Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Shooting after cataract surgery ,recoil harmfull to eye?

hanco,

Yep, I had both eyes done two weeks apart in June last year. Had each done early in the morning, and was driving OK by the end of the day.
When my eyes were checked by the same doc (who did both my exams and the surgery) a month later I had 20/15 vision in both.

He's a hunter and shooter, and recommended not shooting anything with real recoil (meaning more than a .22 rimfire) much for another month. Heeded his advice and had no trouble with anything including 12-gauge and .375 H&H last fall.

Comforting words, John. I'm going in for cataract surgery next week.

The big things I was told not just by my doctor, but others, were to take the drops as directed, and not to strain my eyes afterward, whether by removing the covering too early, bending over, or shooting.

Was partly told this by Eileen, who went through the same surgery a couple years earlier. I was also impressed, however, by how soon her eyes recovered--and improved! I was driving her home from the next-day exam that made sure everything was going well, when she looked at a herd of pronghorns at least half a mile from the highway. "Nice buck!" she said. I could tell it was a buck, but not how big the horns were...

Was not supposed to do any heavy lifting for two weeks after I had my eyes done. Had post-surgery vision checkup for potential corrective glasses after 1 month. I assume they would not put me through that expense if things were not securely locking in place by then.

I had both eyes done in 2020 2 weeks apart. I followed the same directions, no heavy lifting, use the drops, I didn't shoot anything for a month and I have 20/20 vision in both eyes now. Before I had the surgery I couldn't even watch tv without glasses, all I need now are readers .

Make sure you use the drops religiously. You don't want an infection.

Got mine done two years ago come June, it's great, I can see iron sights again.

I went through the same procedure about the same time as Mule Deer with a very similar result.

Don't shoot for a month. No contact sports for a month.

Do your drops on schedule

If they get the math right, you will love the results. It is an easy procedure.

I went for the next day follow up visit. I have 20-20 vision again. I’m not using my glasses to peck this out on my phone. I drug out a rifle, scope is clear now, only one crosshair. I’m excited. I can see open sights now too.


Thanks for the reply’s. Doc said wait a month to shoot. I have plenty of time, will probably wait two months. He said two months before wakeboards and tube riding. I’m old, but like doing that with grandkids

Or get your surgery well ahead of, or after hunting season . . . . . .

FWIW, had cataract surgery in both eyes, May of '21. Knowing I was a shooter, Dr explicitly told me - "No shooting for at least two weeks. Understood." My response was "Yes".

Which is why I had mine done immediately after Montana's spring seasons for turkey and black bear.

Gotta look after the eyes, when I had my heart attack June 2014 they discovered I was a diabetic type 2, eventually had cataracts done both eyes and there was fluid building up in the bam of the eyes.
So started regular injections to try and prevent retinal detachment in the eyes, well left eye failed so eye got opened up and artificial lens taken out and gas bubble in while healing, never was good again, and while on vacation with good eye , the right failed, so was now blind.
Local doc did emergency laser over a couple weeks and gas bubble and I was able to find someone to get us home to heal.
The right is 20/25 now.
The left needed surgery to replace cornea, but specialist up here said he won't be able to help, so went back to the specialist in new Westminster that said he would do it is going to do it in four or so months, and testing shows I could get it to 20/40.
Guess I should waited to move up here, the doc down on the coast has no idea why the doc here would say no.

I had my non shooting eye done 12 days ago and my shooting eye done last Tuesday, with the exception of Texas pollen being an aggravation it is amazing to be 20/20 in both eyes without glasses. Readers required for small print. Dr. Told me no shooting for 3 weeks after the second surgery. I usually shoot two bpcr silhouette matches a month, but I am happy to follow the Drs. Instructions. 60 rounds of 45-70 with a 530 gr. Bullet is quit a bit of accumulative recoil.

It is amazing to see so clearly again. I can’t wait to shoot my bow soon. If you possibly can, I’d recommend the multifocal lense. It was 2800.00, so it be 5600.00 to get both, see near and far, no glasses!

I'll just throw in a word of caution: my dad had the surgery in both eyes years ago, but then jumped on a plane to see my little sister graduate high school (she heard that if she was a resident of Washington state for 6 months, she'd get free tuition, so she had moved out there for the last of her senior year). Two detached retinas later, he was blind for the next almost 30 years until he passed. He was happy he did it because she was killed by a drunk driver shortly after and that was the last time any one of us saw her. He was still blind for almost 30 years, though.

After bureaucratic delays, coupled with a nincompoop doctor (short in stature woman who may well have competent hands, but who couldn't adapt her techniques to accommodate my scoliosis in my back/neck - discovered when they had my bent ass on the operating table a while back, no less), I finally had my right eye done this past Thursday. My "new" doc persevered in overcoming my physical obstacles and did a bang-up job. Only complaint was in starting from scratch and having to wait again. What a revelation when the patch was removed the next day. For the first time in quite a while my world was in razor sharp focus. My God.

The cataract in my left eye, which is just barely detectable with their optical devices, wasn't noticeable until now that I can compare with the "new" right eye. Wish I could convince them to just go ahead and do the left eye immediately and get it over with.

Funny, but those of you have gone through this also can relate: the first thing I did when I got home was to peer through several rifle scopes and peep sights. OMG, I could see crisp clear crosshairs again and well defined sights/targets. Sights still require some jockeying of aperture diameters and/or employment of 1.25x reading glasses to achieve efficiency, but at least I'm back in that game again. The hell with being able to safely see to drive at night again, the whole point of the exercise was really to see a squirrel's eye at 50 yards again or to quarter a 1/2" dot at 100 yards with the crosshairs!!

The surgery is amazing, every thing is clear again. I can shoot my bow well again. I haven’t shot any high powered rifles yet, but can shoot .22’s really well again.

I can drive way better also, can judge distances again.

Did the cataract thing a few years back. Waited to heal and went to the range with Thumper. I can still see stuff today I couldn't back then.

Tang sight, elbow rest, 100 yards...530 grains of lead in a .45-70.

It'd been about six or seven years since I did the cataract surgery.. On shooting, the doc said wait at least two weeks and then start light. My .223 Kimber was just fine. I waited for a bit then played with a .243 and .257 Robt. for about a month and generally worked my way back up the recoil ladder finally reaching my big boomer .416 Rigby. Only problem I have had is sometime after the surgery, not sure when or what triggered it off but I started getting double vision. Try driving from Raton New Mexico to Tucson Arizona with one eye closed. Not fun. Now I have to wear glasses again with special lenses to keep both eyes on a level playing field. I can say one thing, those glasses sure play hell when looking through a scope, especially a variable. I don't have my next eye exam until early January, but I'll be pushing the doc to see if something besides glasses can be done to correct the problem.
PJ

Why even chance it? Give your eye a couple of weeks to heal, no deer is worth taking a chance with eye damage. I sure as heck wouldn't shoot any the next day.

My doctor is a hunter and he advised not shooting any until at least a week and even then to limit it to 22 LR, after 2 weeks no larger than 223 and at least a month before moving up to larger calibers.

You have one set of eyes if you screw them up you are out of options.

drover

My ophthamologist, who's an avid shooter and hunter, performed the surgery on both my eyes last year, a week apart. He advised me not to shoot any firearm with even relatively light recoil for a month, just to be sure. I followed his advice, and ended up with 20/15 vision in both eyes.