I’ve listened to all of the podcasts featuring Dr. Colo, and was impressed how you were able to condense the message down with simple graphics and select audio bites. Including good camera closeups of lens comparison, along with the still photos of eye dilation enhanced my ability to grasp the subject easily. Well done!
Thanks, Rick! That’s exactly what we were going for. We absolutely love those podcasts and have listened to them a few times each. They go into a greater level of detail than our video could, so it’s nice to have both out there. Appreciate the nice comment!
Love the cricket question! It's a complex game. So, in Cricket, you get a batsman out by hitting the stumps (the three wooden poles) behind the batsman. If the ball hits the Batsman's leg but would have hit the stumps if his legs had not been there, he is out by "leg before wicket". This rule ensures a batsman won't just stand if front of the stumps and block the good balls with his legs instead of playing them.
Wow what an education I just received. This is a big help considering I’m getting started with sporting clays and at the same time had cataract surgery done a few months ago. So this video was perfect timing for me to watch.
WOW!!! What a video!! Dr. R. Colo, I have been shooting competitively for 6 years. I am 56 years old and I come from a family of bad eye vision (fathers side). I have/had worn glasses in the age of 5. I started wearing Hard contacts in the 2nd grade. My glasses were like the bottom of coke bottles and I was so embarrassed to wear them and at one point stopped all together and of course couldn’t see a thing in class so teacher (nun) called my parents…back I went to see my optometrist…that’s when he suggested Hard contact lenses. I WAS IN HEAVEN except when outside…any little grain of dirt was pain to my eyes. Fast forward a few years…still using hard lenses and suffering abrasions due to dryness…excruciating pain to say the least and couldn’t be in ANY light for days. This went on until I was a freshmen in high school. One day my dad got the call from Dr saying, “they finally made a soft lense for Gracie’s right eye”… being my weaker of eyes and with severe nearsightedness and astigmatism…i jumped for joy and was at the Dr office immediately after school. I couldn’t wait for the lenses to come in. The first time I put them on and walked outside, I COULD SEE AND FELT I COULD WALK THROUGH A SAND STORM and be FREE of Abrasions!!!..it was the BEST feeling EVER!!!…Fast forward 1996…married, 2 children and sooo sick of wearing glasses (couldn’t wear lenses during pregnancies) and the AWFUL feeling of waking up in the morning and i scrambled for my glasses and couldn’t see the time on the cable box 10 feet away…it was so frustrating so I looked into LASIK surgery and proceeded to have it done (25 years ago). I LOVED IT because once I had it, 2 days later I had perfect 20/20 vision..HURRAY!!! Hunting was a breeze (avid lifelong hunter) and I COULD SEE with NO difficulties…I felt like a NEW person. In 1999 I get pregnant again with my 3rd child and at 6 months pregnant, I start seeing blurry…i go to my doctor and says “ its a hormone thing, it will go away after delivery”. Jan 2000, I deliver. 8 months pass and I am still seeing blurry. I go back to dr. And my vision wasn’t 20/20 anymore…now Im back in glasses. I resorted to ok, Im 33 and not getting any younger so i conformed to having to wear glasses again. As time and years passed, I went from single vision to progressive lenses and augmentation in prescriptions as well… In 2014 I was asked to participate in a shoot for fun, didn’t know what i was doing but was able to hit 40+ targets out of 100…i thought i did AWESOME..won 1st place in woman’s and thought to myself…”how in the world did i do that” lol. Little did I know I would love the sport. I started practicing at our local complex and started taking lessons on skeet field with a local coach. I went back to my Dr and he gave my distance only contacts and so I wore them to shoot so I could use shooting glasses. I could see targets most of the time. Started competing avidly and starting scoring higher and more often. Last year April 2021, I woke up with my right eye swollen shut and in pain. I text my niece who is a PA in San Antonio Tx (I’m from Laredo, TX) for an Opthomalogist, Dr. Oday Alsheihk and had me go in to have my eye checked out. Dr Smith (optometrist) looked at my eye due to Alsheihk being in surgeries and turned out I had a deep embedded stye inside my eye lid. She proceeded to have my eyes checked fully for pressure, glaucoma cataract etc…all the good stuff. My dad had just lost his left eye completely due to glaucoma and cataract that was caught extremely late. My pressure on right eye was 37, left 32.. did intensive exams and was diagnosed with severe Glaucoma and at that point had lost 50% of my top vision in both my eyes. Needless to say, i was DEVESTATED! I was given several prescriptions and sent home in tears. Saw Dr Alsheihk every 2 weeks for 9 months and my pressure had dropped to a 12 in both eyes consistently by December and was told he would see me in 3 months. My life had drastically changed as well as my shooting abilities and skills…i had to completely re-adjust and keep moving forward still not seeing targets 100% of the time or seeing them release and losing them halfway in the air or vice-versa or non at all…it was soooo frustrating. I started seeing floaters, clouds, the glare was unbearable, the halos at night on headlights, light poles was unbearable to withstand…i go to my 3 months appointment and guess what?…. I had lost 75% of my top vision and developed Cataracts in both my eyes…I couldn’t bear the devastation. I broke down uncontrollably…thinking, my shooting career is OVER. The ONLY sport i LOVE with a PASSION and give 110% and I couldn’t see a future in it anymore. My ONLY option was to have surgery immediately and I had cataract surgery in both eyes April 5 & 6 with LAL (light adjustable lense - RXsight.com) and I was out of commission for 5 months. FINALLY on /august 9th Dr. Alsheihk was able to do the last adjustment and lock-in on my eyes and man did it feel GOOD to be able to see again. I immediately contacted my coach and started training 3-4 days a week to get ready for upcoming shoots and Nationals in SA, TX at the end of October. Not that I am going to win but I consider it a GREAT Challenging hardcore practice series of events and I get to see the best shooters compete for the CHAMPION TITLE…With all of my background explained, I notice that I can’t seem to find the right color of shooting lenses to give me the clarity and make the Targets stand out. Mind you, as successful and knowledgeable as my doctor is, he is not familiar with the sport and i have tried explaining but to no avail. I came across The Clay Lab on my FB feed and added them and all Ive done today is watch all the RUclips videos. However, this video caught my attention and I have watched it numerous times today. I had yet to see/find an eye doctor specific to the sport of Sport Clays/shooting. I feel frustrated in my shooting and feel i have not made any progression in my being able to see targets. If there is any advice you can help me with, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do so…. HELP -- Grace Trevino
Thanks for the comment! I would definitely recommending contacting Dr. Colo directly. We should have his contact info in the video and in the description.
first class presentation, great explanation from Dr Richard Colo , certainly explains some of the issues i have shooting with Retinitis Pigmentosa , difficulty in low light
interesting video. I was watching and was thingking wow that looks Like the range at Lejune. go figure. I use to shoot alot of archery down there and the new archery range was just down from shotgun stuff. I'm in New Bern and thinking about getting my feet wet in sporting clays. Just watching and getting all the info I can before taking the plunge. Don
Yupp that's lejeune! Tread carefully into this sport as it's very addictive haha. Lots of great content out there between podcasts from Shotgunsportsusa, deadpair podcast, TGS Outdoors and us of course. Best of luck!
Great video. Sporting clays instruction has so much “bro science” (and yes, I use much of it and it work), but I have noticed in recent years we are getting more precise answers to these questions. So thank you for you work.
Wow! Lots of good information. Sure enjoy your channel. Looking forward to the next video. Would like to see a video on the art of target setting. And what the target setter is looking to do when they are setting a course for competition.
Thanks for your comment! That’s a great idea! A few people immediately come to mind who would be amazing to see at work setting targets. Thanks for the idea 😀
What a great video. I am fortunate to have insanely good vision, better than 20/20, and this helps me put some context to how other shooters see the sport. When I first started, people who showed me the ropes always said "Make the break point where you can see the clay most clearly!". This confused me because the clay has always been razor sharp for me, from the moment it leaves the trap to when it hits the ground. It took a while to realize that other people have more typical eyesight or worse, and that actually gives them a zone where focus on the clay renders the most detail. My biggest gripe about my shooting glasses has been internal reflection during night shooting and low light shooting from other sources of light, and from light transmission from oblique sources, and I would really like to try some high end glasses to see if they solve any of those particular issues I struggle with.
I love what the Clay Lab has done in the past. I use RE Rangers and my best color is the light Orange 2nd is the yellow. Out in the direct sun I go to the Rose Titanium lense. I mostly trap at shooting courses so you better see the bird correctly to place on the score sheet. Seeing the bird during the flight and watching it's movement is critical. At the break point my eyes are on it . I do shoot also. It's fun with a high demanding challenge.
Thanks! That sounds like a great combination of lenses. It’s definitely important for judges and trappers to be able to see targets well! Did you watch the ISSF bunker trap World Cup this other day? The judge seemed to be having some trouble seeing the birds.
@@claylabusa ,Yes you have to be able to see, plus I shoot and work the main course so I need to always see the clay one bad call and you will not hear the end of it. Stay connected to the clay.
Great video! Would be even better if you compare shooting glasses. I'm trying to understand why Pilla glasses are so popular these days. Are they really better than others?
Great video Gents, I learned a lot. I only shoot skeet and besides being soon 77 I'm combat disabled and have bad eye dominates. Add to that we only shoot black targets and I will try a lighter shade with my shooting glasses.
Wonderful! All black targets? You must be shooting in the desert then if I had to guess 🏜 haha. Glad it was beneficial. Thank you for being a subscriber! Dr colo and will fennell work with folks that have eye dominance issues all the time and there isn't a situation they haven't seen.
@claylabusa The reason for shooting Bio black targets is because of the location. Our range is only used on weekends in the winter and the black blends in better with the beach and field, to save complaints. Our skeet is very challenging as depending on the day we may have 30+ mph winds and temps in the 20s. Not to mention if the tide is high with a North wind you get wet at station 1-7-and 8 with salt water. We old duck hunters seem to do better on days that are nasty. With my eye dominance issue I find calling for the bird, low gun both eyes open, mount gun and shot with left eye closed.
Great "Eye Opening" information..............or should that be "Eye Closing" information? Wish I'd known this stuff a year ago. Anyhow really enjoyed it, and plan to check out your other videos. Great camera work! Also great shooting with you guys this weekend at the NC State Tournament. Hope we didn't cramp your style.
Great info! You guys enjoy your youthful eyes. When I was younger I could shoot any non rx lense and dominated my state in skeet during my peak years....now at age 60 it's rx and a constant vision issue. Enjoy your youthful eyes while you have them!
It’s absolutely true! It becomes even more noticeable with shoot offs under the lights. You’ll see a lot of younger shooters outperform older shooters who might normally win during daylight hours
Scott, loads of great information. I will have to go back and watch again. I have noticed over the past year that when I shoot with a less dark lenses I tend to shoot better. I just picked up a new pair of glasses with my prescription, light bronze. No hidden quails this time???
Thanks, Tim! Yeah, no quails this time, haha. My wife was very disappointed at the lack of dogs, too 😂. I have a feeling I’ll do something similar in the Ranger video, though, so be on the lookout. You’ll end up with a closet full of Clay Lab gear by the end of the year, lol
Thanks! We’re hoping to do a video on eye dominance that will also likely include some information on crossers (as it’s a good way to demonstrate eye dominance)
AS a color blind shooter. I very much enjoyed your insight to the rods and cones of the eye, along with the detail required to commit to a good shot. I have tried to communicate this to my eye doctor. They don't get it. With this video. I can show them what the hell I"m looking for. Thank you very much.
Thanks for your comment, Bud! What you mentioned about difficulties in getting an eye exam from an eye doc who is t familiar with shooting sports was actually a topic of conversation with Dr. Colo. We had to cut it for time, but I can summarize what he told us. 1) Make sure your eye doctor checks your prescription BEFORE using dilating drops 2) Tell your eye doctor “I want to see shadows and reflections on a target at 40 yards,” and take a clay with you to your appointment. Even then, JP can tell you that it can be a huge challenge. Dr. Colo has a network of recommended eye docs that he has trained on the subject. You can always contact him at 860-558-4610 or eyedoc@richardcolo.com if you would like to get set up with him or one of his recommended folks.
@@claylabusa Thank you very much for the response. I'll work towards contacting Dr Colo directly and inform him of my issue with color and lens choice. Cheers.
I had just watched this video and was in the same boat being red/green color blind. Glad I scrolled the comments before blindly asking the same question. Much appreciated!
Great video. I've had cataract surgery so now way too much light comes in and I get glare. I will try anti glare with my new Ranger glasses soon. My question is how does Polarizing affect the glare issue when shooting vs anti glare coating?
In cricket the bowler is trying to get the batsmen out. This can happen in a number of ways for example the bowler can hit the “stumps” (the wooden sticks the batsman stands in front of ) with the ball. In this clip the bowler is appealing to the umpire(referee) that he thinks that the batsman was out leg before wicket ( ie leg before the stumps) In other words the ball would have hit the stumps if the batsman had not been standing in the way. It is up to the umpire to adjudicate and if he agrees with the bowlers appeal the batsman is given out. Hope this helps .
Yup, exactly this! It’s a slightly complex rule but it’s designed to stop ‘pad play’ ie batsman just blocking the bowler’s ability to hit the stumps by using their pads or to avoid getting caught out (as to be caught out the ball must touch the bat first). You can be out LBW if the ball pitches in line with or to the off side of the leg stump, strikes a part of the batsman’s body (invariably the leg) at a point when the ball is in line with the stumps AND is going on to hit the stumps. The rules require you to ‘appeal’ to the umpire before the batsman can be out lbw, hence all the loud calls of “how’s that?!” by the bowling side. Cricket is designed to be totally unintelligible to any nation that doesn’t play it, which, with the exception of the US, is basically anywhere that hasn’t been part of the British Empire!
Thanks! I lived in London for 6 months back in 2005 and we only had the basic television channels. I tried to watch cricket once and gave up, haha. Appreciate you guys helping it finally make sense for me!
@@claylabusa I played it at school when I was young and still only understood many of the rules (including lbw in full) after I bought a book! Rugby is another sport where the rules are intensely complicated and change each year, mainly because they’re trying to avoid players killing each other in tackles/rucks/scrums etc. I think the reason football (soccer) is so popular throughout the world is that the rules are easy and you can a pitch with a bit of space and four items to mark out the “goalposts”. Video is excellent btw👌
Great video. Have shot with Randolph Ranger glasses for years and really like them. I have half a dozen different lenses, but I think I use HD Medium the majority of the time. Will look into the RIACT AI lenses. They are expensive, but if it gets you some extra targets it’s probably worth it.
Thanks! It’s sounds like you’re doing what I did. I’ve owned the Edge frames for a couple of years now and had accumulated 4 or 5 sets of regular lenses. Pretty much used HD Medium in 90% of cases. The next video will illustrate this well, but I genuinely noticed a big difference switching from my HD Mediums to the RIACT mediums. The lenses look orange but when you wear them the colors appear natural. The anti-reflective coating is no joke. I bought mine prior to making the video. I started out just buying the RIACT mediums to see if it was worth the upgrade and loved them so much that I completed the set! Saw improved scores right away…increased detail on the target leads to increased confidence and that leads to breaking more targets, as Dr. Colo likes to say.
Hi, I personally don’t have any experience with Pillas just yet, but we are hoping to test those out soon. I’m doing my initial research for that now, and based on what I’m seeing, it looks like Pilla’s CGR series of lenses is going to fit best with what Dr. Colo is going for; achieving that ideal balance between detail and contrast. Can’t tell you for sure without trying them out, though. Stay tuned, and I’m fairly confident that we’ll be able to do a full breakdown of Pilla’s product line for you in the future!
Do you know when you’ll be doing the lens reviews this has been a good video for me been shooting for 7 years now and I always have my dark purple set of lenses on but those lens comparisons you did absolutely help see the importance of clearing. When switching did you notice a transition period where it took time looking for the flash harder or were they that much better.
Thanks! We have already filmed the episode and we’re currently anticipating an April 17 (Easter) release for that video. Sometimes I finish editing early, though. I have personally been using Ranger lenses for a good while now and really like the regular lenses. That said, RIACT is a very noticeable improvement and worth an upgrade, especially if you already have frames. I was able to notice the improvement myself, and it makes even more sense after hearing what Dr. Colo said about good lenses (prioritize detail, lightest lens possible, anti-reflective coating). RIACT checks all those boxes. Some other manufacturers are working on / have produced similar things, and we’re going to review those as well. Overall, though, if you’re already using Ranger gear, it’s a worthwhile upgrade from my standpoint.
Oh, may have misread question. If you don’t own Ranger gear already, their RIACT kits are at an excellent price point. As for transitioning from one lens to another, I found the RIACT lenses seem to balance the colors pretty well, so the transitioning isn’t jarring. Possibly a bit of an improvement over switching from wearing purple all afternoon to yellow in the evening
@@claylabusa thank you very much. I’m much like you guys I’m very analytical about my gear and always thought you wanted more and more contrast thinking it would lead to better scores. But understanding a good balance is probably a better option I shoot for a college team and have goals in mind shooting Olympic bunker trap and this would be very helpful for seeing a crisp target instead of just a orange circle. I shoot ranger lenses that have my prescription in them and was looking to upgrade to better lenses typically looking at pilla but if these are the real deal I will have to look at these for sure.
@@codysharp7620 Not to muddy the waters too much, but Dr. Colo specifically mentioned bunker trap and helice as games where higher contrast may be worthwhile, given the quicker reaction time needed. Had to cut it from the final video due to time. The nice thing is that he also said that eye dominance plays much less of a role, when it's such a fast game. Will try to include some of that in the eventual eye dominance video (not sure of timeframe yet).
@@claylabusa awsome thank you very much it kinda makes since that it would benefit more due to the quicker reaction time I really appreciate it and look forward to the upcoming videos for sure.
Cricket reference is LBW or leg before wicket. The wicket is situated behind the batter. The batter must hit the ball with the bat or protect the wicket with his bat not his leg. If the ball travells past the bat and hits the wicket behind the batter the batter is out. If the leg gets in the way after passing the bat and the ball,strikes it then the bowler can claim LBG, that had the leg not got in the way the wicket would have fallen so the batter is bowled out. The umpire must decide if the ball would have hit the wicket having regard to spin, trajectory, bounce and angle.
So the devil is in the details. Really good information and understandable presentation from Dr Colo. I have been following his interviews lately and it make perfect since. More light less glare is something I will be looking for in my next lenses. Thank you make these informative videos.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful! Those podcasts he did with Justin are super informative. I re-listened to them recently, and you feel like you’ve taken a college level course by the end of it, haha
Because of the way my local club is laid out I am frequently looking right into the sun. Consequently, I usually wear very dark lens. Would I still be better off with lighter lenses? Lately, I have been using Ranger's HD Dark lenses.
Hey, excellent point. I think dark lenses are a good choice if you’re looking right into the sun. Dr. Colo made a point of saying to wear clear lenses until you can’t (ie eye strain). I like Ranger’s HD lenses myself. I used HD medium lenses up until switching to RIACT Mediums. You would almost certainly like the RIACT Bright Light lenses. Good balance of detail and contrast. When you aren’t looking into the sun, I would switch to a lighter lens. Personally, I don’t change chokes but I DO change lenses.
On the cricket clip, he was celebrating an LBW (Leg before Wicket) the wicket is the 3 stumps and bails on top which you are required to hit to eject a batsman from the game. A batsman must play the ball with his bat only. Any other bodypart is considered out if the ball would of hit the wicket behind.
@@claylabusa you're welcome. Great video. Will have to try a different lens at my next shoot. Currently prefer a purple lens, over the clearer lens's. 👍
I had laser surgery to repair retinal tears a couple of weeks ago. Any videos/articles out there that discuss potential impact to shooting (SC), visually? Any direction will be appreciated - next weekend will be my first outing since the surgery.
Thanks for the question! This one is a bit above my pay grade. Here is Dr. Colo’s email, as he would be the best to provide guidance on this. eyedoc@richardcolo.com
If you have been using red lenses all day , when you take them off everything appears green for a while . Do you recommend changing to neutral or dark glasses between shoots ?
Hi, regarding the game of Cricket, mostly played in the Commonwealth countries, the bowler is putting his hands up and screaming for an OUT ( dismissal of the batsman ) to the umpire !! He is claiming for a LBW ( leg before wicket ) !!
Cricket question. The batsman was out LBW, leg before wicket, in other words, the ball would have hit the wicket if his leg didn't get in the way.. but also didn't hit the bat. 😊, Russ
Pillas are excellent glasses, from everything I’ve heard. I have not personally tried them out, but fully expect them to be very good. We’ll try to do a review of those in the near future. Overall, Ranger RIACt AI and Pillas seem to check off the boxes that Dr. Colo was talking about. Hopefully we’ll be able to show you both and let you decide what works best for you.
The problem for me with lighter lenses is that my floaters look gigantic. The darker the lenses seem to hide the floaters. I’ve been contemplating getting a vitrectomy but every doctor I speak to says NO!
That’s an interesting point that you bring up. I’ll have to talk to Dr. Colo about that. I recall him discussing floaters in one of the podcasts on Shotgun Sports USA. I seem to recall him saying that the brain eventually accounts for them, but certainly imagine they would be distracting when you’re trying to look at a moving target!
Dr. Colo's statement is probably true in most cases, but my instance may have been more Severe. One year after my cataracts surgeries I had what my surgeon called a salad in my eyes. If I focused hard on something all I saw was floaters. I jokingly told my Dove Club mates that all I could see was floaters, they limited out, I was happy to choose the correct moving spot twice. I had my first vitrectomy four days ago. So far so good. My right eye is clear of doves, now I need to find a new excuse!!
I’ve listened to all of the podcasts featuring Dr. Colo, and was impressed how you were able to condense the message down with simple graphics and select audio bites. Including good camera closeups of lens comparison, along with the still photos of eye dilation enhanced my ability to grasp the subject easily. Well done!
Thanks, Rick! That’s exactly what we were going for. We absolutely love those podcasts and have listened to them a few times each. They go into a greater level of detail than our video could, so it’s nice to have both out there. Appreciate the nice comment!
What an eye opening discussion. Completely changed my beliefs on eye wear. Thanks for providing scientific analysis.
Thanks! Glad you got a lot out of it!
Love the cricket question! It's a complex game. So, in Cricket, you get a batsman out by hitting the stumps (the three wooden poles) behind the batsman. If the ball hits the Batsman's leg but would have hit the stumps if his legs had not been there, he is out by "leg before wicket". This rule ensures a batsman won't just stand if front of the stumps and block the good balls with his legs instead of playing them.
Thanks! Seems like a fair rule
Wow what an education I just received. This is a big help considering I’m getting started with sporting clays and at the same time had cataract surgery done a few months ago. So this video was perfect timing for me to watch.
Great! Glad you got a lot out of it!
WOW!!! What a video!! Dr. R. Colo, I have been shooting competitively for 6 years. I am 56 years old and I come from a family of bad eye vision (fathers side). I have/had worn glasses in the age of 5. I started wearing Hard contacts in the 2nd grade. My glasses were like the bottom of coke bottles and I was so embarrassed to wear them and at one point stopped all together and of course couldn’t see a thing in class so teacher (nun) called my parents…back I went to see my optometrist…that’s when he suggested Hard contact lenses. I WAS IN HEAVEN except when outside…any little grain of dirt was pain to my eyes. Fast forward a few years…still using hard lenses and suffering abrasions due to dryness…excruciating pain to say the least and couldn’t be in ANY light for days. This went on until I was a freshmen in high school. One day my dad got the call from Dr saying, “they finally made a soft lense for Gracie’s right eye”… being my weaker of eyes and with severe nearsightedness and astigmatism…i jumped for joy and was at the Dr office immediately after school. I couldn’t wait for the lenses to come in. The first time I put them on and walked outside, I COULD SEE AND FELT I COULD WALK THROUGH A SAND STORM and be FREE of Abrasions!!!..it was the BEST feeling EVER!!!…Fast forward 1996…married, 2 children and sooo sick of wearing glasses (couldn’t wear lenses during pregnancies) and the AWFUL feeling of waking up in the morning and i scrambled for my glasses and couldn’t see the time on the cable box 10 feet away…it was so frustrating so I looked into LASIK surgery and proceeded to have it done (25 years ago). I LOVED IT because once I had it, 2 days later I had perfect 20/20 vision..HURRAY!!! Hunting was a breeze (avid lifelong hunter) and I COULD SEE with NO difficulties…I felt like a NEW person. In 1999 I get pregnant again with my 3rd child and at 6 months pregnant, I start seeing blurry…i go to my doctor and says “ its a hormone thing, it will go away after delivery”. Jan 2000, I deliver. 8 months pass and I am still seeing blurry. I go back to dr. And my vision wasn’t 20/20 anymore…now Im back in glasses. I resorted to ok, Im 33 and not getting any younger so i conformed to having to wear glasses again. As time and years passed, I went from single vision to progressive lenses and augmentation in prescriptions as well… In 2014 I was asked to participate in a shoot for fun, didn’t know what i was doing but was able to hit 40+ targets out of 100…i thought i did AWESOME..won 1st place in woman’s and thought to myself…”how in the world did i do that” lol. Little did I know I would love the sport. I started practicing at our local complex and started taking lessons on skeet field with a local coach. I went back to my Dr and he gave my distance only contacts and so I wore them to shoot so I could use shooting glasses. I could see targets most of the time. Started competing avidly and starting scoring higher and more often. Last year April 2021, I woke up with my right eye swollen shut and in pain. I text my niece who is a PA in San Antonio Tx (I’m from Laredo, TX) for an Opthomalogist, Dr. Oday Alsheihk and had me go in to have my eye checked out. Dr Smith (optometrist) looked at my eye due to Alsheihk being in surgeries and turned out I had a deep embedded stye inside my eye lid. She proceeded to have my eyes checked fully for pressure, glaucoma cataract etc…all the good stuff. My dad had just lost his left eye completely due to glaucoma and cataract that was caught extremely late. My pressure on right eye was 37, left 32.. did intensive exams and was diagnosed with severe Glaucoma and at that point had lost 50% of my top vision in both my eyes. Needless to say, i was DEVESTATED! I was given several prescriptions and sent home in tears. Saw Dr Alsheihk every 2 weeks for 9 months and my pressure had dropped to a 12 in both eyes consistently by December and was told he would see me in 3 months. My life had drastically changed as well as my shooting abilities and skills…i had to completely re-adjust and keep moving forward still not seeing targets 100% of the time or seeing them release and losing them halfway in the air or vice-versa or non at all…it was soooo frustrating. I started seeing floaters, clouds, the glare was unbearable, the halos at night on headlights, light poles was unbearable to withstand…i go to my 3 months appointment and guess what?…. I had lost 75% of my top vision and developed Cataracts in both my eyes…I couldn’t bear the devastation. I broke down uncontrollably…thinking, my shooting career is OVER. The ONLY sport i LOVE with a PASSION and give 110% and I couldn’t see a future in it anymore. My ONLY option was to have surgery immediately and I had cataract surgery in both eyes April 5 & 6 with LAL (light adjustable lense - RXsight.com) and I was out of commission for 5 months. FINALLY on /august 9th Dr. Alsheihk was able to do the last adjustment and lock-in on my eyes and man did it feel GOOD to be able to see again. I immediately contacted my coach and started training 3-4 days a week to get ready for upcoming shoots and Nationals in SA, TX at the end of October. Not that I am going to win but I consider it a GREAT Challenging hardcore practice series of events and I get to see the best shooters compete for the CHAMPION TITLE…With all of my background explained, I notice that I can’t seem to find the right color of shooting lenses to give me the clarity and make the Targets stand out. Mind you, as successful and knowledgeable as my doctor is, he is not familiar with the sport and i have tried explaining but to no avail. I came across The Clay Lab on my FB feed and added them and all Ive done today is watch all the RUclips videos. However, this video caught my attention and I have watched it numerous times today. I had yet to see/find an eye doctor specific to the sport of Sport Clays/shooting. I feel frustrated in my shooting and feel i have not made any progression in my being able to see targets. If there is any advice you can help me with, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do so…. HELP -- Grace Trevino
Thanks for the comment! I would definitely recommending contacting Dr. Colo directly. We should have his contact info in the video and in the description.
first class presentation, great explanation from Dr Richard Colo , certainly explains some of the issues i have shooting with Retinitis Pigmentosa , difficulty in low light
Glad it helped! Dr. Colo is a wonderful resource in our sport
Wow, what a great informative video. The TGS proofhouse team suggested this channel. Welldone all, your quality and detail makes viewing a joy.
Thanks! Johnny and Sasha over at TGS are excellent, and we had a great time with them at the recent US Open! Glad you’re enjoying the channel so far
interesting video. I was watching and was thingking wow that looks Like the range at Lejune. go figure.
I use to shoot alot of archery down there and the new archery range was just down from shotgun stuff. I'm in New Bern and thinking about getting my feet wet in sporting clays. Just watching and getting all the info I can before taking the plunge. Don
Yupp that's lejeune! Tread carefully into this sport as it's very addictive haha. Lots of great content out there between podcasts from Shotgunsportsusa, deadpair podcast, TGS Outdoors and us of course. Best of luck!
Great video. Sporting clays instruction has so much “bro science” (and yes, I use much of it and it work), but I have noticed in recent years we are getting more precise answers to these questions. So thank you for you work.
Thank you for pointing that out! we try our best to get the actual questions answered.
Wow! Lots of good information. Sure enjoy your channel. Looking forward to the next video. Would like to see a video on the art of target setting. And what the target setter is looking to do when they are setting a course for competition.
Thanks for your comment! That’s a great idea! A few people immediately come to
mind who would be amazing to see at work setting targets. Thanks for the idea 😀
GEORGE DIGWEED COMES TO MIND! EXCELLENT TARGET SETTER... ENOUGH SAID.
The ending is so epic! 🙌🏻
Thanks!
What a great video. I am fortunate to have insanely good vision, better than 20/20, and this helps me put some context to how other shooters see the sport.
When I first started, people who showed me the ropes always said "Make the break point where you can see the clay most clearly!".
This confused me because the clay has always been razor sharp for me, from the moment it leaves the trap to when it hits the ground. It took a while to realize that other people have more typical eyesight or worse, and that actually gives them a zone where focus on the clay renders the most detail.
My biggest gripe about my shooting glasses has been internal reflection during night shooting and low light shooting from other sources of light, and from light transmission from oblique sources, and I would really like to try some high end glasses to see if they solve any of those particular issues I struggle with.
I love what the Clay Lab has done in the past.
I use RE Rangers and my best color is the light Orange 2nd is the yellow. Out in the direct sun I go to the Rose Titanium lense.
I mostly trap at shooting courses so you better see the bird correctly to place on the score sheet. Seeing the bird during the flight and watching it's movement is critical. At the break point my eyes are on it .
I do shoot also. It's fun with a high demanding challenge.
Thanks! That sounds like a great combination of lenses. It’s definitely important for judges and trappers to be able to see targets well! Did you watch the ISSF bunker trap World Cup this other day? The judge seemed to be having some trouble seeing the birds.
@@claylabusa ,Yes you have to be able to see, plus I shoot and work the main course so I need to always see the clay one bad call and you will not hear the end of it. Stay connected to the clay.
Great video! Would be even better if you compare shooting glasses. I'm trying to understand why Pilla glasses are so popular these days. Are they really better than others?
Great video Gents, I learned a lot. I only shoot skeet and besides being soon 77 I'm combat disabled and have bad eye dominates. Add to that we only shoot black targets and I will try a lighter shade with my shooting glasses.
Awesome!
Wonderful! All black targets? You must be shooting in the desert then if I had to guess 🏜 haha. Glad it was beneficial. Thank you for being a subscriber! Dr colo and will fennell work with folks that have eye dominance issues all the time and there isn't a situation they haven't seen.
@claylabusa The reason for shooting Bio black targets is because of the location. Our range is only used on weekends in the winter and the black blends in better with the beach and field, to save complaints. Our skeet is very challenging as depending on the day we may have 30+ mph winds and temps in the 20s. Not to mention if the tide is high with a North wind you get wet at station 1-7-and 8 with salt water. We old duck hunters seem to do better on days that are nasty. With my eye dominance issue I find calling for the bird, low gun both eyes open, mount gun and shot with left eye closed.
Absolutely great information. Thanks Again. Clay Lab is the best.
Thanks, Paul! Glad you enjoyed it
Great "Eye Opening" information..............or should that be "Eye Closing" information? Wish I'd known this stuff a year ago. Anyhow really enjoyed it, and plan to check out your other videos. Great camera work! Also great shooting with you guys this weekend at the NC State Tournament. Hope we didn't cramp your style.
Haha, I like what you did there! We enjoyed shooting with you too, Martin! Please don’t think that was representative of our normal shooting 😂
Great info! You guys enjoy your youthful eyes. When I was younger I could shoot any non rx lense and dominated my state in skeet during my peak years....now at age 60 it's rx and a constant vision issue. Enjoy your youthful eyes while you have them!
It’s absolutely true! It becomes even more noticeable with shoot offs under the lights. You’ll see a lot of younger shooters outperform older shooters who might normally win during daylight hours
Scott, loads of great information. I will have to go back and watch again. I have noticed over the past year that when I shoot with a less dark lenses I tend to shoot better. I just picked up a new pair of glasses with my prescription, light bronze. No hidden quails this time???
Thanks, Tim! Yeah, no quails this time, haha. My wife was very disappointed at the lack of dogs, too 😂. I have a feeling I’ll do something similar in the Ranger video, though, so be on the lookout. You’ll end up with a closet full of Clay Lab gear by the end of the year, lol
Really interesting really good video please moor on shooting long crossing targets 👍
Thanks! We’re hoping to do a video on eye dominance that will also likely include some information on crossers (as it’s a good way to demonstrate eye dominance)
Excellent video ! Thanks.
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching
Fantastic episode!
AS a color blind shooter. I very much enjoyed your insight to the rods and cones of the eye, along with the detail required to commit to a good shot. I have tried to communicate this to my eye doctor. They don't get it. With this video. I can show them what the hell I"m looking for. Thank you very much.
Thanks for your comment, Bud! What you mentioned about difficulties in getting an eye exam from an eye doc who is t familiar with shooting sports was actually a topic of conversation with Dr. Colo. We had to cut it for time, but I can summarize what he told us.
1) Make sure your eye doctor checks your prescription BEFORE using dilating drops
2) Tell your eye doctor “I want to see shadows and reflections on a target at 40 yards,” and take a clay with you to your appointment.
Even then, JP can tell you that it can be a huge challenge. Dr. Colo has a network
of recommended eye docs that he has trained on the subject. You can always contact him at 860-558-4610 or eyedoc@richardcolo.com if you would like to get set up with him or one of his recommended folks.
@@claylabusa Thank you very much for the response. I'll work towards contacting Dr Colo directly and inform him of my issue with color and lens choice. Cheers.
I had just watched this video and was in the same boat being red/green color blind. Glad I scrolled the comments before blindly asking the same question. Much appreciated!
Great video, very informative.
Thanks! Cool logo! When I first saw the name, I was thinking it meant clays and Buffalo wings…sounds like a killer combination
@@claylabusa I get that every now and then, if I can ever be if any service please let me know.
Great video. I've had cataract surgery so now way too much light comes in and I get glare. I will try anti glare with my new Ranger glasses soon. My question is how does Polarizing affect the glare issue when shooting vs anti glare coating?
Let me see what I can find out. Should hopefully see Dr. Colo around at the US Open this weekend. Will reply again if I can get you that answer
Only if the ball pitches on the stumps. if it pitched outside the stumps then the batsman can pad the ball, as long as he doesn't play a stroke
Interesting vid..thank you
In cricket the bowler is trying to get the batsmen out. This can happen in a number of ways for example the bowler can hit the “stumps” (the wooden sticks the batsman stands in front of ) with the ball. In this clip the bowler is appealing to the umpire(referee) that he thinks that the batsman was out leg before wicket ( ie leg before the stumps) In other words the ball would have hit the stumps if the batsman had not been standing in the way. It is up to the umpire to adjudicate and if he agrees with the bowlers appeal the batsman is given out. Hope this helps .
Thanks! That makes sense! Much appreciated 😀
Yup, exactly this! It’s a slightly complex rule but it’s designed to stop ‘pad play’ ie batsman just blocking the bowler’s ability to hit the stumps by using their pads or to avoid getting caught out (as to be caught out the ball must touch the bat first). You can be out LBW if the ball pitches in line with or to the off side of the leg stump, strikes a part of the batsman’s body (invariably the leg) at a point when the ball is in line with the stumps AND is going on to hit the stumps. The rules require you to ‘appeal’ to the umpire before the batsman can be out lbw, hence all the loud calls of “how’s that?!” by the bowling side. Cricket is designed to be totally unintelligible to any nation that doesn’t play it, which, with the exception of the US, is basically anywhere that hasn’t been part of the British Empire!
Thanks! I lived in London for 6 months back in 2005 and we only had the basic television channels. I tried to watch cricket once and gave up, haha. Appreciate you guys helping it finally make sense for me!
@@claylabusa I played it at school when I was young and still only understood many of the rules (including lbw in full) after I bought a book! Rugby is another sport where the rules are intensely complicated and change each year, mainly because they’re trying to avoid players killing each other in tackles/rucks/scrums etc. I think the reason football (soccer) is so popular throughout the world is that the rules are easy and you can a pitch with a bit of space and four items to mark out the “goalposts”.
Video is excellent btw👌
Terrific video!!!!!
Thanks, David. Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. Have shot with Randolph Ranger glasses for years and really like them. I have half a dozen different lenses, but I think I use HD Medium the majority of the time. Will look into the RIACT AI lenses. They are expensive, but if it gets you some extra targets it’s probably worth it.
Thanks! It’s sounds like you’re doing what I did. I’ve owned the Edge frames for a couple of years now and had accumulated 4 or 5 sets of regular lenses. Pretty much used HD Medium in 90% of cases.
The next video will illustrate this well, but I genuinely noticed a big difference switching from my HD Mediums to the RIACT mediums. The lenses look orange but when you wear them the colors appear natural. The anti-reflective coating is no joke. I bought mine prior to making the video. I started out just buying the RIACT mediums to see if it was worth the upgrade and loved them so much that I completed the set! Saw improved scores right away…increased detail on the target leads to increased confidence and that leads to breaking more targets, as Dr. Colo likes to say.
Have you guys figured out what Pilla lense will mimick the low light/ anti glare Rangers?
Hi, I personally don’t have any experience with Pillas just yet, but we are hoping to test those out soon. I’m doing my initial research for that now, and based on what I’m seeing, it looks like Pilla’s CGR series of lenses is going to fit best with what Dr. Colo is going for; achieving that ideal balance between detail and contrast. Can’t tell you for sure without trying them out, though.
Stay tuned, and I’m fairly confident that we’ll be able to do a full breakdown of Pilla’s product line for you in the future!
Do you know when you’ll be doing the lens reviews this has been a good video for me been shooting for 7 years now and I always have my dark purple set of lenses on but those lens comparisons you did absolutely help see the importance of clearing. When switching did you notice a transition period where it took time looking for the flash harder or were they that much better.
Thanks! We have already filmed the episode and we’re currently anticipating an April 17 (Easter) release for that video. Sometimes I finish editing early, though.
I have personally been using Ranger lenses for a good while now and really like the regular lenses. That said, RIACT is a very noticeable improvement and worth an upgrade, especially if you already have frames. I was able to notice the improvement myself, and it makes even more sense after hearing what Dr. Colo said about good lenses (prioritize detail, lightest lens possible, anti-reflective coating). RIACT checks all those boxes. Some other manufacturers are working on / have produced similar things, and we’re going to review those as well. Overall, though, if you’re already using Ranger gear, it’s a worthwhile upgrade from my standpoint.
Oh, may have misread question. If you don’t own Ranger gear already, their RIACT kits are at an excellent price point. As for transitioning from one lens to another, I found the RIACT lenses seem to balance the colors pretty well, so the transitioning isn’t jarring. Possibly a bit of an improvement over switching from wearing purple all afternoon to yellow in the evening
@@claylabusa thank you very much. I’m much like you guys I’m very analytical about my gear and always thought you wanted more and more contrast thinking it would lead to better scores. But understanding a good balance is probably a better option I shoot for a college team and have goals in mind shooting Olympic bunker trap and this would be very helpful for seeing a crisp target instead of just a orange circle. I shoot ranger lenses that have my prescription in them and was looking to upgrade to better lenses typically looking at pilla but if these are the real deal I will have to look at these for sure.
@@codysharp7620 Not to muddy the waters too much, but Dr. Colo specifically mentioned bunker trap and helice as games where higher contrast may be worthwhile, given the quicker reaction time needed. Had to cut it from the final video due to time. The nice thing is that he also said that eye dominance plays much less of a role, when it's such a fast game. Will try to include some of that in the eventual eye dominance video (not sure of timeframe yet).
@@claylabusa awsome thank you very much it kinda makes since that it would benefit more due to the quicker reaction time I really appreciate it and look forward to the upcoming videos for sure.
Cricket reference is LBW or leg before wicket. The wicket is situated behind the batter. The batter must hit the ball with the bat or protect the wicket with his bat not his leg. If the ball travells past the bat and hits the wicket behind the batter the batter is out. If the leg gets in the way after passing the bat and the ball,strikes it then the bowler can claim LBG, that had the leg not got in the way the wicket would have fallen so the batter is bowled out. The umpire must decide if the ball would have hit the wicket having regard to spin, trajectory, bounce and angle.
Perfect, thanks! That makes perfect sense now. When I go back and watch the clip, I see exactly what you mean. Thanks again
@@claylabusa as already explained, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leg_before_wicket
@@kiwimedic319 thanks!
So the devil is in the details. Really good information and understandable presentation from Dr Colo. I have been following his interviews lately and it make perfect since. More light less glare is something I will be looking for in my next lenses. Thank you make these informative videos.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful! Those podcasts he did with Justin are super informative. I re-listened to them recently, and you feel like you’ve taken a college level course by the end of it, haha
Because of the way my local club is laid out I am frequently looking right into the sun. Consequently, I usually wear very dark lens. Would I still be better off with lighter lenses? Lately, I have been using Ranger's HD Dark lenses.
Hey, excellent point. I think dark lenses are a good choice if you’re looking right into the sun. Dr. Colo made a point of saying to wear clear lenses until you can’t (ie eye strain). I like Ranger’s HD lenses myself. I used HD medium lenses up until switching to RIACT Mediums. You would almost certainly like the RIACT Bright Light lenses. Good balance of detail and contrast.
When you aren’t looking into the sun, I would switch to a lighter lens. Personally, I don’t change chokes but I DO change lenses.
@@claylabusa Thanks. I don't change chokes either - generally LM/LM. I do switch to HD Light lenses on cloudy days.
On the cricket clip, he was celebrating an LBW (Leg before Wicket) the wicket is the 3 stumps and bails on top which you are required to hit to eject a batsman from the game. A batsman must play the ball with his bat only. Any other bodypart is considered out if the ball would of hit the wicket behind.
Thanks! That makes sense. Always nice to learn something new!
@@claylabusa you're welcome. Great video. Will have to try a different lens at my next shoot. Currently prefer a purple lens, over the clearer lens's. 👍
I had laser surgery to repair retinal tears a couple of weeks ago. Any videos/articles out there that discuss potential impact to shooting (SC), visually? Any direction will be appreciated - next weekend will be my first outing since the surgery.
Thanks for the question! This one is a bit above my pay grade. Here is Dr. Colo’s email, as he would be the best to provide guidance on this. eyedoc@richardcolo.com
@@claylabusa Thanks, folks. Really look forward to your videos!
If you have been using red lenses all day , when you take them off everything appears green for a while . Do you recommend changing to neutral or dark glasses between shoots ?
Being a rifle shooter, i prefer clarity and detail over color. I use a grey base lens and rarely have any problems seeing the target
Did I meet you at the Hartford Gun Club?
You very well have met Dr. Colo out there. The rest of us are down here in NC
Hi, regarding the game of Cricket, mostly played in the Commonwealth countries, the bowler is putting his hands up and screaming for an OUT ( dismissal of the batsman ) to the umpire !! He is claiming for a LBW ( leg before wicket ) !!
Thanks!
Cricket question. The batsman was out LBW, leg before wicket, in other words, the ball would have hit the wicket if his leg didn't get in the way.. but also didn't hit the bat. 😊, Russ
pilla is really the best or only good marketing?
Pillas are excellent glasses, from everything I’ve heard. I have not personally tried them out, but fully expect them to be very good. We’ll try to do a review of those in the near future. Overall, Ranger RIACt AI and Pillas seem to check off the boxes that Dr. Colo was talking about. Hopefully we’ll be able to show you both and let you decide what works best for you.
@@claylabusa castellani glasses can compet with ranger react AI?
The problem for me with lighter lenses is that my floaters look gigantic. The darker the lenses seem to hide the floaters. I’ve been contemplating getting a vitrectomy but every doctor I speak to says NO!
That’s an interesting point that you bring up. I’ll have to talk to Dr. Colo about that. I recall him discussing floaters in one of the podcasts on Shotgun Sports USA. I seem to recall him saying that the brain eventually accounts for them, but certainly imagine they would be distracting when you’re trying to look at a moving target!
Im English and hate cricket its boring to watch and boring to play.
Dr. Colo's statement is probably true in most cases, but my instance may have been more Severe. One year after my cataracts surgeries I had what my surgeon called a salad in my eyes. If I focused hard on something all I saw was floaters. I jokingly told my Dove Club mates that all I could see was floaters, they limited out, I was happy to choose the correct moving spot twice.
I had my first vitrectomy four days ago. So far so good. My right eye is clear of doves, now I need to find a new excuse!!
Not supposed to shoot when lightning! Don't need to know about eyes to know that!
Yep! That’s the exact moment we got a text from Scorechaser telling everybody
to stop shooting and seek cover