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Cataracts: Anybody Had Fixes?

4K views 25 replies 23 participants last post by  old tex 
#1 ·
Well....for a few years now, I've suspected cataracts. Targets are much more challenging under bright conditions than in overcast...flare from the light..and cataracts cause that, among other things. Reading at night is harder, and all kinds of simple stuff, like setting a sprinkler timer that uses an LCD readout...and reading part numbers for replacement parts on a car new to me when under the lifted car..forget that too!! Those are typical symptoms.

So, I went to the doc, and yes, he recommends the modern surgery/procedures of today. 1.5, 2 hour job max per eye.

Anybody else "been there, done that, and how did it work out?" Night driving has also become more..eh...interesting of late. Interesting procedure, by the way, the "BAT" test to find out of cataracts are causing a problem. Both eyes need to go under, what is it, the procedure/knife. Dr's, question, is the BAT test like from "blind as a bat"...the doc I saw didn't tell me.

Thanks for any advice/feedback any can offer re. cataract fix and trapshooting/night driving. Almost turning into a ditch instead of a road when going home at night from Redlands Shooting Park finally told me: "enough is enough"...it is ok to miss a target, but not a road or not too cool to hit a curb!!

Oh, and RSP shooters, did you know that there are still orange groves in the area? I almost ended up exploring one when I made that wrong turn into the dirt.
 
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#5 ·
Yes, get it done. I had both eyes done 3 years ago and what a difference. I was near sighted all my life and the doc asked if I wanted better distance vision. I went for that and it is great. I do have to use reading glasses for close work but it is worth it to me.
 
#8 ·
Thanks, this is encouraging, very encouraging. I knew a shooter years ago that, well, the surgery did nothing for him. But that was over ten years ago.

All else being equal, I bet that cataracts, which make a target appear "glowing", bright, larger, etc. in bright light will make that difficult straight away more difficult. I expect a .25 to 1.0 target improvement per 25 on average, that is from 90 D class average in singles and short yardage to about a high C or low B class...I'll settle for that any day, given that shootng for me is very "now and then"..

Thanks, this ought to be fun, including travel at night where it is also a safety factor.
 
#9 ·
Helped me considerably, about a 10 min procedure, new lens in right eye, about 20\30 W\O glasses Dr told me before surgery that my right eye was borderline on "lazy eye" and not 100% correctable. Amazing difference had worn glasses since I was 16 now at 72 don't need glasses for much of anything, do sometimes wear them for distance. Still have a little problem with headlight glare at night. Would do it again in a heartbeat. You're going to love it. Ross Puls
 
#14 ·
Next question: Did your trap shooting improve? I am sure there are some people with cataracts or less than optimum vision that are very competitive and winning trapshooters. Others, such as I, don't have that kind of talent.

But if talent is average, whatever "average" is, does cataract removal help ones' scores and make target identification more consistent?
 
#17 ·
Wow, this is great news about how well this surgery goes. I get the left (non-dominant, but stronger) eye measured on Thursday. First eye operation on the 19th. Now I should really be able to see the intact targets as they go to the ground! (Well I hope it is better than that...)

One really neat thing, the Dr. is sympathetic and he is a pistol shooter. So he can, at least, identify with the goal.
 
#18 ·
Like everyone has said get them done. Surgery is only a few minutes. the extra time is for prep as there are several types of drops they put in them to get you ready. Take someone with you to drive, the dilation solution is industrial strength and they will be dilated for at least two days!!!!Only thing you will see or notice during the surgery is the brightest light you have ever looked at!!! I had the plain lenses done in both eyes this past December and nothing for astigmatism. Costs a good bit more for the fancy lenses so I opted for
what my insurance pays for. I am 67 and have worn glasses since about 25 years old so no big damn deal to keep wearing them at all. Stopped for lunch and a beer or two after the first and for breakfast after the second one. Had a driver both times and was glad because the hellacious dark sunglasses they gave me made it hard to see the traffic lights.It was bright and sunny for the first one and bright and snowy for the second, gave me a headache if i did not wear the dark glasses for the ride home. Don't be a hero and drive yourself it ain't worth it at all. Of course I had a lot of heavy traffic and 25 miles one way to the surgery center. Medicare pays for your replacement glasses 'one pair' after cataract ssurgery also. Like others have said it is usually two weeks between surgreies.Hint!! Make a little chart to keep track of your drops as there will three different ones and you have to allow a little time between them. Funny thing after the right one was done and I started on the drops for the second one I caught myself starting to put the drops into the rt eye instead of the left eye!!!! One of the drops is used until the bottle is empty and that runs you right up to about the time for the second eye. Bill
 
#19 ·
Had both eyes done last summer it was great, right eye first day after surgery 20/20. She ( doc) was amazed normal wait time for a second eye is a month she did mine the next week. Best thing I could have done, I wear cheaters for reading but other than that good to go targest are clear in any kind of light!
 
#21 ·
I'm one of those that the surgery didn't help. But there was retina damage from an injury decades ago, so even with the new lens implanted there wasn't noticeable improvement.

No complaints, it was a crapshoot, the Docs were upfront in telling me not to have too high expectations for improvement.

Hope your experience is better, but just wanted to put in another point of view.
Eye surgery doesn't help everybody.
 
#22 ·
Had mine done in 2005, mono vision. use readers now for close up and pistol shooting. Trapshooting scores dramatically increased, no long lost targets in the "cloud".

as stated, Whiter is whiter. You'll stare at light bulbs like a moth for awhile..

enjoy...
 
#23 ·
Had my cataracts out 2 years ago. Opted for "Crystaline Lens" by B/L. Was great right after surgery. Could see everything. After three weeks vision went down hill. Developed a protein film over the lens and had to have the film removed by laser in the office. The Crystaline was supposed to attach to the cillary muscles in your eye so that you don't require glasses either for reading or distance. Unfortunately, at least for me, it didn't work. Now need corrective lens for trapshooting and readers for some small print. Wish that I had gotten the mono lens. The risk is too high with the possibility of blindness if they try and remove the lens and replace them.
 
#24 ·
Wore glasses since twenty years old. Both eyes done within a month or so. Glassses only to read now. Had my shooting glasses changed to planos. Wish I had it done long ago..fifty some years with glasses was a pain in the butt.
Get em' done. You won't regret it.

Big Jack
 
#25 ·
I had a Restore Lens put in my left eye and wanted to wait on my shooting eye and see if technology would come up with something better. Having the Restore Lens was a $1600 upgrade over the amount my insurance would pay. That lens gave you sharpness at close, middle, and distance, that was an improvement enough as to where I wasn't using cheaters to read anymore and really brightened all colors especially white.

My right eye was a little better than my left but kept deteriorating and I was really bothered by floaters as this was my shooting eye. You as I did, need to do some research and get the best you can afford to do, as you won't be doing the upgrade thing like many do that shoot trap. I read about the High Definition (HD) Crystalin lens that allowed the eye to focus by flexing with the eyeball much like the human eye does, I opted to go this route. It was more expensive, but in many cases as in life, you only get what you pay for.

Did it help my trap scores? I had it done at the beginning of the trap season and hadn't fully recovered with it as I had with the the Restore lens. When I did begin to see better, I felt like my perspective was off and the targets looked smaller! During that season I wasn't happy with my vision and scores, so I dropped out of shooting so much. Last year I shot very little, sold my Tournament Grade Ljutic, but did manage without any practice,go from a 93 to 98 scores in singles,at the only shoots I attended. I DO think it was worth the cost above the cost what my insurance provided and now I do feel my vision for shooting is much better and all the floaters don't seem to be there(maybe all that recoil made the floaters act like the snowflakes in that Christmas paperweight)plus I don't use glasses for any reason.

My advise, including my own would be for you to do reasearch on the web to see what is available and best in your situation. As much as I enjoy TS.Com, there are few doctors and lots of well intended advise....you find what is best for you and make up your own mind. Vision is extremely important in my life and necessary in trap shooting! Biff
 
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