Is it harder to play golf with glasses?

All prescriptions have some degree of magnification so objects appear closer than they are and astigmatisms might affect direct line of sight even as close as four feet away due to irregular curvature of lens or cornea. Is this a problem or does the brain figure out how to compensate so you can hit a golf ball squarely?

I wore progressive lenses and just removed them while playing golf. I could get around the golf course without them. Now I wear contact lenses and it seems fine.

I wear glasses, progessive type, and have a slight astigmatism. My sight without the glasses is still fair enough but causes the ball to be a bit blurry at address. Personally, I have tried and tried to play with my progressive glasses on and cannot stand it. I have also bought non progressive glasses with a tiny reader on the bottom but still cannot deal with the distortion they cause. So I either play without glasses or wear contact lenses. I got the contact lenses specifically for golf but they have some inherent problems as well. For me and my experience, they dry out a bit so you have to keep them lubricated, and for some reason the left contact never sits well on my eye probably due to the astigmatism. Also I have difficulty with my eyes getting tired and going in and out of focus. It never happens with my glasses on only when I wear contacts, go figure? Still, the best scenario for me is to wear my contacts, and wearing glasses would be my least desirable option. I suppose situations vary from eyeglass wearer to eyeglass wearer.

It's a tricky question, because the degree of vision correction required, as well as the type of defect, can be major variables. I have no idea if the brain can compensate for all degrees of distortion/correction, but it's certainly possible (especially if the shift from the glasses is minor).

I am mildly nearsighted. I can play without my glasses, but it's more difficult tracking the ball. For the full swing the glasses never made any difference to me. But for putting it was, at one time, an issue. My standard glasses created a slight distortion if I looked through them at the wrong angle. This made putting more difficult and I would always take them off for putting. Finally I did some research and got a new script. I have fairly flat lens now that do not distort the field of vision and I putt with them on.

I would imagine that someone that required a significantly strong prescription than me might have some difficulties with putting and perhaps even with contact during the full swing.

One cool thing I was able to do after explaining what I wanted from the optometrist was to make my new script on the high side of every test. So, every time there was a choice during the exam she selected the more powerful choice. This way I ended up with slightly better than normal vision for my sports/golf glasses.

I wear glasses and play. My biggest issue is mid round switching from sunglasses to my normal glasses or vice versa. It takes a hole or two for my eyes to adjust.

You will have trouble because of Mr. Snell. And that’s not the ball maker. Snell's law - WikipediaAny interface will distort an object’s apparent position. Your glasses lens/interface is a variable distance from your eye, is not curved to match your cornea, and is in motion through the shot. Your brain can’t account for this, as there is no feedback mechanism that the object plane is offset, much less a way to correct for it.

I guess that is why contact lenses seem to work for many.

I've been playing with glasses since age 14 (67 now) and never felt I had an issue until bifocals became necessary. I just could not figure out how to play with bifocals - so I had a pair of glasses made without the bifocal portion but with the lens that adjust in sunlight to become darker. This has seemed to work pretty well. I'm nearsighted and have astigmatism in one eye - maybe I will try and play in basic sunglasses and see if I notice any difference. Thanks for raising the question.

I'm in same boat as rwc. Have worn glasses since childhood, never found playing in them a problem. Once bifocals/progressive lenses became necessary, I would switch to single vision glasses or wear contacts for golf related activity; I found it too difficult to make solid contact while wearing my new glasses.

I have a set of “golf” glasses that are single vision with the Transitions option. They auto darken and lighten depending on the light eliminating the need for sunglasses. The newer technology is a big improvement and the lenses actually get pretty dark and completely clear.

Yes, light bends as it moves through a lens (glass or plastic), that's the whole point of wearing glasses. You need to bend the light so that what you are looking at is clear. As long as you wear your glasses all the time, your brain adjusts to the position of where objects are and then you perceive them to be in the correct position. The only problem that can occur is if you switch between wearing your glasses and not. It will take your brain a little time to adapt to where things are. When I take my contacts out and put on my glasses, things are a little weird for a while if I go outside. In about an hour or so things are back to normal as my brain has adapted to the difference and I have no problems.

I think where a lot of people have problems with their glasses, is that they often buy the least expensive lens they can. I can tell you, a cheap lens will not perform as well as a high quality grind and material. Especially when it comes to progressive lenses. If you wear glasses and you get a pair that are single vision for golf, make sure the lens is the same material. Then you shouldn't have any spatial problems.

Back to the OP question: Yes it is harder to golf with glasses on. While I can do it, I find it not as easy because there usually is an area in the center of your glasses that is absolutely perfect for you. You tend to move your head to keep that point in the center. It will often make a golfer keep their head static and fixed on the ball when it should be rotating with the shoulders and the eye tracking the ball. I've actually only golfed once in the last 30+ years with my glasses instead of my contacts. Not my best day.

Yes, light bends as it moves through a lens (glass or plastic), that's the whole point of wearing glasses. You need to bend the light so that what you are looking at is clear. As long as you wear your glasses all the time, your brain adjusts to the position of where objects are and then you perceive them to be in the correct position.

No. You’re confusing the shape of the lens itself (which provides the correction) with the interface between surfaces.

That’s exactly correct.

My vision is similar. I don't wear my glasses on the course, but that also means I can't use a GPS because the numbers are too small. Rangefinder with a diopter correction is perfect.

They work in conjunction with each other. Nonetheless, if you wear your glasses all the time, your perception of objects will remain constant and true for you.

Because I am not comfortable and able to golf very well with glasses, and contacts are not without issues, being 65 years old with cataracts slightly coming into play, I Wish the ophthalmologist wood recommend cataract surgery where a new lens would be installed in my eyes. It seems sort of strange to me to be hoping for a surgery, but that is pretty much my situation. It would be great not to have to wear corrective lenses for nearsightedness. I have an appointment early next year with the opthamologist and see how the cataracts are imposing and maybe he will recommend surgery for me. Everybody I know that has had surgery for cataracts rave about the quality of their vision after new lenses are put in their eyes.

I hate playing in glasses. Misty days are terrible. I believe they hurt on the green reading but I don’t believe mine impact my full shots. I don’t need them to read, just distance. I explored LASIK and found out I would then need reading glasses full time. Doing one eye was an option but I didn’t go that route —- yet.

I play with progressive lenses and have for many years. Tried a pair of golf specific sports glasses that cost a fortune and found no benefit.

I can make decent contact, but my son says my alignment is horrible which has a negative impact on putting. I haven't found a solution to that. So, I soldier on and accept my limitations. With handicap play I see no real advantage to searching for a fancy solution as it will work out in the spot you give/get.

I have no line bifocals in my regular glasses and sunglasses. I honestly don't have any issues wearing either but I'm ok not wearing any glasses as long as I don't have to read anything small like my phone.

As a referee my eye doctor recommended contacts. Don't have to worry about them moving around when running. He also said they would be perfect for golf. Now I wear them every day. I ref almost every day. So I am used to them being in all day. They don't bother me as far as drying out.

I play in Bifocals. No issues and distance judgement is excellent.

Played in glasses all my life without issue but thought that the switch to vari-focals would have an impact, particularly on putting. However, I adjusted naturally without any problems.

I have never been able to play in sunglasses although perfectly matched to my normal glasses. Always topped it every time I tried!

In high school I wore glasses while playing and had no issues. Eventually I switched to contacts and have done so for 20+ years without looking back. A summer or two back my contacts were bugging me so I went to the range in glasses in anticipation of a weekend round, just to test the waters before the actual round. Couldn't do it, if my head turned at all I'd lose the ball out of the corner of the lenses and see it with my vision as normal, completely messed me up. Granted those lenses aren't the biggest like 90s frames were but it felt like the ball was moving the way my brain was playing tricks on me. I can and do play with sunglasses without a problem, so my guess is it's different for everybody.

Have worn glasses since I was 12 so no issues. Can legally drive without them even. However, I like to see where my ball goes so I have them on all the time. Have clip on shades also. Sometimes will take the glasses off & on to read a putt. One time they had me try no line bifocals.....never, never again!

Just goes to show how we move our heads during the swing and take for it granted that our eyes track the ball while we do it. The primary reason I wear contacts instead of glasses to play. For some that wear glasses (and progressives) all the time, it never bothers them. I don't know how, but that's what they say.

Been wearing glasses since my 30's. Yes, they can be a pain in the rain but otherwise, no biggy. For golf I wear prescription Oakley's Jupiter Squared with G30 Rose color and a custom right eye mini reader lens - NO magnification. Good lenses should be natural. The G30 are sport performance lens for flat to medium light and Rose with a subtle Iridium® coating to improve contrast and depth perception in blues and greens. Had them since 2014.

Near sighted with astigmatism since I was a teenager. No issues initially, with glasses or contact lenses. However, recently I needed bifocals or progressive lenses and it has been disastrous. Putting, chipping and pitching has been going backwards fast. Progressive lenses are terrible for golf; as your head turns the ball appears to move closer or further from you. Good luck trying to hit the ball solidly with your brain getting that type of feedback. Bifocals are a bit better, but you need to drop your chin to hit shorter clubs. Short shots are still a nightmare for me. Going to get a set of lenses with only the longer focal prescription. Hopefully that helps.

My regular glasses are progressive but driving and sun glasses are single vision. When searching for an Eye Doc, the first question I asked was does he play golf. If he said no, I said it's not going to work and kept looking till I found and eye doctor that plays golf. He understands the importance of no magnification and said progressives are not advised. My golf glasses are Rose color single distance vision and to get around progressive lens he came up with the idea of a tiny unnoticeable reader lens in the lower right portion of the right lens, allowing me to read a score card yet it's out of my sight line when putting or chipping, etc. Pretty neat.

I think it makes it harder simply because frames are a distraction to me. I usually wear my Oakley Radar glasses or nothing at all if it's cloudy out, even though I have Rx lenses. I am considering going to contacts specifically because I find when playing alone I can often lose sight of the ball on my drives.

I'd love to blame my glasses for part of my handicap or some near misses, but fear that I cannot. I get the same results with contacts, which I use about half the time. Of course sunglasses over contacts (or good eyes) could be another thread...