retina damage and shooting ak-47 rifles?

[megatronrules]

After reading a post here on the subject of retina damage and shooting I got to thinking. Is there really such a thing as this and if so are there any documented cases of it occuring or being directly linked to shooting? If so what type of weapons would cause suck a thing? i.e. large bore guns,magnum hunting rifles and the like?

I mean there are lots of people who shoot thousands of rounds through thair rifles and handguns w/o anything like this occuring. Also I would guess most any handgun incapable of generating enough recoil to cause something like this. Or am I just being paranoid here? LOL

Anyways I'am going to be getting an ak-47 soon and just was wondering if shooting it alot could possibly damage my eyes? I mean the stock being at my shoulder and the recoil being absorbed by my cheek being against the stock of the ak while aiming. I'am guessing this is the theory on how this may occur over time. I don't mean for this to sound like a stupid question but I was just wondering about it is all. Never hurts to ask I guess thanks.

 

[BamBam-31]

This one's gonna be moved....

 

[firestar]

Just shoot your AK from the hip.

 

[Kahr carrier]

Heck I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[BHP9]

The answer is Yes, Yes, Yes. It all depends on your physical condition and how heavy a recoiling gun you are firing.

Example: A friend of mine bought a very rare single shot anti-tank rifle that he rebarreld to 50 caliber. He was building a muzzle break for it and decided to fire the weapon to see how much it would kick without the muzzle break. He was prone in the snow and the gun was mounted on ski's. He pulled the trigger and then blacked out. When he came too he say that the gun had pushed him back in the snow about a foot. He then went to the doctor and asked your same question about retinal failure. The answer from the doctor was. Its a damned good possiblity.

This is an extreme example but older people who have eye problems should consult their doctor before attempting to fire heavy recoiling weapons and that could include even a super light weight 30-06.

 

[Chipperman]

I think people who are predisposed to having retinal problems would be at a higher risk, but the average Joe should not have to worry too much.

Heck, sneezing causes more jarring of your retinas than shooting the average rifle.

Hey, that reminds me of a joke... Nevermind

 

[762x51]

The AK has barely any recoil. Especially with a brake on it. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Retina damage from shooting an AK-47? First I've heard of that.

Try sitting inside the turret of an M1 Abrams tank and firing the 120mm canon. Talk about a blast that jars your friggin' eyeballs...

 

[Mike Irwin]

I thought we had covered this in the first thread.

Yes, it can happen.

I just chatted with my eye guy, who is a shooter himself. He's seen several cases of detached retinas in older men who regularly shoot trap, skeet, and sporting clays.

Is it absolutely certain that the repeated recoil actually caused the retinal damage?

The phrase smoking gun comes immediately to mind...

The important thing to remember is that the less violent the recoil, the less chance of this happening.

My Father wasn't told to stop shooting his .30-06 because his eye surgeon was an anti-gunner...

 

[Prof]

Don't want to beat this subject to death, but it brings up a question which I had about a related subject. Since I am "older" and have an eye disease (glaucoma), I feel I may fall into this category (I will check with my opthamologist at my next quarterly check up). However, the only rifles which I shoot which might fall into this category are in .30-caliber (.303, .308 and .30-30) (the rest are .223 and .22LR). Are these .30cal rifles what people in these threads have referred to as "big bore" or "heavy recoiling" rifle calibers? If not, do they still produce enough recoil, in your estimation, to produce retinal damage? I ask because I know that my doctor doesn't know a .50-cal from a BB gun so he won't know how much recoil I'm talking about. Thanks for any input. (I ask this question in all seriousness because my Savage 10FP seems like a "heavy-recoiling" rifle to me! Of course, I may just be recoil sensitive. )

 

[Chipperman]

Your age and glaucoma certainly put you into a higher risk group. Does that mean you should stop shooting?

Like I said above, sneezing is more jarring to your retinas than shooting an average .30 cal. Repeated trauma from recoil may exacerbate the situation, though.

I'd ask the Doc what he thinks. I'm sure he will say it's safest to stop shooting, if only to cover his butt.

Then you have to ask yourself the quality of life question:
Is it worth having vision if I can't shoot?

Remember, I'm an animal Doc, not a people Doc.

 

[Prof]

Thanks, Chipperman. I'll give it some thought. While I like the .30-cal guns, I spend most of my rifle time with .223 and .22LR. I may end up selling the .30-cals and buying some more .22-cals! That way I could be safe and still shoot! I also recently got into airgunning which should be the safest and I also shoot pistols alot. So, even without the "heavier" calibers, I'll still be able to enjoy shooting AND protect my eyes.

 

[Gewehr98]

I could envision a .416 Rigby or .458 Winchester Magnum...

Messing with the photoreceptors in the back of one's eyebulbs. But a 7.62x39?

 

[MAKOwner]

7.62x39 frying your eyes? It is a baby in the recoil department, I would certainly not worry about that with an AK... I mean your shoulder barely moves, much less your head. And the muzzle blast is not noticeable to the shooter. Don't see how it could possibly hurt your eyes.

 

[Navy joe]

You will hurt your eyes more by staring at gun BBs on the computer. Get out and shoot!

 

[Mike Irwin]

"But a 7.62x39?"

Yeah, it's possible.

Why?

Because EVERYONE, and their particular medical situation, is completely DIFFERENT.

Usually there are other factors involved in a retinal detachment or tear. The shock or impact is probably incidental to the impending event, but it's a contributor.

 

[bluecowdawg]

I DONT WANNA SOUND STUPID BUT I DONT GET IT? HOW CAN SHOOTING A RIFLE DETACTH YOUR RETINA'S? I COULD SEE IT HAPPENING IF YOU PUT THE BUTT STOCK OF YOUR 30-06 ON YER FOREHEAD AND SQUEEZED ONE OFF

 

[Freedom in theSkies]

In the Canadian Forces, trigger actuators on the .50 sniper rifle are limited to the number of rounds they are allowed to fire due to the possibility of retina detachment.

 

[buford1]

My 458 WIN MAG with 510 gr factory loads causes my eyes to water, Its from the pain to my shoulder. I really dont think recoil will cause eye damage.

 

[Chipperman]

IMNSHO, if shooting an AK causes retinal detachment, they were gonna detach anyway.

It's just a question of when, where, and how.

I guess there's another thing we do that causes blindness.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"I really don't think recoil will cause eye damage."

I guess you're right.

Every doctor who says that shooting heavily recoiling firearms can cause or aggravate retina damage in some shooters actually means that a pointy stick in the eye actually causes it.

I'm going with what my eye guy, and my Father's eye guy, and several other eye guys I know, have to say on this subject.

They've all got MD behind their names, and DR. in front.