Prescribing for marksmen and hunters.

Abstract

Marksmen and hunters present unique challenges to the prescribing optometrist. History-taking must be thorough, to discover the specific interests of the patient, the weapon used, and the level of skill. Appropriate protective eyewear should be prescribed for all hunters and marksmen, with well-designed frames and polycarbonate lenses. Providing excellent distance acuity is an obvious requirement for these persons, and not only Snellen charts but also contrast sensitivity may be used to measure acuity. The most demanding patient is a presbyopic pistol shooter, who may require the use of apertures, low plus lenses or adds, or special design eyewear to provide the acuity needed for the alignment of front and rear sights. Another problem is eye dominance, which may be a consideration for left-eye (crossed) dominant individuals. Physiological diplopia may be a concern for beginning marksmen, and occlusion of the nonsighting eye or training to learn to ignore the diplopia may be necessary. Optometrists should be prepared to offer these and other services to this interesting class of patients.