I�m 55 and Doc is scaring the hell out of me. I have had cataracts for several years but I�m shooting better than ever. Handgun, rifle, shotgun, and bow � it just doesn�t matter. I shoot between the twinkles, blinks, blurs and the fog and somehow everything works out for the best. A week ago Doc told me I had glaucoma. My IOP in the left eye was 22 and my right eye was 25. I have to go back soon for more advanced testing. Most of the people I know who have it are much older than I am. If any of you have glaucoma, please tell me what to expect or tell me to stop worrying. Shooting is my life. I can give up driving, TV, etc. but the thought of not being able to enjoy the out doors is more than I could take. I am posting in this area because you guys seem to be more matured than any other section of the forum.

I know that there are at least 5 different kinds of glaucoma. I'd be surprised if they were equally serious or equally treatable -- you may have one of the "better" ones.



Here are a couple of informative websites that I found (one has a simulator that will allow one to see the effects of glaucoma at different distances and severities.



Glaucoma



Glaucoma International



An older friend had glaucoma, and although she stopped driving, the progression of her symptoms has been very slow indeed.



jpb

I have glaucoma in my left (non-dominant) eye and treatment has arrested it's progression but the bad news is what is lost is lost forever. What has it done to my ability to shoot?.......(1)I can no longer shoot my rifles with both eyes open so it has made me a little slower getting off the first shot and (2) the blind spot in my left eye has made it a bit harder to shoot a birds flying left to right.

My blind spot covers about 2/3's of the vision in my left eye...I have a little on the left and a bit more on the right and as the birds fly thru it I don't "see" them for a split second until they re-appear on the right. Just normal vison isn't affected very much although I have losted some peripheral vision on the left.

I think most of my vision loss came from a late diagnosis and hopfully they caught yours in time.

Koerther,

There are very advanced drugs like Alphagan and Xalatan to control Glaucoma these days. Your ophthalmologist will most likely advice a Perimetry test to check if your field of vision has diminished and then treat you. If Alphagan doesn't work, you may need Trabuclectomy, a minor surgery. Your cataracts wil also need to be operated on sometime with an intra-ocular implant to help your vision and if you have been wearing glasses before, your post cataract vision might be better than yourpre-cataract vision!

Don't worry - with good treatment, you should be perfectly fine, though surgery for either cataract or glaucoma would mean that you cannot bend forward or lift heavy weights for a couple of months post surgery.

Wish you a speedy recovery and good hunting!

If the cataracts are interfering with your vision then get them fixed. You may be surprised and the slightly raised pressure in your eyes may just go away following this surgery. If not, then as previous posters have said, there are very good eye drops out there today.
Cataract surgery is best done as soon as vision is affected. Technically a bit easier. Get a GOOD surgeon.
What are you waiting for?

My father got a sharpshooter badge in WW2 with open sights, but is legally blind now.

He has had Glaucoma, cataracts, and two vision affecting strokes.

He says that if he had got operated on earlier [he now has a rubber balloon like valve on top of each eye ball] that he would not have got tunnel vision.

I have been tested, and my pressure is like yours, but my peripheral vision is perfect.

My brother has no elevated pressure, but has lost much of his peripheral vision.

I am going in for pressure test and vision test every 6 months, and the doctor says that if I get any worse, he will start medication.

--
A society that teaches evolution as fact will breed a generation of atheists that will destroy the society. It is Darwinian.

Cataract surgery is, these days, a relative piece of cake.

Absolutely NO pain. No general anesthetic. Can see immediately afterward. Use eye drops for a week before surgery and a couple or 3 weeks afterward as prophylactic, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory precautionary measures, but the surgery heals quickly with the newer techniques.

(Currently most cut about a 2-to-3 m/m long slit, shatter the old lens with ultrasound, vacuum the pieces out, insert the new lens folded up like a taco, unfold it, and Voila! - vision. That's about half as long a slit as when they took the old lens out whole, and it heals about twice as fast.)

It is a bit expensive if you do not have vision insurance or are not on Social Security. If you are on Social Security, it is one of the few eye procedures which is covered by Medicare, IF your vision has deteriorated enough to meet the eligibilty test.

Generally, one eye is done, then the other eye about two weeks later. Had mine done last summer. Left eye went from 20/120 to 20/15. Right eye went from 20/60 to 20/30 (Right eye depth is too shallow to focus perfectly, even with a perfect lens.) I can now shoot iron sights again, for the first time in 20 years...and I mean open, iron sights, not just aperture sights.

Glaucoma can be very serious, and should be taken care of immediately. It, BTW, is one of the major reasons for the prescription of medical marijuana in the 7 western states.

If I had severe glaucoma, I would be very careful to get the very best eye person in my area...preferably at a teaching hospital if possible.

Best of luck,

AC