Getting old sucks!

So my eyes are finally bad enough that I went to the eye doc today and have a pair of glasses on the way. Been wearing readers for close stuff for a couple of years now, picked my bow back up this year after a few years off due to some injuries and surgeries. Didn't need any glasses when that all started. My how things change!

Basically, shooting my compound bow with readers on I can focus on the pins until I draw and look thru the peep,then the pins go blurry to the point of almost not being able to see the red ones at all. Distance vision is bad enough that a 30yd target is blurry too when looking thru the peep and trying to get the pins in focus enough to see them. Without the peep I can focus on the pins at arms length fine, and the target at 30yds, just can't get it all to sync up thru the peep.

The optometrist is a hunter/shooter too, and told me straight out that he can't fix everything I have going on, but will try to find me a happy medium with my script.

I do have a crossbow, and guess I'll be planning on using it as a primary again because I can get the scope focused properly. I really wanted to get back onto my compound bow because the xbow is just a tedious pita tho shoot.

Am I alone in this situation? I never wanted to give up on my vert bow, but if I can't get this corrected then I'll have no choice.

I know I can't be the only early gen-x'er who bow hunts here. How are y'all dealing with this?

I may be mistaken but I believe they make a telescopic sight for a compound bow. Magnifies the pins 2x or something like that. Target shooters use them

Started looking at scopes for compound bows and found these. Looks interesting, calle dthe local pro shop and they have them in stock. Going over there tomorrow evening to get the compatible peep served in and try out the different lenses to see if this will fix things.

https://specialtyarch.com/product/5-16-xl-verifier/

Maybe there's hope yet?

There are lens peep sights that look through them and you ae essentially looking through a monachal.

The guy who I would consider my mentor is getting up in years, wears glasses, tells me he can’t use a magnifier with his glasses. Also that he takes his glasses off to use a rifle scope.

Personally I don’t focus on my pins at all. I use the biggest peep i could find and I basically sighted in my bow without it, then installed the peep and moved that down to line up with my sight picture at my anchor.

Focus on the target, hit my anchor, put the fuzzy blob on there and let her rip.

By focusing on the target your pin gap is tighter across a given range too.

I don’t think a magnifier will help you focus on the pins. Just my 2 cents, from an intermediate archer that don’t know much of nothing lol. I thought this might help.

Some love them others hate them. Myself they might help and I shot enough on customers bows they actually would have helped pre eye surgeries for Fuchs and cataracts but after those I would not consider them for me.

Some shops have them and will pop in one for you to try

In the past my focus was never primarily the pins, but I could see them clearly then so it was never an issue. I just knew which one to use for the distance. Now that they are a complete blur it's an issue.

Gonna try the product above tomorrow and will report back on my findings. I hope I can get something to work without glasses, something about wearing glassed while bow hunting just doesn't appeal to me.

I put some prayers on that, i hope you get to enjoy bow season.

Oh I'll be out there one way or another, I do have a X-bow with a scope, so I'm hunting either way. I would just like to be using my compound bow if I can.

I am 53 with progressive (bifocal) glasses. I use a Spot Hogg single pin sight that helps me. I look through the distance part of my glasses focusing on the target and put the single, kind of blurry pin (green) center mass of where I want to hit. I am OK to about 40yds but beyond that I don't feel like I am making an ethical shot.

I switched to daily contacts and put a lens in both my hunting and target bows. I also put a clarifier in the peep. Targets are still a little blurry due to my astigmatism but for hunting it's not an issue. Because my weak eye can take over sometimes I close it until I'm in the site picture and the reopen it for depth perception. I only use my readers when I'm checking text messages or looking at Onx or Gohunt. I use my range finder to see the site tape when adjusting for distance. I've never had an issue with either the lens or clarifier getting wet but I bet in a thunderstorm I'd have to work hard to protect both.

So far I just wear my readers when I shoot. Clears the pins up well enough to see the target well.

This is good info. I'm starting to run into this as well

Same for me if I use the distance part to see the target the pin is a little fuzzy. I find shooting both eyes open helps a lot. I’m sure the issues your glasses are correcting affects that though.

Same here! I have glasses to see far but then the pins are blurry. I switched to the EZV sight so I can just focus on the target which has helped a lot. This hasn't resolved the problem but much easier to center the target in the V than trying to focus on small pins...etc. Last night I was thinking about switching back to traditional since no pins and just shooting.

My daughter, although young has vision issues and has blurry pins. I was gonna get her a verifier (or is it clarifier?) but after getting her a lens and moving the sight a little further out, that worked for her. Only bad thing is she can't get as much distance out of her sight.

Well, I haven't gotten the verifier put on my bow yet. Picking up my new script spec's this afternoon and I'll see how that plays out. Planning on using the xbow this weekend and play with the compound between hunts to see how this deal might turn out. Might get some hutnng in with the compound yet this year, but will for sure have it all worked out one way or another by next year.

I almost put in a peep magnifier this year, its time i got to eye doctor

Peep magnifiers, also known as clarifier peeps, work. Until that first chilly morning and your warm breath fogs it up . . .

This sounds like a smart-a$$ response, but that's not my intention. Maybe just plan on limiting yourself to shots of 20 yards or less. I don't know what the average shot distance is on a whitetail in Texas, but I imagine it's 10-15 yards.

Shooting instinctively with no sight will solve your problem. It will take some diligent practice to master.

Wow. I have been considering a return to bowhunting, had cataract surgery three years ago, big changes in vision -- hadn't even thought of complications in shooting a compound.

Two words...peep verifier. Had the same problem- using readers for up close but could see fine out. Heard about peep verifiers and on line searched for a bow shop that installs them. Found one fairly close and he fixed me up. Been a game changer for me. Don't generally bow hunt when it is cold enough to worry about in fogging, but for east Texas bow hunting during bow season it works great for me. Have to wear glasses pretty much all the time now, but when time to draw and shoot I just take off my glasses and I am good to go.

Yea this is a game changer. I was 53 and started getting cataract in my right eye, it was so bad I could not see the pins. that next summer had surgery and now its 10 years later with no issues shooting. Both eyes are done now and all I need is 150 cheaters.

I believe that HHA makes a 4x magnifier lens for their Optimizer sights. Could be an option for you.