Eye surgery, possible cataracts, and hunting/shooting

Update: had the vitrectomy done January 15th. My right eye is healing quickly and I am probably back to about 20/30 in that eye. Dr says it should come back to 20/15 or 20/10 within a couple months. No floaters. Crystal clear except the lower acuity. I can drive again . Great decision even if I get cataracts early from it.
(y)

I know a lady that got a hemorrhage in her eye a few weeks ago. It was so bad the eye docs couldn't even see through it to see what caused it. She went to a retinal specialist last week and did the vitrectomy. She had a torn retina that they found and were able to fix with the laser, and she's good this week.

I had the vitrectomy done in November in my right eye (non-dominant). Had a giant floater in it from 26 years ago when I had a torn retina. I had cataract surgery in 2024. There's another ophthalmologist on here (TexasBuckeye) that really helped me out deciding what lenses to get etc. Vision is better than it had been for years.
 
I’m a cataract surgeon and most of what’s posted above is true. I will offer a few pointers to think about but this post is by no means a medical advice post. I don’t know the history or exam of any of the above patients. I would say that 20/15 and 20/10 have never come out of my mouth before when talking to a patient about anything.

Most patients that are outdoorsy want a distance priority for their vision. Also, It’s extremely important to understand that there is no perfect lens out there. There is always a compromise.

For example, with hunters, doing a multifocal or even an extended depth of focus lens will decrease contrast sensitivity. This could potentially impact low light glassing, etc. In return, you would get better intermediate and/or near depending on your lens choice.

Light adjustable lenses are pretty cool technology. The logistics and process of dialling things in seem to take forever but most of my patients have been very happy with them. I personally like to use them for patients that want distance in both eyes. It’s awesome to dial in 20/20 in both eyes (when patients have other ocular problems, 20/20 might not be attainable but LAL will get it as good as possible). You will get a little intermediate often doing them for distance but not always. I have done mono vision and mini mono vision with them but it’s not my favorite.

It’s important to note that there is no lens out there that will allow everyone to use open sights perfectly after cataract surgery. I’ve had some patients do great and some still struggle. If you’re wanting to do a lot with open sights, I would probably lean toward vivity or diboo but again no perfect option because we don’t have a good accommodating lens out there.
To be clear, the surgeon told me it should come back to the acuity I had prior to the hemorrhage, which I had been testing at 20/15-20/10. He didn't make any promises or anything like that. Even if it only stays where it's at now, I'm still happy. Driving and having 2 eyes is better than 1!

(y)

I know a lady that got a hemorrhage in her eye a few weeks ago. It was so bad the eye docs couldn't even see through it to see what caused it. She went to a retinal specialist last week and did the vitrectomy. She had a torn retina that they found and were able to fix with the laser, and she's good this week.

I had the vitrectomy done in November in my right eye (non-dominant). Had a giant floater in it from 26 years ago when I had a torn retina. I had cataract surgery in 2024. There's another ophthalmologist on here (TexasBuckeye) that really helped me out deciding what lenses to get etc. Vision is better than it had been for years.
That's awesome. Glad to hear it's worked for you and improved! It's amazing what they can do with the eyenand amazing how the body can heal. After watching a couple videos on what they do in a vitrectomy, i was blown away that I can see as well as I can just a few weeks after they did that.
 
I had cataract surgery in 2010, a bit early but a lot of outdoor time at altitude. Went for distance vision in both and my eyes are flexible enough I can generally read w/o reading glasses but not always. It has helped my hunting immensely. Finding animals is 90% of most big game hunts. A good cataract surgeon will greatly improve your life.
 
Very helpful and timely post. I capitulated and am going to my first eye exam in my life next week. I am almost 66 and it is definitely time. My wife sees this doctor and he is a hunter, so hopefully he will help me with my failing vision!
 
Very helpful and timely post. I capitulated and am going to my first eye exam in my life next week. I am almost 66 and it is definitely time. My wife sees this doctor and he is a hunter, so hopefully he will help me with my failing vision!
Just make sure he's good. You don't want a scenario where they tell you it's age related and will be fine and then 6 months later you find out half your retina is dead.
 
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