Top 3 Vision Solutions for Shooters: Contacts, Glasses, and Surgery for Presbyopia

Defocus Media Podcast Network

For shooters, clarity and precision are everything. But as many competitive shooters and sports enthusiasts enter their late 30s and beyond, a subtle yet impactful change starts to occur—presbyopia, or the “over-40 disease,” begins affecting their ability to focus on nearby objects, like front sights or gauges. This vision condition can diminish athletes’ confidence and performance, making routine activities like targeting or reading competition scores more challenging.

In partnership with Sports Vision Pros and Bausch + Lomb

“Presbyopia is more than just age-related; it’s the over-40 disease affecting precision and performance in sports,” says Dr. Keith Smithson, the Sports Vision Pros podcast host. In this episode, Dr. Glover brought together a team of optometric experts, Dr. Keith Smithson, Dr. Derek Cunningham, Dr. Joshua Black, and competitive shooter Chris Ripley, to explore how vision specialists can best support shooters impacted by presbyopia, with solutions ranging from custom lenses to surgical interventions.

Table of Contents

Understanding Presbyopia and Its Impact on Athletes

Case Study: Real-World Insights from the Sports Vision Pros Panel

Solution 1: Eyewear Options for Presbyopic Athletes

Solution 2: Contact Lenses as a Game-Changer for Presbyopic Shooters

Solution 3: Surgical Interventions for Shooting Precision

The Science of Sight for Precision Sports

Customizing Vision for Every Athlete

Vision Care as the Key to Success in Sports

Understanding Presbyopia and Its Impact on Athletes

Presbyopia begins to show in one’s late 30s and is marked by a gradual loss of the eye’s ability to focus on nearby objects. It may start subtly but eventually hampers the lives of those who rely on precise, rapid shifts in focus—like athletes. For shooters, presbyopia affects contrast sensitivity, glare tolerance, reaction times, and near-vision clarity. These subtle changes can significantly impact their performance and overall experience, making presbyopia more than just an annoyance; it’s a genuine performance inhibitor.

Dr. Cunningham, whose work has brought presbyopia to light in the world of competitive sports, emphasizes that presbyopia doesn’t only affect older athletes. “We see early presbyopia effects in the late 30s. It impacts contrast sensitivity, glare tolerance, and even the ability to change focus dynamically, which is essential for shooters,” he explains.

Case Study: Real-World Insights from the Sports Vision Pros Panel

The Sports Vision Pros panel, featuring Drs. Smithson, Cunningham, Black, and shooting champion Chris Ripley, shared valuable insights into treating presbyopic shooters. Each panelist emphasized that precision and focus are everything in competitive shooting, making the right eyewear and refractive solutions vital.

Dr. Black, a former Olympic shooter, highlighted the importance of fitting athletes with precise prescriptions based on the unique needs of each sport. He describes the adjustments shooters often require based on the sport type: “In Olympic shooting, most athletes focus on the distance target. But in pistol competitions, they may focus on the front sight of the weapon, requiring different vision adjustments.” This nuanced understanding of vision demands is essential for optometrists looking to support shooters effectively.

Solution 1: Eyewear Options for Presbyopic Athletes

Corrective lenses tailored for shooting sports are the first line of defense against the impacts of presbyopia. These range from single-vision lenses for distance vision to more specialized bifocals or multifocal options. Each option allows shooters to focus on targets at multiple distances, ensuring the highest precision possible.

Dr. Smithson notes that presbyopic athletes may prefer lined bifocals or progressive lenses, especially if their sport requires frequent refocusing between near and far targets. Dr. Black adds that precision refraction is essential: “Shooter patients often have higher demands than a standard 20/20 prescription. Many can see better than 20/20, and we must push to meet those high demands.”

Furthermore, many professional shooters have specific equipment or eyewear they’re comfortable with, making custom fitting even more critical. Dr. Smithson often encourages his shooter patients to bring their specialized shooting frames or glasses into his clinic so that lenses can be crafted to fit their needs precisely.

Solution 2: Contact Lenses as a Game-Changer for Presbyopic Shooters

Contact lenses provide presbyopic shooters with unparalleled freedom and flexibility, offering a full range of vision correction solutions that cater to the unique demands of their sport. Unlike traditional glasses, contact lenses eliminate issues like peripheral distortion and lens fogging, allowing shooters to perform with unrestricted, crisp vision. By delivering high-definition optics in a comfortable, stable fit, contact lenses help athletes maintain focus and precision across varying distances—a necessity in dynamic sports like shooting.

Regarding presbyopia, contact lenses offer several configurations to suit individual needs, including single-vision, monovision, and multifocal lenses. Single-vision lenses are ideal for shooters focused solely on distance, while monovision contact lenses, which assign one eye to distance vision and the other to near vision, provide a versatile approach for those needing close-up clarity for tasks like checking a front sight or handling equipment.

The multifocal lens category, however, represents a true innovation for presbyopic athletes. Multifocal contact lenses are designed to give shooters the best of both worlds, balancing near and distance vision in one lens. Dr. Keith Smithson, an expert in sports vision, likens this to a bullseye with near vision at the center and distance vision radiating through the periphery—a design that enables seamless shifts between focusing on close and distant objects.

“Multifocals have revolutionized how we approach presbyopic athletes. They enable shooters to maintain focus on close-range sights while still having clarity downrange,” Dr. Smithson explains.

The Bausch + Lomb family of lenses, including Bausch + Lomb INFUSE^®, Bausch + Lomb ULTRA^®, and Biotrue^® ONEday, has proven particularly effective for presbyopic shooters. These lenses are engineered with advanced aspheric optics to help correct higher-order aberrations, ensuring sharper, clearer vision at all focal points. This innovative design caters to the high demands of presbyopic shooters, whose needs extend beyond basic 20/20 vision. Many, as Dr. Smithson notes, need to see even better than 20/20 to perform optimally.

Dr. Smithson shares a compelling example: a tactical trainer who found his performance on the range reinvigorated after being fitted with the right multifocal contact lenses. “Being able to switch between close-range sights and distant targets seamlessly in contact lenses is a game-changer for many competitive shooters,” he adds. Beyond multifocals, shooters can also benefit from customized lens options, including lenses designed for astigmatism, which can further enhance vision stability and accuracy.

Beyond these technical benefits, contact lenses also provide a major comfort advantage. For many shooters, the lightweight, unobtrusive nature of contact lenses allows for natural movement and minimizes the distractions that glasses can pose. And because contacts sit directly on the eye, they offer a consistent field of vision, regardless of head position or angle—an invaluable feature in sports where precision is key.

As more presbyopic athletes discover the advantages of contact lenses, eye care professionals have an opportunity to help their patients experience this next-level clarity and comfort. Contact lenses don’t just support athletes’ performance; they help them stay connected to their passion without compromise.

Solution 3: Surgical Interventions for Shooting Precision

For some, corrective surgery may be the best path forward. LASIK and other refractive surgeries can correct distance vision, but presbyopic patients often still need correction for close-up tasks. Another option, intraocular lenses, offers more stability and clarity for both near and distance vision in aging eyes.

Dr. Cunningham notes that careful consultation with a knowledgeable surgical team is essential: “In my practice, I make the final decision on whether a patient is eligible for surgery, especially when their livelihood depends on perfect vision.” This unique level of scrutiny ensures that surgical candidates like Ripley, who needs flawless vision for competitive shooting and aerobatic flying, achieve the best possible outcomes.

For patients like Chris Ripley, surgery opened new possibilities. “I went from being in the 50th percentile to winning a national competition just weeks after surgery,” he shares. However, this transformative change requires the patient and surgeon to fully understand the athlete’s vision requirements and desired outcomes.

The Science of Sight for Precision Sports

Elite shooters often report fatigue and eye strain during long competitions, especially as presbyopia progresses. In this condition, minor refractive errors can make a major impact. Dr. Cunningham’s research has shown that an error of just one diopter can drastically alter a shooter’s sight picture. This understanding is essential for all practitioners working with athletes, particularly when considering refractive treatments.

“Precision vision is a game-changer,” says Dr. Smithson. “Elite shooters rely on hyper-specific focal clarity, which only the right tools can provide.” His point reinforces the idea that addressing presbyopia in athletes isn’t just about visual acuity but the overall visual quality.

Customizing Vision for Every Athlete

Each shooter has specific needs depending on their sport, shooting distance, and type of weapon. For instance, Olympic pistol shooters and rifle athletes might require vastly different prescriptions. Dr. Black explains, “Some athletes prefer focusing on their front sight, while others focus on a more distant target. Each shooter knows their needs, and listening to them is crucial.”

The panel emphasized that patients will often benefit from different pairs of glasses or contacts for specific activities. Dr. Cunningham regularly prescribes different lenses for training sessions versus competitions, ensuring the optimal prescription for each task.

Vision Care as the Key to Success in Sports

For optometrists and vision care specialists, treating athletes with presbyopia is about understanding each patient’s specific demands and tailoring solutions accordingly. This can mean specialized glasses, advanced contact lenses, or surgical intervention. Whether it’s a recreational shooter or an elite marksman, each patient deserves a customized plan.

“Every athlete deserves the tools to succeed, and precision in sports vision can truly change lives,” says Dr. Glover. As presbyopia becomes a reality for more people, eye care specialists have the opportunity to play a critical role in maintaining—and enhancing—athletes’ performances. By understanding athletes’ unique challenges, eye care professionals can help ensure that age doesn’t limit their vision or passion.

Visit Sports Vision Pros for all sports vision information.