[wce323078]

I find my self needing cataract Surgery and cannot find much about this that says anything about shooting sports. I haven't posed this question to the Doctor who is doing the operation as I cannot seem to be able to talk to him. It sounds like next time I am able to see him is the day he does the surgery.

Has anyone had any experience with this? I am getting conflicting opinions from various people. I have known a few tradesmen and equipment operators that have had this done and they are back to work after a short period of time who have had the operation and they are subject to heavy vibration with tools or equipment. So has anyone had a discussion with a eye specialist? Thanks .

 

[SGT John SWF]

Long story short make sure the DR is good and know what you are getting before he touches you!
Did they not give you options about what you want?
Short story, my eye surgeon put in acrylic Lens implants after I got a post surgery cataract .
I now have 20-20 vision in both eyes. I can see the front sight and the target at distance.
I need $3.00 readers for close work like laptop writing this.
No glasses for driving ,shooting etc.

After your operation you will have to wait a while before you can shoot but not very long.
When you get the OK you can shoot your 458 Winchester.

If you want more in depth from me PM me with your E-mail and we can go from there.

 

[gyrsriddle]

I came out of cataract surgery with 20/20 in both eyes. Everything was great for 8 months then my retna detached in one eye then 2 months later the retna tore in the other eye. Long story short, it wasn't the cataract surgeons fault, just bad luck, but the retna surgeon repaired it to 20/20 in both eyes,right eye has a slight curve in what I see. That curve makes irons a bit more challenging. Bottom line, if you start to see lightening flashes at night find a retna guy FAST.

 

[POLACK]

start here when you stabilize after surgery

http://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/CMPGamesRules.pdf
http://shop.shootingsight.com/Reduce...d-Aperture.htm
http://ironsightoptics.com/ check here hooded sight refer question along with this link to ask cmp section.
http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/936...pter-optic-aid
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/...-aid-old-eyes/
http://pinhole-glasses.com/
http://www.meritcorporation.com/products.html
http://slingshotforum.com/topic/1275...oting-glasses/
http://www.bjonessights.com/SR.html not legal for john c garand match
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...apter&_sacat=0
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/sh...rR3VobGVuTTJpc3RyM1RoZEk3cUsyaWNVM3NHOD0ifQ==

http://www.eabco.net/Merit-Eyeglass-...e_p_13347.html
adjustable aperture that fits on lense.dial in sight picture.
you can get some cheap clip on glasses
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...fiers&_sacat=0 and put a clear plastic piece in this and screw the merit piece into it
http://www.odcmp.org/0111/StatementAimingAids.pdf


http://forums.thecmp.org/archive/index.php/t-32423.html
http://www.championshooters.com/inde...=17&Itemid=111 drill hole in this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gehmann-Clip...item567ee34fa2
http://www.championshooters.com/inde...=17&Itemid=111

 

[rwilli]

I have had cataract (Lens Replacement) surgery in both eyes. Best decision I ever made, that was 5 years ago and I am still happy with it.

Now, if you were a glasses wearer before surgery, you will have to make a choice Do you want 20/20 near vision or distant vision after surgery. I had always been near sighted but elected to have my far vision corrected, this meant my near vision would be less----who cares, I can always buy a pair of reading glasses at the dollar store, but I am now able to drive, shoot and otherwise function without glasses. (Except for up close stuff) then I need reading glasses.

As far as shooting goes, you kind of get stuck in he middle since your sights are normally too far if your near sighted and too close if your far sighted---You just learn to work with it.

For Handgun, I find I can focus on my front sight better with reading glasses on---but can still shoot ok without.

For rifle (iron sights) I do better without glasses, but that front sight post is still a little fuzzy---As far as distant targets, they are crystal clear.

One last thing, if you have astigmatism, this surgery cant correct that and it must still be corrected with glasses or contacts if it is severe enough to degrade your vision significantly.

For me, I have a slight astigmatism, but my distant vison is still 20/20---its just a tiny bit fuzzy 20/20, but was easy to get used to.

One more thing---If your shooting with a red dot, no problem since you can easily locate them where it works best for you. If you are shooting with a scope, again, no problem since most scopes have a diopter adjustment on them.

Hope this helps

Bob

 

[SSBiggun]

I had mine 20 years ago due to eye trauma. 1/8th" stainless wire went through the lid and all the way to the retina. I had to have Astigmatic keratotomy also. I have 20/20 but up close isn't very good. needs 1.5x magnification. I had an optometrist make me a pair of shooting glasses that correct for just the right eye. He had me bring in my rifle and he started dropping lenses between my eye and the scope until we achieved perfection. As mentioned above you may need simple readers to focus through magnified optics.

 

[ShootingSight]

You lost eh ability to change focus with your eye after cateract surgery (actually, there are some multi-focus options). Some people elect to get distance focus, then need glasses for everyhting close. Some get one eye near focus, and the other eye far focus. A third option is to get intermediate focus, which is about 48".

As it turns out, the 48" fixed focus is about right for shooting, as it will move your focal point to the hyperfocal distance of your sights. I don't recommend you make a life choice based only on shooting, but if you are wavering between options, the fixed focus 48" option is the better one for shooting.

 

[Evil Incarnate]

I had surgery to correct a cataract in my right eye last October, and made a post about it on this forum- Old Man w/ Young Man's Eyes.

To update, I'm still extremely pleased with the outcome. I don't think my eye is quite as sharp as it was shortly after the surgery, but it's pretty darn good.

Even though I had only one eye done, it was the dominant eye, and I function fine (driving, shooting) without a corrective lens for the left eye.

Your OP asks about being able to function after surgery. I had a protective screen (it had holes that I could sort of see through) over my eye for a few days afterward. Then, the doctor wanted me to avoid shooting, swimming, or anything that might cause a shock to the eye for about three weeks. After that, no restrictions.

I agree with Art's point in his post above. The lens the doctor installed provides good near and distant vision, but I could choose the focal distance where I wanted the best vision to be. I chose around 26 inches or so - about the distance of the front sight post on an AR15 from the eye.

I'm going to offer some advice you didn't ask for. From your post, your doctor has neither offered you options nor has he made it easy for you to get answers your questions. As a minimum, I'd postpone the surgery until you are fully comfortable with what he's going to be doing. Taking it a bit further, I'd strongly consider finding another eye surgeon. This is an area where advances are recent, and not all ophthalmologists are up to date on the technologies available.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get your eyes as good as they can be.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[hnthomps]

I just posted some additional info in the other cataract surgery thread that you might want to read if you have questions.

Nelson

 

[Eyeguy]

I'm going to offer some advice you didn't ask for. From your post, your doctor has neither offered you options nor has he made it easy for you to get answers your questions. As a minimum, I'd postpone the surgery until you are fully comfortable with what he's going to be doing. Taking it a bit further, I'd strongly consider finding another eye surgeon. This is an area where advances are recent, and not all ophthalmologists are up to date on the technologies available.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get your eyes as good as they can be.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Unfortunately, this situation is all too common. Most ophthalmologists spend limited, if any, pre-surgical time with their patients. Technicians do much of the pre-work including the A & K testing to determine the power of the implant to be used. From there, most practices use "surgical counselors" to advise and help you determine what type of outcome you desire and the lens options necessary to deliver the desired outcome. Any options, other than a fixed, single power implant, will come at a premium price. The near/far options so popular with many is a compromise; yes, you can see distance and near without glasses but for most neither is perfect and many end up wearing glasses to balance their vision for any critical work. Remember that it takes binocular vision to achieve proper depth perception, an important factor for a shooter.

On a side note and through no fault of the doctor, a cataract surgeon who received a $2300 payment from Medicare per eye for an implant surgery in 1988 is today getting less than $700 dollars for the same procedure while his costs have risen dramatically since that time. Premium lenses are NOT covered by Medicare or most secondary insurances so the increased cost is out of pocket for the patient and hugely profitable for the doctor. This same scenario is why many doctors are building and using their own ambulatory surgical centers today where they perform surgery. They can then be compensated for the facility fee's charged to Medicare or the insurer.

I've worked with hundreds if not thousands of post-surgical cataract patients over the years and can tell you that, personally, I would not choose a near/far vision nor multi-focal implant solution based on today's technology. I would choose best possible correction for distance and resign myself to wearing glasses for any near tasks.

 

[Instructor]

Had the surgery on both eyes(not at the same time) and ended up with 20/15 in each eye which is great.
Was offered the method that would provide much improvement for both close in and distance, but as mentioned Medicare would not cover that. Opted for just mid range to long range and for reading or close up work simply use a $10 pair of reader glasses. Happen to have a very skilled Doctor in the area and was surprised at the short amount of time it took to do the operation and had no problems. Will say the left eye for about a week or so had "floaters" visible, but Doctor suggested let it go for couple weeks and likely would go away or you quit noticing them and he was correct.

 

[pendennis]

Mine were done in late 2013. I had severe astigmatism, and I have toric lenses implanted.

My doctor insisted that one eye or the other be slightly near sighted, and since my dominant eye was the right one, we made the left eye just a bit myopic.

That opened up an entire can of worms, and looking back I would have done things a bit differently.

I had a dominant right eye, and the near limits on it make it impossible to see pistol sights at arm's length. I switched to left hand shooting, since I now have a left eye which sees the pistol sights perfectly. I'm also a natural southpaw.

For rifle and shotgun, I now tape over the left shooting glasses lens which let's me shoot right handed, keeping both eyes open, which I had done since age 16. I see the open sights of rifles and shotguns perfectly, since those focal lengths are greater than arms length. Scoped sights, I just refocus the scope.

Discuss physical rehab for your eyes with your doctor. It's imperative that you exercise your eyes, and there are word puzzles designed to force you to use your eyes and improve the muscles.

Good luck.

 

[mrmark99]

I had cataract surgery in December 2016 for both eyes, and can not complain. It is was it is, but it did change my life for the better.
I did not choose a near/far vision or a multi-focal implant solution based on today's technology. I chose the best possible correction for distance and resigned myself to wearing glasses for any near tasks. I use cheap $6.00 readers (+2 or +1.25 for computer work) that last a month or so.