Science

"I've had the privilege of witnessing the development and improvement on the original design of Parasec Sights. I've used their predecessors and avidly promoted them as well. The visual pathways in the brain are very complex. Improvements in the design for light gathering are a great leap over existing fiber-optic sites. The experienced long-gunner might take note of the scaling that mimics a parallax adjustment in a first focal plane scope. Many years ago when I saw the first Flatline sight prototypes, that was the only suggestion I offered. It had already been taken into account. In very short summary, the design of these sights makes it very easy for the eye to do it's job. Additionally, I believe they are an incredible set of sights to instruct on. I am not a casual shooter, nor a hobbyist when it comes to combat arts. Prior to entry into graduate school, I was loading and using a minimum of 5000 rounds of 9mm a month. Having lived and worked in active combat zones for 1500 days between 2004 and 2017, I have very exacting standards when it comes to equipment. For reflexive firing, rapid target acquisition, and accuracy well within tolerances of "minute of CNS" these represent the pinnacle of engineering for mechanical sights in my opinion. These sights are for everyone from the beginner to those individuals that understand what a difference 4 tenths of a second can make."

- John-Paul "Bonzai" Bonansinga CEO/CVO Finsen Applied Science and Technology, MD Candidate Long School of Medicine Class of 2021, B.S Neuroscience UT Dallas (2015), Inventor Rushlight(TM), Foreign Service Officer OGA (2015-2017), DOS High Threat Protection Teams PSS/EMT-I (2009-2011), 1/75th Ranger Regiment (2004-2008)

In the past 10 years there has been a large increase of civilian handgun ownership in the United States. Despite the market demand for new technology in firearms, there has been very little improvement in handgun technology in the past 25 years. While there is a robust market for aftermarket sights, there hasn’t been any real improvement in sight design in decades. In my research, factory “iron” sights are not commonly user friendly in aiding the shooter in order to accurately acquire the target; especially when used by untrained individuals. The firearms aftermarket for handgun accessories offers many options for customers who are looking for better handgun sights; however, most of the aftermarket sights do not offer any improvement in sight acquisition or accuracy. The most common enhancement over factory sights is low light or night visibility enhancement or better a wider range of adjustment. These “improved sights” offer minimal or no improvement in the acquisition of the target or accuracy.

I have had the opportunity to try a new gun sight design, by Parasec that was created by a former US tier 1 operator, Alan Shebaro. I tested the Parasec sights with my Glock 17 and was immediately impressed. Installation was very simple and fast. I could immediately determine that the speed and ease of acquisition of targets was improved with the new sights, even before going to the range to test the sights in a live fire scenario. The human eye-hand coordination works faster and more precisely when the eyes need to line up the lines versus trying to line up a series of 3 dots or a dot in a notch.

In 1990, Andrew V. Barber¹ studied short range air defense weapon operators in simulated combat and measured the operator’s basic visual perception abilities. The results showed that the dorsal visual system helps to control detection and acquisition, and the ventral system helps to control detection and identification. This early research helped in determining the complexity of the connection between visual pathways, cortical identification of targets as friendly or hostile, and the final very important engagement of the pyramidal pathway which ultimately let the operator use body muscles to set up the correct stance and execute a precise shot.

At the range I shot 5 series of 15 rounds and the biggest difference from the factory sights was the significant improvement of the acquisition of the targets. Lining up lines on the Parasec sights is a much more natural task for the human visual system. This translates into more precise motor command and control for the alignment of the sights and for the hand when pulling the trigger.

In conclusion, I believe that the new Parasec gun sights offer a distinctive advantage to not only the factory but also most of the aftermarket gun sights. I would encourage gun owners especially novice ones, to consider equipping their firearm with better sights, like the Parasec sights I used for this article.

¹ Barber, A.V. (1990). Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) Engagement Performance Criteria Development and Validation. Barber, A. V. (1990). Visual Mechanisms and Predictors of Far Field Visual Task Performance Results

- Sabatino Bianco, MD, FAANS, FACS

Dr. Bianco is a neurosurgeon involved in brain and spine research, development and teaching. In his practice he performs minimally invasive brain and spine surgery, neuroendoscopy, neurovascular procedures, and spinal deformity correction