Considering lasik surgery to help sight alignment and focus, share your thoughts please.

[Zaydok Allen]

I am getting tired of wearing glasses to see my dang targets, and I'm starting to even have a hard time aligning my sight picture without RX glasses. I shoot a lot of handguns and a lever action and semiauto carbine also.

I know I need eye protection of some sort, so lets skip past the safety talks.

I'm finding glasses really irritating when I have my cheek touching a rifle stock. They just get in the way, but most importantly, if they drop down my nose a bit and I'm looking over the top of them, EVERYTHING becomes blurry. I could still hit a target at 20 yards, but it will be terrible shooting, and not my idea of what I aspire to.

Handgun shooting is a little easier because my glasses are less likely to slide down at all and blur the image.

If you've had lasik surgery, can you share your experience on how it helped or hurt your shooting please. Is this a waste of money?

My eye doctor told me my eyes are unlikely to get much worse in the next few decades. I'm 37 years old and I know some folks who have had it done and have had to do it a second time, and others who have needed no updates.

Let's please skip the gory details of exactly what occurs, and no gross eye surgery pics. I'm weird about my eyes, and I'm trying to get past the mental aspect of what will occur if I do this. Hell I don't even like when snow flakes get near my eyes.

Honestly though, I really just hate being reliant on glasses. I don't mind wearing them, but depending on them is just getting to be not ok in my mind. My close vision is fantastic, but if I have to wear glasses for anything, I'd rather wear them to read than to drive my truck. Bifocals? No thanks...........

What has your experience been?

 

[Aim1]

Love it. I’ve had it, my brother, sister, and friend. And 1 co-worker. I had mine about 19 years ago. My brother did his about 8. None of us have had problems.

Just pick a reputable doctor and you should really enjoy it.

Also, find one that does touch ups for free if your eyesight changes as you age. It happened to me.

 

[Steelangel]

My Mother had hers done @ 78 yrs old. She loves it and still drives with no glasses. I shoot 50mm adjustable eyepiece scopes clearly on my tac driver rifles, but open sights are blurry. I'll prolly be going to get it done next Fall.

 

[labnoti]

I don't see how you can skip past safety glasses. If you know you need some kind of eye protection, what other kind of eye protection is there?

 

[Wisco]

I posted this last time someone asked...

I chose a surgeon who had done 100,000+ procedures with a very low complication rate. It wasn't cheap, but I didn't want to use someone less reputable with older technology.

I had no complications and went from 20/100 in both eyes to 20/15. I used the steroid drops and antibiotics as suggested and paid extra-close attention to keeping eyes from contamination or ever touching them for a few weeks.

For all basic purposes I was fine the day after surgery to go back to my daily routine - minus exercise or anything that could dislodge the flap. (No shooting for a couple weeks)

From what I've been told, after 4-6 months the force required to move your LASIK flap would also destroy your eye.

My eyes aren't any drier than before.

I did lose some near vision - like within 8 inches of my face. The eye doctor said that’s normal and around 40 years old I might start to need reading glasses. Almost everyone does.

4 years later, I think, and I’m still 20/15 or 20/20. If I need a correction at some point, I’ll have to get PRK, but even that is better than glasses or contacts.

If you want the name, I’ll pass it along. Like most reputable and good lasik surgeons in demand, he does a couple days at clinics around the country.

For $3,000-4,000 and your eyes, it’s worth finding the best you can and even travel for it. The cheap LASIK places are probably still using old technology that doesn’t deliver as good results or heal as quickly.

DO NOT GET A $300 PER EYE LASIK SPECIAL AT A STRIP MALL.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I don't see how you can skip past safety glasses.

Please think about what you just posted for a minute, and re read my original post.

I know I need eye protection of some sort, so lets skip past the safety talks.

I didn't say I was going to skip past safety glasses, I said the above. I don't need a safety talk. I know I need eye protection.

If you know you need some kind of eye protection, what other kind of eye protection is there?

My prescription glasses are polycarbonate lenses, which means they are perfectly adequate to deflect blow back, bullet shavings, unburned powder.

I will still wear safety glasses even if I get lasik done.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Can't get your sight back if they screw it up.

I'm 35 and wear glasses and it's still a no go for me on the Lasik. Just won't risk it personally.

Besides, between my job and hobbies I'd still be walking around with safety glasses most of my days.

 

[<*(((><]

I had mine done at 34 and would do it again In a heart beat. Just look at the % major problems with lasik and it’s a very very small percentage.

I had to do PRK because my cornea was too thin so the recovery time was about twice as long but it wasn’t bad, just a dark room for a couple of days and sunglasses after that for a few weeks.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

My understanding, from people who have had it done, is the younger you are the more beneficial it will be. As Wisco said I would find a guy that has a good track record.

I don't see how you can skip past safety glasses.

I wear glasses about half the time when I target shoot and almost never in 40+ years while hunting.
I also rarely wear my seat belt. MY eyes, my life, my choice.

 

[jmr40]

My wife had it done yeas ago, probably 20, and wouldn't consider anything else. She had one eye done for distance vision, and the other for close up reading. The brain naturally selects which eye needs to focus depending on the distance. Talk to the DR. who does yours and tell them you shoot and which side you shoot from. He can advise you.

I'm lucky, at 60 my left eye is still 20/20. The right eye is slightly less, but not enough to justify glasses or surgery. It shows up on tests if I close my left eye, but my brain simply focuses on the better eye if both are open. Unfortunately as we age the eyes simply don't focus as well at all ranges. That is normal. I use a 1.25 reader to focus on a computer screen and a 2.0 for reading small print. I have some 3.0's that I pull out for working on tiny things. I even found some bifocal polarized reader sunglasses. Makes it possible to tie on a fish hook outdoors without changing from sunglasses to readers.

The reason I bring that up is that even after the surgery you may still need readers eventually, maybe now, to see small details up close. My wife just recently started using them for sewing or other craft work she does that requires a lot of detail. Even 20 years after the surgery she doesn't need them to read the newspaper.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

If you go for the best doctor, I would highly recommend it.

Talk to your eye doctor. Just like the drug commercials always say hahaha

 

[.308 Norma]

What has your experience been?

I had it done 3 years ago, and wish I would have had it done 30 years ago. Of course I'm not sure if it was around 30 years ago, and even if it was, I'm not sure it was as perfected as it is today.
Besides, my situation is a bit different than yours. I'm 70, and started struggling with far-sightedness and astigmatism in my mid-40s. I was still working then, and was required safety glasses at work anyway, so I just wore my company issued bifocal safety glasses all the time. They were a pain for shooting, particularly for hunting with a scoped rifle - I couldn't make out distant game without my glasses because of my astigmatism, and my scope was blurry when I tried to look through it with my glasses.
I did however, learn a trick that helped me deal with hunting big game with a scoped rifle while wearing bifocals. I attached a pair of "Crocodiles" or whatever they are called to the earpieces on my glasses. When I'd spot a head of big game, I'd simply drop my glasses down on my chest before pulling my rifle up to my shoulder. That worked okay with scoped rifles for 20 years, and as far as shooting handguns or open sighted rifles was concerned, the bifocals really didn't bother me much - the sights were clear for me through the tops of the lenses.
At any rate, as I said your situation is a bit different than mine. For one thing, I was on Medicare and had a good Medicare Supplement insurance by the time I had LASIK eye surgery. My out of pocket expense was zilch.
I still wear glasses most of the time. They have polycarbonate lenses, and they have absolutely no correction in the upper lenses. I kinda got used to wearing glasses over a twenty year time-span. However, because I no longer need correction in the upper lenses, even with the glasses I now wear, I can spot game far off, and use scopes or open sights, just as well as I could when I was in my 20s and 30s without glasses. The correction in the lower part (close up) of my lenses is minor too - I can read most things, such as books, newspapers and magazines without my glasses.
But the other reason(s) I still wear glasses most of the time is because besides shooting and handloading, I also enjoy carpentry/woodworking, and occasionally I run mowers and other types of power equipment. I hate having to stop what I'm doing to reach for a pair of safety glasses, so I just wear them most of the time anyway. Every once in a while, when I've forgotten I'm still wearing my glasses, my wife pokes fun at me by asking; "Do you really need those glasses to watch TV?"

 

[labnoti]

I will still wear safety glasses even if I get lasik done.

Then how does Lasik solve the stated problem of finding wearing glasses irritating? Since your plan appears to be to change one set of glasses for a different set, maybe you just need better glasses and nothing more.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Then how does Lasik solve the stated problem of finding wearing glasses irritating? Since your plan appears to be to change one set of glasses for a different set, maybe you just need better glasses and nothing more.

Sigh........

if they drop down my nose a bit and I'm looking over the top of them, EVERYTHING becomes blurry. I could still hit a target at 20 yards, but it will be terrible shooting, and not my idea of what I aspire to.

Honestly though, I really just hate being reliant on glasses. I don't mind wearing them, but depending on them is just getting to be not ok in my mind.

Shooting is not the only reason I'm considering it. Rather than questioning my motives, how about if you contribute something meaningful to the conversation. My eyes, my life, my choice. I need no one's approval, and since it's a gun forum, the context is shooting.

 

[Sav .250]

The colors are way more vibrant ! Greatest thing since sliced bread.................

 

[doubleh]

I think you have two choices. Either get used to glasses or get used to having surgery a few times during your life. Your eyes are going to degrade as you age..

 

[jlmwrite]

I've worn glasses (and contacts) for nearsightedness for nearly 50 years, and have needed reading glasses over bifocal contacts or trifocal glasses for the past 5 or 6 years before getting Lasik. Target shooting has been tough, and hunting in adverse weather wearing glasses was even worse.

I'd been considering Lasik for a few years, but having seen so many surgical complications in the ICU over my career, I kept putting it off. Two years ago, a good friend with similar vision to mine had it done and urged me to go to the same clinic where a well-renowned MD had all the latest toys. Against my better judgement, I went ahead with the consultation and had the procedure done (one eye for distance, one for close-up). All the talk about "I could see better when I left" was a pile of s**t; I had a gritty sensation in both eyes for the first 24 hours and thought I'd made a mistake of epic proportions. But with rest and lots of eye drops, it subsided and the next evening I did have crystal clear vision.

And you know what? I now have 20/15 vision, and I can read without readers again. As for shooting, it doesn't matter whether I'm shooting handguns or long guns. I can obtain a sight picture as quickly as I did when I was a young military officer, without any blurring. I'm back to shooting accurately up to 300 yards with iron sights. Rain and snow don't affect my vision. It's the best thing I've done for myself in a long time. The only other disclaimer I have is that eye drops at least 3x/day are a must.

Another poster said something about not looking for a bargain. I concur. It ain't cheap, but Lasik procedures have changed dramatically over the years, and the equipment is far better than it was even ten years ago. Take your time. Ask your own eye doctor if they have any suggestions. Check out Yelp and Google reviews. Go in for the free consultation, and see what kind of feeling you get from the facility, the staff, and the doctor.

 

[wally]

Having had it done initially in 2008 with a left eye tweak in 2013 and a right eye tweak done early this year, I concur.

Make sure your doctor understands your needs and don't agree to monovision until you've done a trial with extended wear contacts. When monovision works it is great, being a 68 and not needing to carry glasses is wonderful! But if you are one of the percentage of people who's brain cannot adapt for monvision it'll be awful! However, I've found I do require sunglasses when outdoors in bright light since the lasik, almost never used them before because I was always losing them

Definitely beware the lasik mills. My wife's long term eye doctor just started doing lasik and he was pushing her to have him do it, she was hitting the limits what contacts could correct, I suggested she get a second opinion from my eye doctor -- he ruled out lasik in like five minutes as her cornea was too thin. He did a lot of other tests and determined she was a candidate for PRK. This is much more onvasive, and takes months of recovery, but bottom line is my wife was miserable for about four months having done one eye and then the other, but she went from being legally blind without glasses or contacts to only needing dollar store readers. She still marvels at the results ten years later!

I've had complications 3 out of four times, but a good lasik place is prepared for them and rallies to ensure a good outcome. A consequence is my monovision ended up little closer near point that I'd like and I have some difficulty with glare from point sources (headlights) when driving on dark nights (no street lights) or in heavy night time oncoming traffic. A pair of driving glasses with a minus lens to remove the monovision and plain glass for the other eye nicely solved the issue. Although I'm finding I need them less often as my brain's adaptation gets better.

My only real issue is using my red dot sights as my near point is so near that the dots are a horrible blob for big dots or nearly invisible faint smears for the small ones since their apparent distance is too for for any kind of focus. The driving glasses with a pair of $8 over the glasses eyepro solves that problem. I believe this "extra correction" is a consequence of the proceedure done to fix the complication as I was doing great prior to the follow-up visit that detected the complication

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I would need to have both eyes done for distance. I use stero pair aerial photographs for my job and with a stereoscope you can see topography in 3D, just like the old Viewmaster toys.

That won't work with two different focal depths of clarity.

Adverse weather is an issue too as jlmwrite notes. I despise dirty glasses and my glasses are always dirty.

Half the time I can hardly see where I'm hitting on a target at 30 yards even with my glasses. Looked up my local eye institute. Looks like about $2000 per eye.

 

[smithnut357]

I had lasik done on both eyes last year, and so far I have loved it! Wish I had it done years ago. I was pretty rough on glasses. They were forever getting scratched up. Now its not even a concern. It helped out with shooting as well. Not always having scratched up lenses to look through really helps seeing the front sight. Plus if the conditions are bright, I can wear sunglasses to drastically reduce glare.

Oh and there’s nothing to the procedure. You just lay there and look at different colored dots. The hardest part was paying for it.

 

[Zendude]

Had mine done about 7 years ago. It corrected my vision better than glasses ever did.

 

[JEB]

i had it done around 10 years ago. BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT. i cant understate this enough; having normal vision is such a blessing after relying on glasses since age 7. i was essentially good to go the day after surgery. i went from 20/100 to 20/20 in less than 24 hours, but i did require a touch-up procedure about 8 months after my initial surgery and am now right around 20/25. not perfect but much better than i have ever been. talk to your doctor and follow their advice. it is easily the best decision i have ever made.

 

[Deus Machina]

Looking forward to the day I finally start getting a decent paycheck and insurance. You guys seeing the world without coke bottles are making me jealous.

 

[JTHunter]

It's good to hear how so many of you have had success with your eye surgeries. Unfortunately, I'm one of those that probably couldn't be helped by Lasik. I have been wearing glasses since partway through the 1st grade and have had to get my prescription strengthened almost every time. My right eye is now up to a -7 diopters as I am very near-sighted. Oddly enough, I can take my glasses off and can read most newsprint up to about 6". Naturally, this makes using iron sights somewhat difficult, esp. on a rifle, which I prefer to use a scope.
Also, because of this "high index", my lenses are also polycarbonate so I don't need safety glasses over them.

 

[JohnKSa]

I did lose some near vision - like within 8 inches of my face. The eye doctor said that’s normal and around 40 years old I might start to need reading glasses. Almost everyone does.

That is true, however that's not quite the whole story.

If you are nearsighted, lasik type correction will make the effects of presbyopia worse when the progression starts. It will become problematic sooner and you will need more correction to deal with it.

To be clear, it's not that it does anything to speed the actual progression or make the lens harden faster. I can't provide a good explanation because I don't have enough of an optics background, but I can tell you what the effect is.

Take two myopic persons who are exactly identical in every respect; one who got lasik correction to fix myopia and one who wears glasses to correct it.

When presbyopia sets in (assume that the actual lens hardening progression is also identical in every respect):

The one wearing glasses will be able to see items that are up close more clearly than the one with lasik correction.
The person with lasik correction will need reading glasses before the one using glasses will need bifocals.
The person with lasik correction will need more correction for reading/bifocals than the person using glasses.