Cataract Surgury and Shooting

[Colonial Boy]

All the best, Pathfinder.
I had my right eye done some years ago, 20/20vision, the left eye isn’t considered bad enough to remove the cataract .
At 89 I amaze folks at the range by taking off my glasses to shoot; still have glasses though as the left eye can’t pass the driver’s test, so glasses are mandatory for driving however I drive looking over them

 

[BigCity]

My wife had the surgery done and has a problem with seeing two people instead of one. She told the doctor about it on the next visit, and she wasn't concerned about it. Now she covers up one eye while watching tv.

 

[Col. Batguano]

"My wife had the surgery done and has a problem with seeing two people instead of one. She told the doctor about it on the next visit, and she wasn't concerned about it....."

Oooh. Two people at the same time? And she told you about him? If my wife started seeing ANYBODY other than ME I'd be insanely jealous. Are you in Utah by chance?

 

[reddogge]

One weird reaction to the surgery is I can't get over the feeling I have to take my contacts out at night to sleep. It feels like I should be doing so.

 

[Hiverano]

Exciting news for me- I will be having my first (of two) cataract surgeries later this week, with the second scheduled a couple weeks afterwards.
I am assuming my long gun shooting will be put on hold for a while, but that by mid to late October I can start again. I will be asking the surgeon of course.
I will need to ask him if pistol shooting can be an option in the nearer future? That might be an option I can certainly live with
Looking forward to clear vision, nonetheless

I've had both lenses replaced in my eyes and haven't really had any issues other than seeing clearer. My doctor told me I could shoot after being operated on just wear eye protection, no layoff at all.

 

[ETipp]

For those on Medicare and contemplating cataract surgery, you must wait until the doctor says the cataracts are ready for surgery in order for Medicare to cover it. You can get a Standard Lens which is covered by Medicare and requires reading glasses, an Eyhance Toric Lens which corrects for astigmatism which was a $1750 upgrade and requires reading glasses, or the Multifocal Lens which is a $2,750 upgrade and no reading glasses or computer glasses needed. These prices are for each eye. Add $2,000 for laser surgery to each eye if wanted. I had the Eyhance Toric lenses in both eyes with standard surgery in my bad eye and laser surgery in the good eye. The surgeon gave me the Toric lens gratis in my bad eye. Nice gesture.

Your prices me be different but this is what information I had.

I have Medicare and BlueCross Vision insurance and neither will cover cataract surgery "yet". Eye doctors has been telling me for years now that mine is not bad enough for insurance to cover it, and that it will have to get worse before they will do so.

Yet I've been having vision issues for several years now and bright lights, especially while driving at night, can be challenging. Even bight lights during the daytime is an issue. Also, its like I'm trying to look through a coat of thin plastic all the time. This, in turn, makes it very difficult to see in the dark or if I'm working on something.

I do not know what its going to take before they finally be willing to do something to correct this issue.

 

[French Colonial]

I have Medicare and BlueCross Vision insurance and neither will cover cataract surgery "yet". Eye doctors has been telling me for years now that mine is not bad enough for insurance to cover it, and that it will have to get worse before they will do so.

Yet I've been having vision issues for several years now and bright lights, especially while driving at night, can be challenging. Even bight lights during the daytime is an issue. Also, its like I'm trying to look through a coat of thin plastic all the time. This, in turn, makes it very difficult to see in the dark or if I'm working on something.

I do not know what its going to take before they finally be willing to do something to correct this issue.

Try a different doctor

 

[reddogge]

Try a different doctor

I agree. The benchmark is when the caratact affects your normal life which it appears to be doing.

 

[ETipp]

Try a different doctor

I have tried at least 3-4 different eye doctors. All contend the same thing. My guess is insurance companies have minimum known criteria on this. I still plan on looking into it further to find what I can get done, if anything.

 

[ETipp]

I agree. The benchmark is when the caratact affects your normal life which it appears to be doing.

What the eye doctors use is their eye exam as a guide. As long as someone tests out good, then in their minds everything is fine. However, that does not, in any way, correlate to overall good vision under certain circumstances.

 

[Musket69]

Had it done, both eyes, fall of 2015. I wore glasses from 1960 'til then... I need readers for up close now. I had never shot without corrective lenses before. Now, long gun and handgun targeting is a breeze. I was amazed at how much brighter everything is when there are no lenses sucking up the light

 

[sheriff john]

Lasik 20 years ago. Life Changing. Two years ago, cataracts started (age 72). Wife had hers done - instant success. Mine were good at first, but my body encapsulated the lenses (like a deer does a bullet/arrowhead). Quickly became worse (2-3 months). Doctor zapped both with lazer (painless). Solved the problem, at least for now.

First sign - reflective green signs on highways became terribly blurred and oncoming headlights absolutely blinding.

Bad JuJu is diabetic retinopathy/macular degeneration. Do not screw around with this. Diabetic? Get your butt to the best M.D. Opthamologist once a year, require a complete exam. I now have it in both eyes. Not fun.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Thanks for all your support and shared experiences!
My right eye was finished and I am into my third day of healing/adjustment. Lots of eye drops!
I am absolutely amazed at the difference. Even with only one done, I can already read the computer without glasses. My left eye will be done in under two weeks. Just in time for Autumn leaves, and hinting
My left, untreated eye is like looking through a sepia (brown/tan filter) - the tones are much warmer, which I like, but the clarity of vision is bad.
I also put my rifle up to my shoulder and aimed it, and low and behold, I can focus with the sights now~!

 

[reddogge]

What the eye doctors use is their eye exam as a guide. As long as someone tests out good, then in their minds everything is fine. However, that does not, in any way, correlate to overall good vision under certain circumstances.

I'd lie on the next test.

 

[ETipp]

I'd lie on the next test.

With my luck, if I lied, I'd wind up wearing a pair of coke bottle glasses.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

I'll be 78 next week. Had cataracts at 68, a Doc in Tulsa did them, one at a time, 30 days apart.
I had been extremely near-sighted since the age of 8, about 20/400+ in each eye. No sports sucked!

When the Doc did the left eye, and I sat up, I was surprised to see the second-hand on the wall clock 20' away!

The Doc was also a bench shooter like me, and made my left eye 20-20, and the right eye just a bit sharper, about 18/20. I can see the X on most 100 yard targets. More amazing to me was that I could see mortar lines on bricks, and found that trees had individual leaves!

I do wear reading glasses (except my new pup chewed up the newest pair! Oh well, the VA supplies a new pair each year, and checks my eyes quarterly.

 

[French Colonial]

What the eye doctors use is their eye exam as a guide. As long as someone tests out good, then in their minds everything is fine. However, that does not, in any way, correlate to overall good vision under certain circumstances.

I was at the eye doctor about a month ago and he corrected me to 20/20 but still recommended cataract surgery due to my prescription changing pretty rapidly from the last visit and the haloes etc. I was having while night driving. In my experience just because they can correct you does not mean you should not have the surgery.

 

[RMH]

All contend the same thing

My Dr. wouldn't consider surgery as long as he could correct my vision with glasses. Once they couldn't correct it to acceptable levels I became a candidate for Cataract Surgery. The best he could correct was to 20-35 or so and then referred me to the specialist and I had the surgery.

 

[ETipp]

I was at the eye doctor about a month ago and he corrected me to 20/20 but still recommended cataract surgery due to my prescription changing pretty rapidly from the last visit and the haloes etc. I was having while night driving. In my experience just because they can correct you does not mean you should not have the surgery.

I was at the eye doctor about a month ago and he corrected me to 20/20 but still recommended cataract surgery due to my prescription changing pretty rapidly from the last visit and the haloes etc. I was having while night driving. In my experience just because they can correct you does not mean you should not have the surgery.

No doubt that was due to how rapidly your vision changed. Haloe's also played a role in that I am quite sure.

My vision has been very slow to change but also has been a continuous state of decline all my life. Each year (other than when bifocals and trifocals were required) my vision has changed only a little bit, yet enough for a change in prescription.

Also, about 4 years ago now I had vitreous detachment in both eyes within a one month time period. When they detached it tore the eye and eye jelly came out, thus causing many large floaters. Those floaters have subsided a fair amount but they are still there, along with halo's to some degree.

As I have said, I do plan on checking into this more very soon. Yesterday while out squirrel hunting I took my GPR just cuz. It was fairly dark in the woods but not all that bad. I could see through the peep well. I could see the squirrel on the side of the tree that was only 10 yards at most from me. But I could not for the life of me see the end bead. Its a wide blade sight that I painted white and I still couldn't see it.

 

[Hiverano]

I have Medicare and BlueCross Vision insurance and neither will cover cataract surgery "yet". Eye doctors has been telling me for years now that mine is not bad enough for insurance to cover it, and that it will have to get worse before they will do so.

Yet I've been having vision issues for several years now and bright lights, especially while driving at night, can be challenging. Even bight lights during the daytime is an issue. Also, its like I'm trying to look through a coat of thin plastic all the time. This, in turn, makes it very difficult to see in the dark or if I'm working on something.

I do not know what its going to take before they finally be willing to do something to correct this issue.

We have the Medicare Advantage Plan, they covered everything without any issues.