Cataracts...

Red Marley

Half cocked
Charter Member
Supporting Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
Joined
Dec 19, 2016
Messages
5,390
Location
Central NC
Rating - 100%
56   0   0
OK, I know some of you guys are of a certain age, and I'm hoping you've been where I am and found a solution. I'm putting this in Long Guns but it applies equally to handguns. My eyes got to the point at which I was having difficulty seeing targets at any real distance, especially if poorly lighted. Arms length, no problem, but 100 yd, fuzzy. I know, "get a scope"; I have some and they work, but I prefer iron sights.

Eye doc has been bugging me to have cataract surgery, says it will take care of that. So I had the first eye done last Friday; I'm beginning to see OK with it. I told them I wanted sharp resolution at a distance, and that's what I got. Already my resolution at 50-100 yd is better than with my "old" eye, and I'm told it will continue to improve over the next few days. Goodo, right?

The problem is, now I can't see my sights. Those of you who have had this procedure, how did you cope with this? I expected to have glasses anyway, can I get glasses that will let me see my sights clearly enough without diminishing my newfound distance vision? How does that work?
 
No cataracts here, but presbyopia and some astigmatism. I compete in North South Skirmish Assoc and we compete with Civil War era guns and that means iron sights only. What I've found that helps quite a bit with the fuzzy sights problem-

1) wear a set of "reader" glasses. You'll give up some acuity at distance for the front post in sharp focus.

2) wear a set of shooting only glasses with no optical change and use an aperture similar to the Merit. There are others out there since the Merit is out of production for the most part. I use this when not shooting a peep sight. With a peep, I'm at solution #1.

https://www.eabco.com/css_sts2.html

3) quit shooting irons. I really don't like this one but for my non-competition stuff, I've transitioned to optics for the most part. Not red dots as the astigmatism makes them a red smudge but optics.
 
This will apply more to handguns, than long guns, but maybe something in here will help.

I've had cataracts repaired in both eyes, secondary cataracts repaired in both eyes (scar tissue that develops a year later sometimes from the initial surgery and is repaired with laser), a detached retina surgically repaired in my dominant eye, and a torn retina repaired in my non-dominant eye. Doc says it was all age related, not injury.

Back to cataracts. They replace the natural lens with an artificial lens where they estimate what your prescription would supposedly be based on the size of your eyeball (which they measured, hopefully). They set the lens script for distance vision, unless you pay extra for the lenses where you *might* not have to wear glasses at all for anything. I opted just for the distance script, and resolved myself to wear readers as necessary. By the way, when I had the cataract surgery four years ago those souped-up lenses I mentioned were hit or miss even according to the eye doc.

My vision was so improved in my dominant eye that even though I had to wear readers indoors, I could shoot pistols and rifles unaided, although I almost always shoot pistols, and rifles only with illuminated optics. That said, when I started keeping score and SOing matches I found I couldn't read the shot timer accurately even in daylight, so I started wearing the progressive lenses that were prescribed after my initial cataract surgery. These seem to allow me to read the shot timer, read/write scores, and shoot pistols without changing what I'm wearing during a match.

My experience shooting long guns is I can see the front sight pretty well, the rear sight is fuzzy.
 
Last edited:
This will apply more to handguns, than long guns, but maybe something in here will help.

I've had cataracts repaired in both eyes, secondary cataracts repaired in both eyes (scar tissue that develops a year later sometimes from the initial surgery and is repaired with laser), a detached retina surgically repaired in my dominant eye, and a torn retina repaired in my non-dominant eye. Doc says it was all age related, not injury.

Back to cataracts. They replace the natural lens with an artificial lens where they estimate what your prescription would supposedly be based on the size of your eyeball (which they measured, hopefully). They set the lens script for distance vision, unless you pay extra for the lenses where you *might* not have to wear glasses at all for anything. I opted just for the distance script, and resolved myself to wear readers as necessary. By the way, when I had the cataract surgery four years ago those souped-up lenses I mentioned were hit or miss even according to the eye doc.

My vision was so improved in my dominant eye that even though I had to wear readers indoors, I could shoot pistols and rifles unaided, although I almost always shoot pistols, and rifles only with illuminated optics. That said, when I started keeping score and SOing matches I found I couldn't read the shot timer accurately even in daylight, so I started wearing the progressive lenses that were prescribed after my initial cataract surgery. These seem to allow me to read the shot timer, read/write scores, and shoot pistols without changing what I'm wearing during a match.

My experience shooting long guns is I can see the front sight pretty well, the rear sight is fuzzy.
This.

My wife had cataract surgery. One lens set for distance, one for closer in. She can see clearly at site distance, but still need glasses as she now has astigmatism.
About 30%, including my wife, need the follow up laser treatment for scar tissue.

Shooting "progressives" can work well for shooting too. They are similar to computer progressives. Large are in the middle for arms length, smaller area on the bottom for reading and the top for distance.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Like fieldgrade I have a fixed, distance lens - only in one eye (not my shooting eye) - the other eye is scheduled in a couple of weeks. I'm wondering if I should do something different in the other eye while I have the chance. I'm reluctant to give up the good distance vision because I need it for other things. I'll discuss with the eye doc.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Like fieldgrade I have a fixed, distance lens - only in one eye (not my shooting eye) - the other eye is scheduled in a couple of weeks. I'm wondering if I should do something different in the other eye while I have the chance. I'm reluctant to give up the good distance vision because I need it for other things. I'll discuss with the eye doc.
I did distance vision in both, and I'd do it again. I have better vision in one than the other, and I don't know if that was predictable or not.
 
Shooting glasses, aperture sights or scopes. Have had both eyes done.
 
Not putting scopes on my muzzleloaders :eek: I just spoke with my eye doc (who is also a shooter) and decided to stick with the fixed distance lens. There is an option for a more flexible lens that will "somewhat" accommodate the near/far issue, but I'd give up some sharpness and I don't want to do that. Plus it's more spendy! I'm going to count on working with a specialist on some dedicated shooting glasses.
 
Not putting scopes on my muzzleloaders :eek: I just spoke with my eye doc (who is also a shooter) and decided to stick with the fixed distance lens. There is an option for a more flexible lens that will "somewhat" accommodate the near/far issue, but I'd give up some sharpness and I don't want to do that. Plus it's more spendy! I'm going to count on working with a specialist on some dedicated shooting glasses.
Yea, not interested in losing sharpness. This sounds like a good plan.
 
Well, here goes.

Had both my eyes done.

The lens that was put in does a pretty good job of correcting my far vision but I am never going to live without a set of reading glasses within arms reach.

So far I can still see the open sights on a long gun but with a long gun a scope is definitely your friend.

On a pistol the sights are not crystal clear but I see them well enough to hit what I’m shooting at.

You learn to compensate and overcome. It’s not an overnight thing but it comes with time.

My rifle shooting has gotten better since the surgery but then again most my killing guns are scoped.
 
Back
Top Bottom