Putting it into focus, diopters can help sportsmen
This week the topic is diopters.
OK, what the heck is a diopter? I only know because I am of advanced maternal age. That is what they call you when you are old and about to have a child. My wife and I were both identified as maternally advanced in 2007. Fortunately, she had to do all the heavy lifting (I mean pushing.) I guess that makes us really old.
A diopter is a unit of refractive power that is equal to the reciprocal of the focal length (in meters) of a given lens. In layman’s terms, they are the little bifocal thingies on your glasses that help you to read. Think of it as measuring your prescription for your glasses. Prescriptions for distance are measured in negative numbers while those for reading glasses are noted in positive numbers. For example, my contact lenses/distance glasses are a -2.50. My reading glasses are a +1.75.
So why is your friendly neighborhood outdoor columnist illuminating you to the world of diopters? Because he, like you, is getting older by the minute and if you aren’t having trouble with some facet of your vision yet, you will.
When I wear no corrective lenses, my reading of the fine print is just, well, fine. However, when I wear my contact lenses so that I can see at distance, it destroys my close-up vision, requiring me to reach for the diopter safety glasses.
In the meanwhile, what does all this diopter stuff translate to in the real world of the sportsman? It’s like this: I’m trying to adjust my rifle scope while sighting in. The little numbers on the turrets are getting littler. I’m standing in the middle of a trout stream and I am one cast away from landing the fish of a lifetime. My hook, of course, has just become tangled in the tree overhead and upon my last yank has failed to dislodge, breaking my line. I have to tie a new knot but I also have a bird’s nest snag to deal with prior. I have just managed to embed four multiflora rose thorns in my hands while pheasant hunting, two more in my thighs and I may have a tick along for the ride on my right knee. What is the answer? Voila! Enter the diopter.
Years back, my boss and well-known football coach John Menhart was wearing a ridiculously large sun hat to football practice (similar to the one I wear outdoors, constantly, these days.) I cannot print most of the names we called him for donning such a fashion statement. I saw him at the WPIAL Softball Championships last week and he was still wearing his hat. There is a fashion rule stating that if you continue to wear your bad hat for a period of one decade or longer, then you become an icon. John is now an icon.
In addition to his hat all those years ago, John paired his ensemble with an equally tasteful pair of, wait for it … diopter safety sunglasses. His glasses are similar to the seven pairs of clear, smoke, orange, yellow and ice blue that I currently wear everywhere. Deep down I was impressed with them from the get-go but I would never admit taking my fashion cues from Menhart. I am afraid I will never reach icon status but I do like to see if I am digging an embedded tick from my thigh or whether I have chosen to attempt an impromptu mole removal surgery because I am blind without the aid of my reading glasses.
Some companies are making a mint from the fashion diopter. You can get glasses that will make you look like Tom Selleck from an episode of Blue Bloods. Can’t wait until mine arrive. Diopters are available in all the shapes, sizes and colors that your favorite major league players are wearing. You can get diopters that will help make you look smarter. I could use a couple of pairs of those ones.
The safety element is especially important when working with power tools, shooting, etc. Clear lenses are a boon. As a police officer, I like wearing the clear and yellow lenses on duty because nothing screams “old and decrepit” like pausing during a traffic stop to don your cheater readers. It makes an exceptional statement of command presence when you let them ride way down at the end of your nose and you tilt your head back.
Bird hunting in shadowy cover can be greatly enhanced with yellow and orange lenses. Movement is picked up more quickly and vision, at least to me appears sharper. I also like being able to move back and forth from my compass, close reading, to my distance vision for shooting while I bird hunt.
Sunglass diopters come in all shapes and sizes but beware. You get what you pay for. The bargain basement diopter is not to be trusted.