’t care how many use it during the week…..test the whole club if you like !. Do it with a coach if you can.

We do not suggest that this kit takes the place of a professional examination. It will not detect such things as astigmatism or disease-related problems but the professional can do all of this in his office, all you are providing him with is the appropriate diopter [power] of the lens that you need.

Knobloch basic frames: The new model "TOP" basic frame comes with a single [empty] lensholder and packed in a plastic carrying case. They are of very light but strong material. The nosepiece is now adjustable for height by a screw so they are now suitable for both  rifle and pistol. A third variation is available for archery. This frame carries all of the necessary accessories.

Left-eye blinder: These are to cut down unwanted vision to the non-aiming eye, they attach directly to the top bar of the glasses. Those who are left-eye dominant will be distracted by movement of down-range objects and we know that we must shoot with both eyes open so it may be necessary to use a blinder yet still let enough light into the non-aiming eye. The blinder should be translucent or white, never black. Its best to not use one at all if you can get away with it. We know also that the same amount of light should enter both eyes during aiming. To accomplish this Knobloch offers a Polarizing Filter which acts as a left-eye blinder but can be adjusted for the amount of light that enters the non-aiming eye. By turning the outer ring, the polarizer can be adjusted from almost clear to black. Its an adjustable left-eye blinder.

Side blinders: These are to cut down unwanted side vision which may distract from concentration [like horses wear], they simply snap onto the side rails of the glasses.

Adjustable Iris: Like in a camera lens it has the capability of increasing the “depth of focus” [often referred to as enhanced focus] This means that when the smallest practical aperature is selected depending on light conditions, there is a better chance of seeing the front sight, rear sight and target clearly at the same time. The iris is not an easy accessory to use, it takes a lot of patience to get it aligned properly. If given the chance, however, it definitely can enhance the sight picture.

Centering device: Since it is necessary to look through the exact center of the lens and at exactly 90 degrees to the lens surface a device is necessary to do this. The centering device snaps onto the lensholder and aligns the lens to your line of sight, it is removed after the lens mount is locked.

Color wheel Three different colored filters mounted on a revolving wheel so that they can be changed easily. It screws onto the lensholder and can be used in conjunction with the iris. Normal colors are yellow for dull light, grey or umber for bright light. The latter is available in different densities and there are other colors available. Rifle shooters normally have these filters right in their rear sight.

There are a lot of other interesting accessories available for the Knobloch shooting glasses…..ask about them.