Cataracts and shooting sports

My brother (age 65) just had cataract surgery.
That specific eye now has far better vision.

He has returned to his normal Right Handed shooting with his Ruger AR, Swiss K31 and Sig P6 handgun.

In about six months the Other eye will have the (painless) surgery.

get the cataracts removed.

lilguy said:

What’s have any here done in this situation?

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My new lenses corrected for distance and my progressive glasses were a thing of the past. The difference was stark and you will be amazed at the difference the very next day.

I don't recall a choice to correct both eyes for up close. There was the option for 'single vision' where one eye is corrected for distance and the other eye is corrected for reading. Supposedly your brain adjusts and you can see clearly at both distance and up close. I never considered that option.

As I recall the hardest decision was the type of lens. Insurance normally only pays for the standard lens and you have to make up the difference for anything else. I went with the standard lenses and have no regrets.

It is a life changing event. Be prepared to be 'wowed'

I wore glasses for distant vision since 9 and competed in USPSA matches during 20-30s wearing glasses.

In my late 40s, I started to develop blurriness that was not addressed by progressive glasses and into 50s, blurriness got worse with darkening of field of vision and my eye doctor recommended cataract surgery.

After looking at Symfony, Synergy and PanOptix multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) implant options, because I do a lot of night driving and look at computer/laptop/cellphone screens, my eye doctor recommended Vivity IOL - https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices...-iol-model-dft015-acrysoftm-iq-vivitytm-toric

Main departure from other multifocal IOLs is the benefit of not having star bursts or halo around the oncoming headlights or other light sources at night and brighter/vivid vision due to 100% transmission of light like monofocal IOLs (88-93% for other multifocal IOLs).

Cost on top of Enhanced VSP eye insurance is $2500 per lens and getting Vivity toric for right eye to correct astigmatism. (I was planning to get laser eye surgery but since that is no longer needed after cataract IOL implant surgery, it's a wash with better outcome. My sister and BIL both had laser eye surgeries but now he's got cataract and will need cataract surgery).

After surgery vision is 20/20 and I can clearly see sights of my guns and only require use of reading glasses for really small print up close (Near vision is improving to where reading restaurant menus is now doable).

My eye doctor knows I am a shooter and we talked about this. I considered PanOptix as it provides better close up sharpness than others (Symfony, Synergy) but eye doctor told me that I won't be shooting all the time (Ha, she doesn't know me that well. She thinks I play with puppies and cook/BBQ all the time ... Wait til she sees my reloading room ) and "activities of daily living", especially night driving which I do quite a bit, may have higher priority over shooting later in life.

Besides, 88% light transmission of PanOptix vs 100% for Vivity was the game changer for me, especially night driving issues with Vivity hands down being more superior as demonstrated to me last night.

BTW, view through scope - Target and crosshair both sharp.

One Month Update:

Saw the eye doctor for one month follow up and had retinal scans done. She is happy with surgery results but looks like I will need reading glasses for really fine print up closer than hand's reach distance. (2.5x power) She was happy to hear I do not have any halo/rainbow effect driving at night as I do a lot of night driving.

When I went shooting for the first time since surgery in both eyes and happy to report that Glock 22 sights were clear against clear targets. When I consistently produced 1" groups at 7 yards, it brought tears to my eyes as I thought before surgery I was done with sighted shooting for the rest of my life.

I also did follow up and reference baseline shooting for upcoming myth busting dirty vs clean 22LR barrel accuracy thread and after adjusting the focus, was able to clearly see the bullet holes on target and cross hairs of Burris 6.5-20x and Bushnell 6-18x at maximum magnifications. (Better vision probably helped produce almost 1/2" group with 10/22 and CCI Blazer)

I had cataract replacement and paid for the "upgraded" lenses. Unfortunately my pupils are larger than normal and this allowed light to get into the eye around the edge of the implants resulting in smearing and ghosting. I believe this is called positive disphotopsia. The surgeon recommended pupilloplasties to tighten up the pupils. This was covered by Medicare, but the left eye had only marginal success. I use Pilocarpine drops when I want to negate the artifacts. It works. Most of the time I ignore it.

I had the surgeries in both eyes in March and April. I see better now but don't notice "that" big a difference. Haven't shot much since,time will tell.

lilguy said:

What’s have any here done in this situation? Thanks

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I elected to go with the "distance" lenses (I still need reading glasses) and I'm more than satisfied with my decision. I actually have a couple of pairs of cheap, drug store reading glasses laying around the house, but I never use them because I wear regular bifocals (with just a small spot for reading and close-up in the lower, inside corner of their lenses) all of my waking hours anyway. I got used to wearing glasses (safety glasses) during my working years, and nowadays they just feel kind of normal on my face.
Besides, shooting is not the only thing I do that I like to have a little eye protection for while I'm doing it. In a few minutes, I'm going to go out and mow the lawn, and I won't have to look around for some eye protection because I'll already be wearing it. As a matter of fact, I've been figuring on replacing the nice-looking, "Ducks Unlimited" eyeglasses I have now with some sturdier (more like real safety glasses) real soon anyway.

I'm facing this decision within the next couple years, so I'm bookmarking this thread, and you guys just keep talking, 'cuz I'm paying attention.

My vision failed fairly quickly such that I couldn't drive at night. I chose distance and wear glasses for close up. One thing is that I always like have some eye protection on the range AND in the real world. My glasses have kept crap out of my eyes in both.

I went for standard lens instead of the astigmatism correction. First they cost significantly more as not covered. Second I have seen the correction go very badly due to the orientation being screwed up, so my friend had to have corrective surgery and that is risky as to damage to eye structures. My correction is in my glasses. Not a problem.

The world is so much better with the surgery - I wouldn't wait. It was very simple and not really a difficult adjustment.

wiscoaster said:

I'm facing this decision within the next couple years,

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Just a thought. If the cataracts are able to be diagnosed now the only reason to wait is if insurance will pay for it now. Cataracts never get better and always get worse. At what rate they get worse depends on the person. Once the replacement lenses are in place the issue is ended. The real question is at what rate the cataracts will progress. I went from "you have cataracts starting but they likely wont get bad enough in your lifetime " to 2 years later having extreme sight issues that the surgery fixed.

Like any surgery there is the possibility of complications. So one always has to weigh risks with the current disability. In retrospect I'd have done mine sooner.

If you can afford the "fully corrected" lenses (in my case this would have doubled my out-of-pocket costs, and the $1400 base price was steep enough as was) then do so.
The "average" replacement lenses will mean keeping reading glasses with you about nearly every hour you are awake (at least it did for me).
My distance vision is good enough for aiming purposes, in general.
But, I so often have readers on, the close-in sights are not much of an issue.

Johnm1 said:

.... the only reason to wait is if ....

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... they're working on bionic lenses. TRUE!!

wiscoaster said:

I'm facing this decision within the next couple years, so I'm bookmarking this thread, and you guys just keep talking, 'cuz I'm paying attention.

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Wiscoaster, one more thing that hasn't been brought up in this thread, but it has certainly been brought up in quite a number of previous threads on THR, is about eyeglasses and scope use. Before I had cataract surgery and chose the "distance vision" lenses, I had to wear bifocals, and later on, progressive lens trifocals to spot big game animals in the distance. However, I couldn't see through my rifle scope while wearing my glasses!
So, I came up with a way of hunting big game while wearing my glasses - I attached a pair of those "gators" (or "crocodiles") to them, and when I'd spot an animal, I'd quickly drop my glasses down on my chest (hanging them from my neck) as I brought my rifle up.
That method worked for a lot of years, but I'm sure pleased I don't have to rely on it anymore. With the glasses I've worn ever since my cataract surgery (which have no correction in the upper lenses for anything) I can spot big game animals as well in the distance as I could when I was 30 years old. And I can see through all of my rifle scopes just fine - whether I'm wearing my glasses or not.

Frank Ettin said:

I was offered a third choice, implants corrected to middle distance

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This. I had cataract surgery, on both eyes, 12 years ago. The doctor recommended a "compromise" lens prescription. I can see well enough to get around without glasses, but I still wear bifocals.

The thing not to do is correct for distance in one eye, and closeness in the other. That's difficult to adjust to, and a lot of people get headaches.

There are fancy implant lenses that supposedly have a variable focus. I would avoid them.

New eye drops are being heavily advertised, that let you see close up without reading glasses. These simply constrict the pupils (the opposite of dilation). It's the same as stopping down the lens on a camera. You get greater depth of field, at the cost of less light sensitivity. Using these drops would really handicap you in dim light.

I had both eyes corrected with cataract removal and new lenses. My situation was best suited to standard correction for distance and still use glasses for reading. I'm not wearing glasses as I type this note, but do need them for close work and most reading. The best illustration of the change in sight comes from my prairie dog hunting experiences. Prior to the surgery I arranged a p-dog shoot with a young friend; he is early 30s and I'm 75. It was remarkable how much better he could spot targets than I could, especially minute movements out to 200yds and his color vision is better too. Fast forward to post surgery and another p-dog shoot; this time alone. My ability to spot dogs, both moving and stationary, had improved dramatically. I could tease out the color better because I could spot them better, thus knowing where to focus my attention. Now forward to another shoot a week ago with the same young friend. Even though he still sees better than I do, he was impressed by how much better my spotting skills had become and my accuracy improved too. The improvement for me is amazing; a total success.

And, BTW, we killed 403 prairie dogs

Sniper66 said:

his color vision is better too.

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The clear color vision was the first thing I noticed after the cataract surgery. Before that, everything had a dingy, yellow cast but I didn't know it because I had nothing to compare it to, and the yellowness had come on so gradually. As soon as I opened my eyes, wow! The light was white instead of yellow, and much brighter.

I’m 78 with cataracts and posterior vitreous detachment in both eyes. My ophthalmologist is amazed that I can see as well as I do. I passed my driver’s license test without glasses. My cataracts are donuts and I can see through the holes. I have to shake my head while shooting to stir the floaters, kinda like shaking a snow globe periodically.

Eventually I will need surgery. Until then I wear Dollar Store cheapie reading glasses with the left (non-dominant) lens removed under safety glasses. Handgun iron sights are sharp with my right eye, uncorrected left eye keeps the 10-15 yard bullseye clear.

I know I am on borrowed time.

Sometimes getting old sucks.

Hang in there, geezers!!

I had radical eye surgery in my twenties. It left some scaring in my corneas. Do to the relatively low number of this surgery there is no formula for correcting via IOL replacement.

After cataract replacement my left eye was actually worse. A second try got me back to where I was on the eye chart (20/50) with much better night and color vision. Right eye is 20/25.

The plan was best distance vision in both eyes and use readers.

As a side effect, I can read with my left eye but don't see well at a distance and my right eye is the reverse.

It see just fine now and yes there was a months long adjustment period.

I'm right eye dominant. If I'm using irons I wear readers, with a red dot it doesn't matter much if I use readers or not other than a loss of clarity at a distance with the readers.

J-Bar said:

I’m 78 with cataracts......Eventually I will need surgery.

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Do it sooner rather than later. The older you get, the less tolerance for the surgery. I had mine at 65. Had to wait until I was covered by Medicare. Between that and supplemental insurance, the procedures didn't cost me anything!

Cataract surgery has become completely routine. It's done on an outpatient basis. You're in and out of there in a few hours.

I had mine removed in very late 2019 and got the distance lenses. I need help reading very small print but can read my 10" Kindle with no help. I use Foster Grant 1.25 readers with no frames for seeing little stuff up close as they weigh almost nothing. Iron sights on both pistols and rifles work for me again. I have always worn shades when outside in the sunshine but now they are essential. It's a much brighter world without cataracts. I can read the 20/15 eye chart with no trouble now. You are going to enjoy being cataractless.

By the way, the procedure is almost painless. The follow up gets tiresome but be sure to follow the doctor's directions strictly. There is also a 30% chance that you will develop plaque under one or both replacement lens but that is a quick and painless laser procedure. It happened with both my lenses.

Stars are what I noticed the first night after the surgery. I cried 'cause I realized I hadn't seen them for years.