Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

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Michael Johnson

Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by Michael Johnson »

So , I am a physician (Anesthesiologist) who works at an Ambulatory Surgery Center. We do cataract surgery and lots of other surgery as well. As a 63 year old who likes to shoot who can still manage iron sights I have a question. For those of you who have had this operation, were you able to go back to shooting irons or were you still best suited for shooting with a scope? I have thought about this dilemma as within the next 6 years I will probably need this surgery. There are so many lens options available as well to make this even more complicated. The options are near vision (for reading), far vision (for distance), and multifocal. Thus far friends who have chosen the multi-focal have been disappointed (too many compromises and they see rings especially driving at night). Distance vision for us is of prime importance, but you will need glasses to adjust your sights (near vision). Some guys have their dominant eye set for distance with their non-dominant eye for near vision. Your brain adjusts for all of this so after a month it is all sub-conscious. I would like to hear from folks that have real world experience with this.Thanks! - Mike
charlie young
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by charlie young »

I was just visiting with one of my shooting friends this past weekend about this very thing, as I will eventually have to have this done. He had cataract surgery, after we got done with matches last fall. He does have to wear reading glasses. But he won the Senior division last weekend shooting irons, under some not so perfect conditions, he couldn't be happier.
Orville
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by Orville »

I had it done 2 years ago went back to shooting open sights, one year after the surgery my eyes were 20-25, use reading glasses but in good light I don’t need those. I got the lens for distance
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Orville
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by Orville »

I had it done in Mesa Az, the actual surgery took less then 10 minutes left the doctors with a piece of tape holding my eye lid shut took if off 4 hours later if I could blink leave it off. They put you out Just long enough to deaden the eye then your are awake during the actual surgery you feel nothing listen to the doctor telling you what he’s doing.
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Etienne Brule
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by Etienne Brule »

Hi
I am an open sight Sharps shooter.
I got a monocular surgery for cataracts.
I have a near correction IOL in my left eye to see the Soule sight numbers and a far correction IOL for the right eye.
This is great: no glasses !!
And in my Everyday life … no reading glasses !!
I am very happy.

BTW, multifocal lenses are not very good at "neat vision.

If you want to se "sure" about monocular vision, you could try a left near vision corneal lens, before surgery, to check you comfort…

Gerald Bergeron m.d.
George Babits
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by George Babits »

The cataract removal and replacement lens sure improved my shooting. I never quit the iron sights as I have never like scopes. Before the surgery I always had what looked like a hair going diagonally across the aperture of the tang sight. Talked to several eye doctors over the years and none of them could see any cause for it. The lens replacement took care of that. And, I can do almost as well with open sights as with a tang sight at 100 yards. Well worth the surgery. I went for the distant lens rather than the reading lens. I have a friend who got the reading lenses and it pretty much ended his shooting; but that may be more related to attitude than he admits.

George
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Tasmanian Rebel
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by Tasmanian Rebel »

Mike, I had cataracts for 20+ years until they got bad enough to finally do something in 2018. I remember reading something in the book Ways of the Rifle several years ago(I think). It's a book detailing 3 position Olympic shooting and said 'normal' and near sighted people can become world class shooters but far sighted people often struggle. Keep in mind while it may sound counterintuitive even for LR shooting the most important thing with shooting irons is seeing the front sight with razor-like clarity. Since I have been near sighted since my late teens I asked my doctor to keep me near sighted. I've never needed reading glasses and still don't after the surgery. The surgery improved my distance vision a good bit but still need glasses to see fine detail long distance. I'll never forget that I had my right eye(dominate) done first and was a bit apprehensive about it. Surgery was done on a Wednesday and Thursday morning I pulled out one of my rifles out of the safe and was delighted to see I was getting a better sight picture than in my whole shooting career. I called wife Marsha who was at work with the good news and she says OH GOD, lol.
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Michael Johnson

Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by Michael Johnson »

Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies guys! Since I work with cataract docs, I had already come to the same conclusion that Etienne Brule came to. My eyes are still pretty good. I had 20/10 vision for most of my first 50 years (far sighted) but at 50 began having problems reading in dim light to now things inside of 40 inches are a little out of focus. My vision without glasses is 20/25. With glasses I am corrected to 20/15. I can drive and read signs without glasses. I need glasses to see sharply inside of 40 inches.They say that when your vision starts to go at my age it is probably cataracts. The lens God gave you is hardening and becoming cloudy much like a dirty window. So some time in the future I will need this surgery as well. A number of my friends have had it done. Do not have it done before you need it because complications do occur in rare instances. My ophthalmologist says we will not do this until I get to the point that my glasses prescription does not do the job.

The main reason I posted this question is the other thread about older guys needing to shoot scope and having problems with iron sights. Once you get into your late 50s it is good to visit the eye doc once a year. Thanks again fellas!
SchuetzenDave
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by SchuetzenDave »

When I had cataracts my sight was 430/460 (legally blind without glasses).

With the new lens after the cataracts were removed (15 years ago when I was 50) I ended up with 20/15 vision.

Have been shooting iron sights exceptionally well ever since.
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Raven
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by Raven »

Just a suggestion: How about you visit an optomatrist ,explain what you think you need and get a few contacts totry BEFORE they cut your eye.
I would guess it will at least get you and idea of what you want to live with longterm.? :shock:
1minute
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Re: Post cataract surgery: irons vs scope

Post by 1minute »

Same results as posted by George Babits above. Peeps looked to have some webbing therein. All is clear and sharp now. Both eyes set up for distance with glasses needed for fine print.
1Minute
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