Having Problem with sight picture When Bench Resting

CodyBear · 04-29-2005, 04:23 AM

I recently been getting into benchrest shooting and discovered when looking through a scope without blinking the image starts getting blurrier and blurrier the longer I look without blinking. I though maybe it was the scopes lens phasing causing my eye to play tricks so I tried a few other scopes including a VXIII, Monarch and Fulfield II and all do the same thing. Havent been to the eye doctor to ask them whats causing it and thought I would I ask here. Does anyone know what casues this or how to correct this problem? When trying to hold point, I try not to blink which makes it difficult because the image starts getting so fuzzy. I'm not talking about going a long period of time without blinking either, it usually starts after just a few seconds.

Thanks for any input
CB

trailer · 04-29-2005, 05:32 AM

Have you focussed your eye pieces? I read that you should focus the scope at it"™s highest power to prevent eye fatigue when looking thru the scope for long periods of time. I know you mentioned that you weren"™t looking thru the scope that long but this might help. Good luck...

04-29-2005, 06:08 AM

Do you have good eyes? I had/have this problem, and found out my blood sugar was extremely high. And found out I am diabetic. I seem to have it mostly under control. But it was affecting my vision and my optical nerve. Its not unusual however for someone retina to get dried out sitting long periods with no blinking.

CodyBear · 04-29-2005, 07:30 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: bigcountry

Do you have good eyes? I had/have this problem, and found out my blood sugar was extremely high. And found out I am diabetic. I seem to have it mostly under control. But it was affecting my vision and my optical nerve. Its not unusual however for someone retina to get dried out sitting long periods with no blinking.

Maybe thats my problem, I am a junk food junkie

I'm heading to the range later today, maybe I'll try fine tuning the reticle focus (fast focus eye-piece) and see if that can at least improve it somewhat. Any little bit would help at this point.

gorse · 04-29-2005, 08:01 PM

Depending on your age, it could be the onset of presbyopia. I am having the same experience right now - my eyes have "reversed" to some extent (I have always been rather nearsighted)...now, I have the same difficulty with scopes. Iron sights are a real problem - as the most difficult distance for my eyes to focus....seems to be exactly in the range of where the sights on my rifle are mounted. I am working on a solution - probably by having a special pair of glasses made (progressive lenses, with the "middle range" set for about 3 - 5 feet).

skeeter 7MM · 04-30-2005, 12:24 AM

I'd get your eyes checked just in case and yes you need to adjust your eyepiece to your shooting eye as well. I had the exact same problem happen 2 years ago and believe it was just fatigue. I found that I was really concentrating on the image or crosshairs to much, causing my eye to become fatigued and blurry. Just like you the more I tried the worst it got. I simply went back to the basics and when I felt this took a break, blinked or looked off, quit .. really anything to rest my shooting eye and calm down. Being I am severely left eye dominant but right handed it was suggested this also may be a culprit but it hasn't returned so thus I came to the conclusion of fatigue or triing to hard to hold on the target perfectly.

HighDesertWolf · 04-30-2005, 02:32 AM

do you shoot with both eyes open? or one eye closed one open?? if you notice most benchrest shooters shoot both eyes open and if they have trouble focussing they'll wear an eye patch over their non dominant eye, I had the same problem but when i started shooting both eyes open the problem ended. Also good to have some eye drops handy helps reduce the need to blink. good luck

CodyBear · 05-01-2005, 05:02 AM

I did adjust the eyepiece but still encountered the problem. I found that my lightest trigger pull of 7/8oz works best because I'm not spending as much time leaning into the trigger so I can get a shot off quicker before the view starts blurying up to much. Like Gorse, I'm extremly near sighted and can read such fine print that I'm always ask to read fine print that knowone else can read at work., not bad for being 40, I guess....

I'm do for some new glasses so I think I'll see what he has to say about it. Meanwhile, I'll try shooting with both eyes open and see how that works. Really funny, I still kicked everyone's but at the range the other day. We had a 5 shot shoot-off with hunting rifles and I shot a .400 @ 100yds with an out-of-the-box Savage .243 with factory loads and won $100

CB

Sniper151 · 05-02-2005, 08:27 PM

I hope this rifle with the 7/8 oz. trigger is for the range or bench shooting! That's much to light as a hunting rifle as a primary trigger. Most set triggers are heavier than 1 lbs.[:-]

Briman · 05-03-2005, 06:14 PM

Could be high blood sugar. I have to watch what I eat for a day or two before matches or even my corrected vision is blurry.

Could also just be mirage. If your barrel heats up, or the sun is relatively hot on a day, you will see all kinds of weird heat waves off your barrel, on the target, and all points in between that will distort your sight picture. There is an upside to mirage though- you can actually see the wind blowing in the direction the mirage is moving.