Last time I went shooting at my friend’s fish and game club, I wasn’t a great shot. It’s likely due to general inexperience. Perhaps if I had the advanced eyewear of Olympic sharpshooters, my aim would have been more dead shot than dead sh!t.
Wired recently ran a story about the technology that goes into shooting eyewear. Shooting events do not allow any optical enhancements on the gun itself, as they are only allowed to have open sights. One might think that shooting eyewear is a simple zoom lens that enables the shooter to better focus on the bullseye, but in fact it provides a larger depth of field. Hitting the target requires precise alignment of the two sights on the gun with the center of the bullseye. Without an optical aid, this would require the eye to constantly refocus between two depths.
While they are complicated instruments that can cost a fair amount (this pair starting at €210, with other models’ pricing quickly doubling or more), the important, functional parts of the glasses are just three components: a lens, mechanical iris, and blinders.
The lens is typically ground to a low diopter, such as .5 D. The iris is placed between the lens and the shooter’s eye and allows the shooter to control how much light is perceived. Lower light levels result in longer depths of field, similar to how pinhole cameras operate. Along with the blinders that reduce light in the non-dominant eye, this allows the shooter to accurately view both gunsights and the bullseye. The blinders also serve to block out any potential ambient distractions. Many contestants in air pistol and rifle events choose to wear ear protection to also eliminate distracting noise, despite compressed air firearms being relatively quiet.
Shooting glasses are highly adjustable and customizable. They must be able to meet a wide variety of facial geometries. This Russian competitor engraved symbols from her favorite video games. Some competitors also compete in the three-position .22 caliber rifle event, where their accuracy is tested in kneeling, prone and standing positions. Quick-change shooting eyewear has been developed especially for this event.
Shooting may be one of the less appealing sports at the summer Olympics (hello, beach volleyball) but there is a considerable amount of design and manufacturing that go into its equipment.
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