Cataract Surgery and Shooting

[K38]

Hi Guys, Dwight here.

I am more likely to be found on the pistol boards a few years ago. Most of my shooting has been field crossbow, that is target crossbow with bolts like short arrows using prods 90 Lbs and under that have to be dawn by hand with no cocking devices. The stocks and sights and even triggers are often adapted or hybridized from rifle sights. In my case anchutz rifle front and back sights. I have not been shooting much of anything lately as my right eye has a cataract that makes everything kind of a mush. I function in everyday life ok as my left eye is still pretty good and glasses get me to 20/20 in that eye. I am hoping to convince my insurance company to fix my right eye as I am right eye dominant and right handed. It even makes reading music kind of dicey, as I am a violin and viola teacher and a professional musician that is a bit of a problem as well.

Sorry for the life story!

I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me, perhaps some shooting eye doctors out there? I used to know one on the Bullseye Pistol mail list. (cannot remember his name) It has become frustrating for me, I cannot even use a camera that has to be focused (not even a Leica Rangefinder) drives me crazy to use my left eye!

Thanks For Your Kindness,

Dwight

[Rover]

"I am hoping to convince my insurance company to fix my right eye"

You're going to have to do it one way or another, sooner the better. Get on it.

[Mikey_P]

I had cataract surgery for both eyes back in 2016 and everything turned out great. I would suggest that you try to find the best ophthalmologist in your area that you can (most important!!). Ask around for references - such as what you're doing now by your post. It's a common procedure today; however, you still have to do your homework!

Also, I was able to choose between the "standard" lens implant vs. the "hi-def" implant. I went with the hi-def (for more $$$'s, of course) and also had both eyes corrected for distant vision. With a new prescription in hand, I ordered a pair of Decot shooting glasses with interchangeable lenses. You supply Decot with the sight radius for your rifle (or crossbow) and they'll set you up with the proper lens. I also have a different lens which I use when shooting with a scope.

Good luck, Dwight. You'll be amazed at how much better your vision becomes after the surgery. Cataracts develop over time, so you don't notice the degradation in your vision until things become pretty bad.

Mike

[ShootingSight]

If you get a distance lens for your cateract, you will want a shooting lens that will focus you at 2x the distance to the front sight. 2x the distance to a near object, in photography, is referred to as the hyperfocal distance, and at this distance your eye's natural depth of field will be centered between the near object and infinity. This allows your eye to see both the target and the sight together.

Since the human eye usually focuses on a single object, it rarely relies on depth of field, so eye doctors will rarely think about managing depth of field. Shooting is the one exception, because you have a nearby sight and a distant target, and you want to see them both. Eye doctors will usually listen to a patient's complaint that they cannot see the front sight, and give you a lens that shows a beautiful front sight. Unfortunately, this neglects the target, so the target is unacceptably blurry. The real problem is that you want to see as good a front sight as possible, without sacrificing being able to see the target, and this is achieved by focusing on the front sight.

Indeed, the human eye has a variable pupil, so it ranges from about an f2.3 lens in dim light, to an f8 lens in bright light. If you use a small aperture of about 1mm, it will be an f22-25 lens. So set up a front sight so it is about the right distance from your eye, take your leica, and focus it so you get the best picture where the front sight and the target are balanced. The distance on the focus readout should be about 2x the distance to the sight.