Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Competitive Shooting Lasic eye surgery?

My long range scores dropped to the point that I sold my rifle thinking the barrel was gone. Now even my mid range scores are getting worse. Should I give up on iron sights altogether or has anybody had good results from Lasik eye surgery?
whelennut

I have had E-lasik done (basically the same as Lasik but a slight different approach)

I now have 20/13 vision now.

Very interesting topic to me. I am meeting with a surgeon in Duluth in 10 days for a pre-Lasik exam to find out if I am a candidate. If I go through with the procedure I can give you a full report and a thumbs up or down on the doc.

I always figured I'd wait till I had to. Then see what if.

I'm all ears on this one. I can still correct my vision with lenses, and thats what I'd continue to do until it no longer works.

I know folks that have had it and are happy. Say night vision isn't so swift. But then none were competitors so it means nothing really.

It's been about 8 years since my Lasik procedure. One of the BEST things I've ever done.

What type of competition do you shoot in? Using corrected lenses in addition to the surgery? Have your scores stayed the same, lowered, raised etc?

How is night vision?

Kool,
I saw an ad for $495 I wonder what the catch is? I'm sure that is for one eye. I only need one done anyhow. Naturally it is my shooting eye that is bad.

I only shoot the international target at 300 meters. Very small 10 ring. My scores suck though. Maybe if surgery works I can go back to shooting NRA High power.

Wheelnut, I am am optometrist so understand what you are going through. With iron sights the problem is that we loose our focusing ability as we age. If I had to generalize I would say most of us are good through our 30's fair in our 40's and the poor after that. When we are yung or focusing system can adjust from the front sight to the rear sight and back to the target so fast they all seem in focus at the same time. As we age the focus gets slowed and less able to see up close.
If its scoped vision that is bothering you then Lasik is not likely to help. If the surgery goes well you should see like you do through a correct pair of glasses. If you dont see the detail you used to the it is related to a cataract, retinal problem, or other eye health/focus problem. Lasik is a good precedure that has helped many patient and I would consider it some day for myself.
As a parting note I would reccomend intra-lasik where they cut the flap with a laser and not a blade/ microkeratome. The laser cut flaps have reduced the complication rate significantly. Dean

Had it done. 20/10 in my left eye (dominant) and 20/30 in my right. I can see some of the hits in the black at 100 yards with the green undercoating, which is why I now buy those type targets for the range.
worth every penny at $1300 an eye.

Had to get used to taking my reading glasses off when I looked past six feet and moving away from things to see them better.

Why is you shooting eye bad? is it bad with glasses?
Your speed of focus wont improve with lasik.

Go for a consultation and advice. If recommended, I'd go for it in a heart beat. Do both the same - not one for distance/one for midrange or closeup.

Started wearing glasses at 27 and continued for 18 years until Lasik. Would have done it 5 years previous had I realized the results. Stigmatism in both eyes, more severe in the right. Starting using cheaters for reading/studying when I went back to college 2 years ago and the surgeon said that would happen. Have to take the cheaters off for anything beyond 18".

Deer/Turkey/Bird/Small Game hunting, benchrest & long range rifle out to 1k yards, trap/skeet/sporting clays shotgunning, pistol shooting, spotting scopes, binoculars, spotting fish & floating debris out in the ocean - way out there - all without glasses fogging up, forgotten at the camp, in the truck, at the house, or falling off the face when sweating, bumping into objects, etc. Greatest thing since sliced bread.

I only wear glasses when I want to see. The rest of the time I do not need them at all. :-) I have an appointment in the morning with the surgeon that will do mine, if I qualify. Really looking forward to it, as my glasses are really a pain. TM

Whelen

Remember, you really have not seen an answer from a competitor.

IMHO, a 600 yard highpower target is easier to shoot than a 300 Meter target is and that says something to me...

Had a guy I shot with for years and he couldn't shoot service rifle at all because of his eyes. Short story after he had lasic. Went Distinguished with the service rifle in a year.

Thats actual news! I welcome that info. Of course Distinguished doesnt' take all that much once you figure it out, but its great news that he couldn't and then did. Vision must have made a big difference.

I thought it was a pretty big deal, I know it was to him, and I was proud for him too. He's still kicking a** from what I hear, only with a T2000 instead of the service rifle.

Dont' get me wrong, distinguished was a big deal to my wife and I, but I am always amazed that after the fact, the scores you shot to get legs sucked in comparison to what you "now" shoot.

Same as what you said above.

eyeguy,
When I shoot a hunting rifle with a scope I can see well enough to get 1/2" groups with a varmint rifle at 100 yds.
With iron sights at 300 meters I am out in the 8 ring.
My right eye is the worse of the two and sometimes I can read without glasses if there is adequate light.
We shoot from inside a shooting house now and years ago we shot outside. I am wondering if the amount of light is affecting me?
I have tried shooting with bifocals and I think I am better off without glasses. If I can see the target I can't see the sights and if I can see the sights then the target is blurry.
Is it time to hang it up at 56 years old?
whelennut

I used diopters in the front site on my LR guns, it helped enough to shoot great scores with lots of x's at 1K.