Dear Greg,
Thanks for posting this question as I'm was also looking for info about red dot sites.
As for you reading glasses, I, too, am on the other side of 40 and found that I need reading glasses of about 1.50 power. I finally had an actual perscription made for me with plain glass on top and a bifocal below. The difficulty I found is that when I hold my pistol out as if to fire, the sites were still blurry as the bifocal was too low and pushing the glasses up made me look dumber than I actually am. So, I decided to find some glasses that provided a "full view" 1.50 reading power which I only use for shooting. Now, when I hold my pistol in front of me to shoot, the precise focal point is 29-30 inches from my nose or at the sites! This made a HUGE difference in my shooting scores.
I had another perscription made in saftey glasses which I only use for shooting so I don't have to wear goggles over my glasses. If you're going to ask if the target is in focus, the answer is no. But, it doesn't make any difference. I can see it well enough at 25 yards to group my .45 shots around 4" consistantly. I'll get better with more practice. The most important part of aiming is your sites, not the target, so having the sites in perfect focus is most important imho. I found that these glasses also work just fine with my rifles, too.
Just go so a store that sells reading glasses in full glass, not half glasses or bifocals. Put on a pair and hold your thumb out at arms length. If your eyes can see that dirty thumbnail without any strain at all then you've found your glasses. Now go have a pair made out of safety glass with side shields.
Hope this helps a little. Glasses are a pain but you have to wear them at the range anyway so you might as well get ones that will help you see your gun.
Rome
[This message has been edited by Rome (edited April 18, 2000).]