Shooting after premium lens replacement eye surgery?

[Jason]

Does anyone have any personal experience to share about having premium lens replacement (or refractive lens exchange) eye surgery and how it affected your shooting?

I've read lots of articles and discussion threads and watched more YouTube videos than I can count, but haven't been able to find any real feedback from international-style target shooters (or any shooters not using some kind of optic).

I've learned to work with my terrible eyesight over the decades (rifle shooter), but with presbyopia finally kicking in (I've just turned 50), I've decided that enough's enough. If I don't chicken out, I'm scheduled for surgery to implant Vivity lenses in both eyes on January 5.

Jason

[marky-d]

No experience, but also curious. I actually work for J&J on cataract equipment, so I am obligated to recommend the Synergy lens instead, but my guess is that any company is going to have marketing data that 'proves' their lens is the best.

My understanding is that one of the main issues with refractive lenses is with halos and other light artifacts. Don't take my word for it, but I think I've also heard that you can request a slight adjustment (something like +0.75 from 'normal') that can benefit shooting without significantly impacting the rest of your vision.

marky-d

[40xguy]

hope you write a "follow up" review of your surgery. many of us are going thru "eye surgery" situations today and the more we can learn from others, helps us to be more knowledgeable and make better decisions.

[Dr. Jim]

I had lens replacement done fifteen years ago(now 79) for cataracts. I had severe halo effects that had made night driving near impossible, but that was gone after replacement. Shooting improved substantially, but unlike some I did not escape the need for glasses. One item for some will be the development of ‘secondary cataracts on the rear lens capsule. This gets treated with a YAG laser- I had it done twice before they quit coming back, but my glaucoma eventually, along with the arthritis made me hang up my guns. And now, courtesy of our wise idiot in Ottawa, I cannot sell them or transfer them to my descendents. If you are in shape to continue shooting the lens job is worth it to get rid of the cataracts. Good luck!

[shakestheclown]

I have a friend who shoots outdoor prone smallbore and had cataract surgery. He had the "multi-focal" lenses implanted and can see great. But shooting metallic sights, he has had a problem with uncalled wide 9s. They all seem to be the same radius from the center, but in fairly random directions. The lenses are a freznel type refractive lens and he thinks the bad shots are from the image jumping from one step of the lens to the next step. He can still shoot scope well, so there may be merit to his theory. He has tried different apertures, front and back, eagle eye lenses, filters, still with the same results. For shooting, he wishes he got the conventional lenses installed.

Don

[OdieRedmond]

1. I am sixty-five years old, not over weight, and considerably healthy. I had premium cataract lens replacement as stated below. I have no financial interests in anything concerning vision, and I’m not a Doctor.

a. 10/23/2023, right eye, Clareon Panoptix UV IOL, next day 20/20.
b. 10/25/2023, left eye, Clareon, Panoptix Toric UV IOL, next day 20/35.
c. 12/04/2023, eye exam, 20/20 in both eyes.

2. My goals were in this order.
a. Save my eyesight.
b. See better to play the guitar.
c. Hopefully, shoot iron sights again. It has been an absolute disaster the past five years.

3. I will not name Doctors. If someone wants to know the Doctor that I used then ask on a pm; however, please do not post the Doctor's name on open forum. The first Doctor is in high demand and almost literally runs from patient to patient. This Doctor said that I had posterior subcapsular cataracts, insurance will not pay, and return in one year. I returned in one year and was told the same, and call only if I have issues. I started doing more research then got a second opinion the day that I turned sixty-five and was on Medicare. This young, flippant, and arrogant Doctor disagreed with the first Doctor, said that I had old age cataracts, insurance will not pay, and asked if I wanted surgery. I said, “reckon not.” This Doctor stated the he would not recommend surgery. I was polite, thanked this Doctor, departed somewhat confused, but was not confused that it’s my blame eyesight and not another’s. I started doing more research and stumbled onto the third Doctor. This Doctor disagreed with the other two Doctors, said that I had Nuclear Cortical Cataracts then proved it by explanation, my computer eye photo gizmo, online and said that insurance will pay.

4. Since I can see so much better, I did not realize just how much my vision had degraded. Thus far, there are no new floaters, but the current ones are much worse than I knew. Colors are much brighter especially blue and green. Someone, Dr Jim?, stated above about secondary floaters. I think that results from palcification is the term. My Doctor covers the cost to fix that for up to one year after surgery plus any implant corrections. Driving at night is so much better. Since mine are mutifocal, I see concentric circles around lights at night, which is so much better than a blob with starbursts. I shoot smallbore prone and looked through iron sights, off the bench, for several weeks in different light conditions. This week, I shot off the bench at 50 yards with irons. I have settled on 22 mm with a .5 diopter and hope not to have to use colored shades, and shot really good.The .3 is good but too much eye strain.

5. I hope that this helps someone. My Doctor said that there is no perfect eyesight. My brain is still trying to adjust to fake eyes, and it’s a bit odd. It will take time for complete surgery recovery. I do not wear glasses anymore. Thus far, I’m I totally satisfied.

[Martin Catley]

Really interesting to hear how others are getting on after their surgery. I was in my early seventies when I had mine done. I was having trouble driving at night and glaring light was very distracting. My shooting was terrible (50M prone and 25yds indoor)
I have standard lenses in both eyes now, my surgeon was very keen on this when I asked if I could have my right eye a little stronger for shooting. His thinking is to use lenses to help with shooting and reading. I use a lense to bring up the fore sight and off the shelf reading glasses. I was long sighted previously and still am.
My fore sight stands out well and on a good day get the odd better score. I dont think the operation has created any problems, floaters are a pain but manageable.
My Surgeon has done research into floaters and has come to the descision to leave well alone!

[OdieRedmond]

Really interesting to hear how others are getting on after their surgery. I was in my early seventies when I had mine done. I was having trouble driving at night and glaring light was very distracting. My shooting was terrible (50M prone and 25yds indoor)
I have standard lenses in both eyes now, my surgeon was very keen on this when I asked if I could have my right eye a little stronger for shooting. His thinking is to use lenses to help with shooting and reading. I use a lense to bring up the fore sight and off the shelf reading glasses. I was long sighted previously and still am.
My fore sight stands out well and on a good day get the odd better score. I dont think the operation has created any problems, floaters are a pain but manageable.
My Surgeon has done research into floaters and has come to the descision to leave well alone!

Based on my limited knowledge and research, zapping floaters do come with risks. Very few Doctors specialize only in laser zapping the floaters.

[Mike M.]

I had cataract surgery done on both eyes. After discussion with the eye doc, I went with monofocal lenses, to give best acuity. Multifocals work by projecting two images onto the retina, and hoping the brain will pick the one with the best focus. The current accomodative lens isn't consistent, and does not have much accomodation - but I expect this will change in the next decade.

I went ahead and got LASIK at the same time, so I came out with 20/20 in the left eye, and around 20/18ish in the right eye. Need glasses for reading, computer work, and shooting. Especially for pistol.

[OdieRedmond]

I had cataract surgery done on both eyes. After discussion with the eye doc, I went with monofocal lenses, to give best acuity. Multifocals work by projecting two images onto the retina, and hoping the brain will pick the one with the best focus. The current accomodative lens isn't consistent, and does not have much accomodation - but I expect this will change in the next decade.

I went ahead and got LASIK at the same time, so I came out with 20/20 in the left eye, and around 20/18ish in the right eye. Need glasses for reading, computer work, and shooting. Especially for pistol.

Glad that you met your goals. LAL, light adjustable lens, is the most recent unless there’s another, but I avoided those.

[PeeWeeDaddy]

I had cataracts a few years ago.
Full colonel just back from the desert was the cutter
My friend in KS had his before me.
He chose distant in one eye and close in the other (He has been wearing glasses for 75 years, so no biggy), and will forever.
I chose 20/20 distant.
I shoot Field Target, silly wet, 10M with no eye correction and no scope (except for field target (55 yards, you know?))
Reading glasses for….reading.

[OdieRedmond]

I had cataracts a few years ago.
Full colonel just back from the desert was the cutter
My friend in KS had his before me.
He chose distant in one eye and close in the other (He has been wearing glasses for 75 years, so no biggy), and will forever.
I chose 20/20 distant.
I shoot Field Target, silly wet, 10M with no eye correction and no scope (except for field target (55 yards, you know?))
Reading glasses for….reading.

My Doctor (maybe in late 40’s), had lens replacement and chose Vivity Lens. Panoptix was not available at the time. One eye for close up reading and one eye for distance. The thing about close, intermediate and distance is that a shooter’s desired distance vision may not be the same distance the Doc tests for vision. It seemed to me that distance for eye doctors is the screen with the letters on a wall. What’s that? About how many feet? I explained to my Doctor the goals, plus emailed some photos of rifle iron sights, a shooter in prone, the distances and explained everything to the Doc to include that shooting was not the top priority. Mixing the lens for different distances was never an option that I considered, wanted both eyes working together as much as possible.

[OdieRedmond]

I have a friend who shoots outdoor prone smallbore and had cataract surgery. He had the "multi-focal" lenses implanted and can see great. But shooting metallic sights, he has had a problem with uncalled wide 9s. They all seem to be the same radius from the center, but in fairly random directions. The lenses are a freznel type refractive lens and he thinks the bad shots are from the image jumping from one step of the lens to the next step. He can still shoot scope well, so there may be merit to his theory. He has tried different apertures, front and back, eagle eye lenses, filters, still with the same results. For shooting, he wishes he got the conventional lenses installed.

Don

Interesting, as I’ve not shot in prone yet, but no issues off the bench, coat in the shop. What’s your friends age?

[Mike M.]

I seriously considered having one eye done for distance, the other for close up...mostly because I had wound up that way for nearly a year after having one eye done. But I ultimately had both eyes done for distance vision, which gives me good performance down to about 3 feet. For reading, computers, and pistol shooting, there are glasses.

[colinlp]

I had both eyes done, like someone above I chose the mono focal lens as it seemed the best option for me. I have astigmatism and apparently they isn't fixed by lens replacement. Initially after getting a new prescription lens for my shooting glasses I had a near perfect sight picture but six months down the line it had deteriorated quite badly. A trip to the optician revealed my astigmatism had doubled in the last six months possibly as a result of surgery but it could also be just natural. I've just had a new lens and my sight picture is pretty good again but not as good as last time

Probably no help at all but that has been my experience but even at its worst post op it was better than pre op

[OdieRedmond]

I had both eyes done, like someone above I chose the mono focal lens as it seemed the best option for me. I have astigmatism and apparently they isn't fixed by lens replacement. Initially after getting a new prescription lens for my shooting glasses I had a near perfect sight picture but six months down the line it had deteriorated quite badly. A trip to the optician revealed my astigmatism had doubled in the last six months possibly as a result of surgery but it could also be just natural. I've just had a new lens and my sight picture is pretty good again but not as good as last time

Probably no help at all but that has been my experience but even at its worst post op it was better than pre op

Mike M. above mentioned the monofocal, per his Doc, is the best visual acuity. That’s what I’ve always read online. Different lens allow different percentage of light into the eye is also per research online. Medicare will pay for only needed cataract surgery and provide a set of basic lens, meaning that Medicare will not pay to fix astigmatism. You did not say that the Optician indicated or hinted that your cataract surgery worsened astigmatism. As you probably already know, Opthamolgists are the ones qualified to make those type comments. I did go to my Optometrist for the 30 day followup, because she can tell if eyes are healing. Did you get a new eye lens replacement or a new lens for glasses/etc.?

[marky-d]

FYI, there are lenses that will correct astigmatism, but I don't know how widely they are used. I believe it is sometimes possible to correct for it with a laser as well.

marky-d

[colinlp]

Mike M. above mentioned the monofocal, per his Doc, is the best visual acuity. That’s what I’ve always read online. Different lens allow different percentage of light into the eye is also per research online. Medicare will pay for only needed cataract surgery and provide a set of basic lens, meaning that Medicare will not pay to fix astigmatism. You did not say that the Optician indicated or hinted that your cataract surgery worsened astigmatism. As you probably already know, Ophthalmologists are the ones qualified to make those type comments. I did go to my Optometrist for the 30 day followup, because she can tell if eyes are healing. Did you get a new eye lens replacement or a new lens for glasses/etc.?

I'm in the UK, that, my age and my dyslexia made it easier for me to refer to the Optometrist as an optician.

My eye has I assume changed shape post op, hence my changing astigmatism. I had it done in a private clinic, I wasn't offered a lens to correct the astigmatism only a choice between the monofocal and varifocal type (excuse my lack of the correct terminology), I was told a replacement lens wouldn't correct it; maybe there was a reason for that but I wasn't told.

I had a replacement lens for my glasses recently

[OdieRedmond]

FYI, there are lenses that will correct astigmatism, but I don't know how widely they are used. I believe it is sometimes possible to correct for it with a laser as well.

marky-d

Toric eye replacement lens fix astigmatism. My left is Toric, and they are very common. As you know, Toric contact lens fix astigmatism.

[OdieRedmond]

Mike M. above mentioned the monofocal, per his Doc, is the best visual acuity. That’s what I’ve always read online. Different lens allow different percentage of light into the eye is also per research online. Medicare will pay for only needed cataract surgery and provide a set of basic lens, meaning that Medicare will not pay to fix astigmatism. You did not say that the Optician indicated or hinted that your cataract surgery worsened astigmatism. As you probably already know, Ophthalmologists are the ones qualified to make those type comments. I did go to my Optometrist for the 30 day followup, because she can tell if eyes are healing. Did you get a new eye lens replacement or a new lens for glasses/etc.?

I'm in the UK, that, my age and my dyslexia made it easier for me to refer to the Optometrist as an optician.

My eye has I assume changed shape post op, hence my changing astigmatism. I had it done in a private clinic, I wasn't offered a lens to correct the astigmatism only a choice between the monofocal and varifocal type (excuse my lack of the correct terminology), I was told a replacement lens wouldn't correct it; maybe there was a reason for that but I wasn't told.

I had a replacement lens for my glasses recently

Dyslexia in my family, so know what you mean, unless that’s a joke. Toric lens correct astigmatism, have one in left eye. One thing though, is that an eye replacement lens can actually move out of place, maybe rotate? ?