Aging Eyeballs

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  • Last Post 02 September 2009
Ed Harris posted this 29 July 2009

I've been going through the aging eyeball situation gradually over the last ten years, since I turned 50, and have learned quite a bit in the process, and am willing to share. For most people past age fifty a shooting glass which puts iron sights in good focus will be about -0.5 to -0.75 diopter less than your reading prescription.  So, if your reading prescription is +2.0 try some drugstore readers at +1.25 or +1.50 and see what the sights look like. 

Which strength works best for you depends upon how long your arms are and how long the barrel is, which affects the distance to the front sight and the required focal distance.  I am a six-footer and the distance measured from my cheekbone below the eye to the front sight on a .45 hardball gun is about 39 inches.  This just happens to work out close to the same when shooting offhand with an 03A3 or M1 Garand, so until recently I could use Duluth Trading Company +1.25 safety glasses at the range with fine results. 

Recently I've been dealing with a growing cataract in my right (dominant - shooting) eye. I required laser surgery last December to repair a detached retina and was told that I would be at risk for developing a cataract in that eye. While the laser is focussed back at the retinal surface to tack the retina in place (a gas bubble holds it there until it heals, the bubble gradually dissipates over a month or so) putting that much energy through the eye lens induces a point of opacity similar to poking a hot wire in an egg white.  It was a matter of how soon the resulting cataract would enlarge to require surgery rather than whether I would get one. 

My cataract surgery is now scheduled for September, ten months after my retinal surgery.  In the interim I have learned to use a Merit aperture over my cataract eye to sharpen the sights, and I shoot with both eyes open, mentally merging the sharp target image from my left eye which has good distance vision, with the right dominant eye which is now severely near-sighted, but aided by the Merit disk. 

The corrective plan is cataract surgery and implantation of a flexible plastic interoccular lens which will provide intermediate focus appropriate for using the computer without glasses. It should enable me to see the sights on my carry gun relatively well unaided. I will wear progressive no-line eyeglasses to provide reading and distance correction.

My shooting buddies Dennis Carlini and Bill Bender have or are going through the same thing in various stages now.   We plan to compare notes and maybe do a Fouling Shot article on our experience.

I'd love to hear from others who have dealt with aging eyeball issues, and we can maybe give the youngsters a head's up of what they can look forward to.  

Never give up!   

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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CB posted this 29 July 2009

Mine is coupled with the complication of diabetes Ed, I would love to get in on this...

It has certainly changed the way I shoot.

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billwnr posted this 29 July 2009

I've had 4 eye operations since 2006 when I had a detached retina fixed. A blood vessel tore again back in last December and I was one eyed until April when I had the “gel” replaced and the blood vessel cauterized. It never stopped bleeding from the December tear.

Two weeks later, another detached retina and I had that cryo-"fixed” and lasered twice.

Probably a new lens in my future too, at sometime.

I feel your pain.

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LWesthoff posted this 29 July 2009

Ed:

I had cataract surgery (lens implant) on my left eye in 2007, and on my right (master) eye last August. I elected to go with an implant which would give me clear distance vision, in both cases. I'm very happy with the results. I need reading glasses, of course, and I use bifocals when I shoot because even with the plastic implants a slight correction helps sharpen up the sight picture. I shoot CBA Issue Military rifle with some occasional success. I'll be 82 in September. The cataract surgery is a piece of cake. It takes them longer to prep you for the operation than for the actual operation, which is usually over in about 15 minutes. I shot a CBA Military rifle match on a Saturday - with the doc's blessing - after having the lens implant in my left eye on the previous Wednesday. Lots of luck, and if my experience is at all typical (and I'm sure it is) you'll be delighted with the results.

 Wes

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Ed Harris posted this 29 July 2009

Wes,

Thanks a bunch. I was wondering how long it would be until I'd be able to shoot after the surgery. I wasn't planning on any heavy kickers, been doing mostly indoor gallery pistol and cast bullet rifle lately, but plan on having this conversation with my doctor during the pre-op screening and post-op exam.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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JimmyDee posted this 29 July 2009

Ow!

Ed, what caused the intial problem with your retina?

Bill, you too?  How?

Is recoil an issue after such an episode?

Jeff, did I correctly surmise that you, too, have a cataract?  What are your plans?

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billwnr posted this 29 July 2009

I was real near sighted and when eyeballs get old the “gel” in it shrinks and pulls away from the retina. Real near sighted people have a tendency to get detached retina as the “gel” pulls funny.

I suspect Ed had the same problem.

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hunterspistol posted this 29 July 2009

:coffee  I have about the same problem, except it's permanent.  I've worn glasses to correct an astigmatism since the second grade in primary school. My right eye, the one I shoot with is the more near-sighted of the two. Since I'm a welder, it's not uncommon for me to sling a sliver of steel into my eye when I'm tired and running a hand grinder.  I just did that again this week.  It means that I have a few scars on my corneas.

      I know a lot of folks would think it silly to mount twelve power scopes on TC Contenders just to shoot 100 meters, I don't.  After the ocular lens is set to my right eye, I got to town on that fine crosshair, shooting offhand.  I keep open sights on one rifle (.22 long rifle) and have an extra barrel for .22 lr in the Contenders.  But, get serious with me and, out come the match rifles with 4-12X scopes. We shoot offhand, or standing, most of the time. I think it's a wonderful age when technology offers to let me shoot farther than I can see. There is NOT ONE LITTLE THING wrong with magnification!

     One evening, a couple of months ago, I spied something messing around under one of the trees in the backyard. It was dusk so, I couldn't tell what it was.  I walked to the pickup, got out the 10X Nikkon binos and zoomed in on a baby possum. Put them up, walked into the house and came back with my .410 Contender(and earmuffs, of course) with 10” barrel.  I fired two shots and then yelled, “Possum.” so the neighbors would know why.  Neighborhood boys thought that was an awesome pistol!  But, the point is that it took binoculars for me to see 50 feet in low light. It worked though, no more little white rat!

     When your eyes get bad, get badder scopes!

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RicinYakima posted this 30 July 2009

Gee, guys, I don't feel so bad now! I had perfect vision until I was 42, then to bi-focals. However 28 years as a Firefighter / Haz/Mat specialist has left me with so much scaring on the corneas that they are hard and thick. My problem is that every thing is just getting dark and there isn't anything they can do about it.

To shoot the pistols with open sights, I bought one of the plastic lens that stick on the glasses. They are +.75 and go on the top of the lens. They are just perfect for pistols, except that my trigger control is still poor. Ric

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CB posted this 30 July 2009

Ed, Ric, and all you Good Guys

Seems we 50+ are all in thai age range that Ed was talking about. I noticed how much problem I had with aging eye when I bought a Winchester 69 with peep sight. I noticed that I could get much better sight and target definition by changing the setting on the  Lyman 57 ocular diameter on the rear sight. My first peep sight so eveything about the sight amazes me. I have so many scopes that it is a relief to use open sights from time to time.

My wife works for a small company that researches and manufacturers inter ocular lenses. She is a senior chemist dealing in QC. I will have her read Ed's Post and offer some Professional insight what some shooters might face with the aging eye syndrome. She can at times be meaner than a cob but generally polite with people she doesn't know. I will try and get back on this Ed.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire 

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Ed Harris posted this 30 July 2009

JimmyDee wrote: Ed, what caused the intial problem with your retina? Doc says it was not triggered by any particular trauma, stress or event.

Just old age and bad luck.

 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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gussy posted this 30 July 2009

Not quite as bad a problem, but my eyes started going bad around 55 (10 years back). This year I went to the variable contact lens. My right lens, shooting eye, has a bit more distance power and is set to focus at 3' and out. The left eye has a bit more up close for reading.

I shoot about 99% BPCR with iron sights of one form or another. My sights are now clear and the target is “almost” clear. Good enough to shoot 100 or 1000 yds. I picked up a Shiloh Sharps last week and could clearly use the barrel sights again.

This isn't the problems other are having, but I hope this helps someone with lesser problems like mine. Gus

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Johnny Breedlove posted this 07 August 2009

Cat surgery on both eyes this year about three weeks apart. Both eyes now have better than 20-20 distance vision. I'm using 150 reading glasses. My only problem is I have these floaters that drift across my vision they look like small pieces of celaphane. The doctor said I might have to have surgery to remove them. A risky operation. By the way my doc. would not let me shoot for three weeks after both surgeries. So I could not shoot for about nine weeks. Question, How do you use reading glasses to shoot?

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WILDCATT posted this 24 August 2009

glad you are well again ED.I had surgery both eye a yr apart.I have to use glasses to read.how ever i took my 1911 and I could see the rear sight and front sight and target area perfect.I had mine done at the VA.it was the best operation I ever had.fantastic docs.only thing wrong was the anathest.I told him I had been stiff as a board at the first opperation.big mistake, he gave me enuf I fell aseep.I watched the first opperation interesting.

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Johnny Breedlove posted this 02 September 2009

Update: I developed three tears in the retena of my left eye after the cat surgery which they fixed with lazer surgery. I have floaters so bad that they are going to do surgery on both eyes. That envolves removing the liquid from the eye and replacing it with saline solution, risky but hopfully worth it. These floaters are very troublesome at times I see quite well but most of the time I see blurry spots. It's like small particals of celaphane floating across my vision.

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