Shooting with vision issues

[HighUintas]

Around the first of the year or as early as last fall I developed eye "floaters" that were supposed to be age related (I'm 35) and get better over time. Over the last 6 months they've gotten worse and other strange things have happened with my vision like seemingly decreased peripheral acuity and fogginess.

I woke up yesterday morning while camping in the lovely high uintas with my wife and baby girl and had a huge blur blob in my right eye (dominant eye) with huge black spots. We came home early and I happened to get into my eye doc on an emergency call and then saw a retina specialist.

I may have a tear or slight detachment in the lower retina which is less bad than the central retina and apparently doesn't warrant surgery today considering the other issues. I have another appointment with them tomorrow when they have all their staff and are able to use their fancy machines to diagnose the reason for the retinal bleeding and growth of new vessels. I apparently have bleeding and new vascular growth in both eyes, but it was particularly bad in my right. He said he wishes it was just a tear or detachment, because he could do the surgery today and we'd be done. Much easier, with a potentially much better prognosis. Some of the causes are certainly not desirable and downright terrifying. The common ones, like diabetes and hypertension very likely don't apply to me.
.
I've always had 15/20 vision and cherished it for being in the mountains, seeing every detail of the hills, for game location, shooting rifle and archery.

I hope I get my rifle finished and am able to shoot it soon.

If any of you have any type of vision loss issue that makes your vision slightly darker and foggy, or hazy... Maybe even really blurry but not correctable might apply... What modifications have you made to the front and rear to be able to see them better?

Currently, I could see a deer well enough at 50 to hit it's vitals, but I don't know if I could see the front post well enough to sight accurately. For the rear sight, I could probably solder on a 0.032 piece of sheet over the notch with a hole drilled there, to create a pseudo peep, if the rear sight is installed far enough back on the barrel. For the front... No idea. Either a bright silver bead or a dead black bead might be best.

[smylee grouch]

I have developed several problems with my vision these last couple years. I had to switch to left hand shooting as my right eye is no longer my dominant eye. I opened up the V notch in my rear sight and put a drop of white paint on my front sight bead . Leaving on Sat. for Canada Bear hunt so hope to try it out on game as it worked ok on targets. Report in two weeks. 

[Chocktaw Brave]

I suffered a detached retina in my right( dominant ) eye about 2 years ago. All patched up but sight is still pretty poor with double thick glasses. But after much practicing I can still hit an 8” circle at 100 yards with open sights(most of the time).
Not super accurate by anyone’s standards, but enough to take Larger critters.
Now for smaller game, I’ll break out the shotgun!

[alacran]

Sorry to hear about your vision problems. For a shooter it certainly is terrifying.
I developed floaters when I was 54. They really do not seem to get better with age. You just become accustomed to them. When I first got them, they used to drive me crazy. Like you I went to an ophthalmologist right away. Fortunately for me I didn't have the other issues.
I place my rear sight on rifles above the entry pipe, which puts them around 12 inches from the breech, Like the Grouch I paint my front blade white.
The white shows up big time in low light.

[Mike Brooks]

I enjoy rifles with scopes now. Iron sighted rifle shooting is purely recreational now.

[T*O*F]

Has anyone mentioned cataracts to you?  As you age, your lenses become hardened and cloudy, reducing your vision.  It's a slow progressive problem and many eye doctors fail to recommend you have them done.  Do you experience vision problems when driving at nite.  Do you see rainbow coronas around lights at nite.  It's a simple surgery.  I recently had both eyes done and was amazed at how much brighter and clearer things were.

[LynnC]

High,

My right eye retina floats up from time to time.  Vision can be as bad as looking at the floor and seeing a huge depression and at best everything straight is permanently crooked. This distorted vision in the right eye competes with the good vision in the left. I too have dark areas.

The center vision is still good when I dont have a flare up but I still have to read with left eye only.

All that said, I know the cause of my eye problem. Over prescription of steroids for severe back problems. When I suggested to the doctor steroids might be causing the eye problem they said “you dont really think so do you?” as they gave me another shot. Sure enough the next morning the world was severely distorted.  My eye doctors say no tear so no surgery.

I will no longer take a steroid in any form....Ever!

I hope you discover the cause of your eye trouble and wish you the best

[HighUintas]

Thanks everyone for the advice and insight.

If I don't completely lose my vision, it should be correctable to allow the use of iron sights.

They found that there is no tear or detachment, but lots of hemorrhaging from the retinal vessels. That's where the cloudiness is coming from. The a huge majority of the retinal vessels in my right eye don't work, so that peripheral vision is gone, and it's encroaching on the central retina. The same issue exists in both eyes but is farther along in my right.  They don't actually know what it is, but have a couple of plans for damage control. Hopefully they work.

Shooting a rifle right now could actually cause a retinal detachment!! Good thing it isn't finished and taunting me from the corner of the room to go sight it in.

[LynnC]

Oh and I cannot shoot any rifle or shotgun with significant recoil. If I exceed my limits it spells horrible right eye vision for days. Please take this into consideration when going to the range. You will have to find your own recoil limits. For me, even with soft recoil pads, it may take a week for my vision to get back to reasonably clear. No magnums. No “modern” full load 30 cal anything. Not even common 12ga loads. Its either small caliber or reduced loads otherwise it can be weeks before right eye vision gets close to normal......and normal is now very distorted.

Be careful with your vision and I hope you are able to keep it.

[Mike Brooks]

Oh and I cannot shoot any rifle or shotgun with significant recoil. If I exceed my limits it spells horrible right eye vision for days. Please take this into consideration when going to the range. You will have to find your own recoil limits. For me, even with soft recoil pads, it may take a week for my vision to get back to reasonably clear. No magnums. No “modern” full load 30 cal anything. Not even common 12ga loads. Its either small caliber or reduced loads otherwise it can be weeks before right eye vision gets close to normal......and normal is now very distorted.

Be careful with your vision and I hope you are able to keep it.

Time to take up hand guns.

[Fisherking]

Sorry to hear about your vision problems. For a shooter it certainly is terrifying.
I developed floaters when I was 54. They really do not seem to get better with age. You just become accustomed to them. When I first got them, they used to drive me crazy. Like you I went to an ophthalmologist right away. Fortunately for me I didn't have the other issues.
I place my rear sight on rifles above the entry pipe, which puts them around 12 inches from the breech, Like the Grouch I paint my front blade white.
The white shows up big time in low light.

I went to Target and bought the cheapest bright white fingernail polish. It sticks well and makes the front blade easier to see. That is, if you can handle the funny looks from the cashier. 

[577SXS]

I have to use peep sights now as I can't see a normal rear sight. I love peep sights but I know you can't shoot in matches with them which is a shame. I've always hate the original low file notched rear sights and low thin blade front sights of longrifles. OK don't get upset at me for saying that. I never liked them when I could see them either.

[Steeltrap]

I went to Target and bought the cheapest bright white fingernail polish. It sticks well and makes the front blade easier to see. That is, if you can handle the funny looks from the cashier. 

You likely wouldn't get those looks if you stopped wearing your Tutu. 

[LynnC]

Hand guns and pea shooters Mike 

[HighUintas]

Apparently it's fine for me to shoot a rifle. He said the recoil shouldn't hurt anything. But I'm not supposed to run as much as I'd normally like, so that's a bummer.

They think it's Eales disease or at least very similar.

It will be quite a few treatment sessions and more drugs than I've ever taken in my life, but if the treatment works fairly quickly then my vision should be preserved and the foggy look would be fixable.

Dr. Said even though I could see 2020 without the presence of the blood/fluid, I'm pretty close to being blind from dead retinal vessels!

I'll have to test out painting the post, etc when I get my rifle done!!

[LynnC]

Good luck with your recovery and hope your vision returns.

[Chocktaw Brave]

Had a chance to shoot my .50 flinter this morning. This is with my bad eye (20/200) at 25 yards.
I may never get any better, but it’s fun trying.

Oh, and this is my first shot after a front sight adjustment.

[Chocktaw Brave]

I don’t know why, but pictures are sideways.

[Hungry Horse]

Well, for cats sake he said he had an eye problem.

Hungry Horse

[HighUintas]

Thanks for the well wishes.

Choctaw that is some good shooting for 20/200!

I'll continue hunting and shooting in whatever capacity I can. Even if it's a 12" target I'm trying to hit at 25. It is fun in any capacity

[Bob Roller]

Eye sight is EVERY thing to me and I had cataracts removed in 2019 and so far no problems of any kind with seeing.
Now 86 and use my reading glasses as eye protection when using lathes or anything else. Grinders are bad news I
use them in making triggers,I was 44 when I got my first prescription glasses and the doctor said it was the lowest
known correction and anything else would be windows in the house.This man was also an eye surgeon and I won't let
anybody examine my eyes that isn't qualified to operate on them.
Bob Roller

[Chocktaw Brave]

My right lens is so thick  they’ll probably accuse me of using a scope. 

Now that’s only at 25 yards also. At 250 yards I’m sure I couldn’t hit the back stop.

[Dphariss]

I had to give up hunting with any iron sight for 6 or so years. VA finally paid to fix my right eye and I can trust myself to hunt with a FL again.

[flinchrocket]

Dan glad to hear you can use your iron sights again. Not being able to use them is a real pain.

[Chocktaw Brave]

I did try that trick with the white fingernail polish on the front sight this past weekend.
It helped a lot!