Eye Fatigue

[mikehotel]

I've been dealing with this for a while. Thanks for the hints

 

[kcjim]

I experienced blurred vision while shooting at the range earlier this week. I am 58 years old and have good vision. I hadn’t shot much in the last couple of months and was concerned my vision was getting worse. I was fire forming a lot of brass, but shooting at targets during the process. Finally decided it was heat coming off the barrel. It got worse the more I shot. I was taking breaks to clean my gun, but I’m sure the barrel was not completeluy cooling off and was therefore heating up quicker during each string of shots. The only time I have experienced similar blurred vision during a match was during a very calm morning. I talked to a more experienced shooter after the match and he said the blurriness was due to smoke hanging around the range and not being blown away by a breeze. I thought my eyesight was going bad that morning, also.

 

[JMayo]

Cold days make it worse on me. Yesterday at the rim fire match we were shooting dots. I made 5-6 mistakes on every card due to blurring. My eyes didn't want to focus that small. Looking away at a distance then coming back and catching the sight while in focus was the only way I could manage.

 

[Liven The Dream]

72 going on 73 year young eyes..
With the proper eye glasses and Dry eye drops ? still getter done . Two eyes open .
Non shooting eye upper half of lens tape
I use Matte Scotck Tape.

I use the same system for my F-class scope rifles .
A eye Doctor may tell you Flack Seeds or Vitamins for eyes ?

 

[C.E.Smith043]

Guess I should try a mirage band and find out. I doubt that’s the problem but there’s no harm in trying. Recommendations for a 24” barrel. Scope is a Schmidt & Bender so I doubt that’s the problem.

Or a fan blowing over the barrel

 

[Twdmar]

I agree with seeing an eye doc. Other things that helped me shooting sevice rifle with a post front sight were using a blinder on my non firing eye and a piece of cardboard under my hat to reduce light coming in from the side to my aiming eye. Hydrate properly, use eyedrops and wear glasses to keep wind out of your eyes. One other thing is between shoots to look at something green which supposedly eases things on the eye. At the 600 yd stage in between shots I will look at the grass. Not sure where I heard that or if it's real but it doesnt make things worse

 

[Tim Singleton]

Dry eye drops help. Try systaine or the like

 

[Bojo]

I'm just a rookie.
Last year I felt like my eyes were strained badly , I started spotting with my non dominant eye. Problem seemed to almost go away.

 

[ssv1761982]

What do you do for a living? Back when I was working I was on a computer 8 - 10 hrs every day. I had a terrible time at the range. A couple good groups then it was exactly like the original poster said. The target would fuzz out. I even started labeling groups as to how my eyes were feeling. It got to the point I rarely went to the range. Now that I am not at the computer all day I have been able to start enjoying the range again. I did go to the eye Dr but he was not really able to help.

 

[dc.fireman]

There is a vitamin made from plant chlorophyll called 'Lutein'. It is readily available at your local grocery and big box stores, and is available in varying strengths, from 4 to 20mg doses. I use it daily. It's claim to fame is that it 'lubricates' the sheaths around the muscles of the retinal nerves, and a few other locations. It has done well making my eyes feel 'relaxed', particularly after looking at a computer screen for a few hours.

If you have a problem where your eyes don't seem relaxed prior to shooting, give it a try in the smaller dosage, the night before your next practice session. I find taking it for the two days before a match is particularly helpful.

 

[leclairk]

Thanks for the suggestions, I’ve got plenty to try. I did talk to an eye doctor and he says 90% chance it’s from dry eyes. Especially if it’s windy (which it was), and if you wear contacts (which I do). He suggested using eye drops like others have mentioned. I will keep you posted.

 

[JMayo]

There is a vitamin made from plant chlorophyll called 'Lutein'. It is readily available at your local grocery and big box stores, and is available in varying strengths, from 4 to 20mg doses. I use it daily. It's claim to fame is that it 'lubricates' the sheaths around the muscles of the retinal nerves, and a few other locations. It has done well making my eyes feel 'relaxed', particularly after looking at a computer screen for a few hours.

If you have a problem where your eyes don't seem relaxed prior to shooting, give it a try in the smaller dosage, the night before your next practice session. I find taking it for the two days before a match is particularly helpful.

I'm gonna give this a try. I don't eat vegies that have this in them.

 

[Luisyamaha]

Although not the case for the OP, as he has a very high-end scope, I'll relate that I've experienced "eye fatigue" with low cost scopes. Case in point, I have two similar scopes 4-16X50mm. Bought at the same time. Both on .22LR rifles. One a Tasco World Class and the other a Bushnell 4200. After about an hour of plinking around with the Tasco I start getting a headache. This doesn't happen with the Bushnell. Same thing with a 4X Konus vs. a 1-4X 20mm Leupold. Cheaper OK for shorter sessions, but not for extended target shooting. Maybe I have weird eyes. YMMV. BTW, I'm in my late 60's now, but I've had those 4-16's for over 10 years now.

Luisyamaha