Folks the last few months I have been getting great advice from this forum on what brand model of long range gun , caliber , scope Ammo to buy. I got every thing bought and starting to do some target shooting long range ......... WELL 2 1/2 weeks ago I had Detached Retina in my right eye. Not good. By domanet eye. I put gun stock on right shoulder. I had lost 94 % of vision when I woke up one morning eye dr said. Had emergency surgery. Dr said bad detachment but lasered and stitched me together. Been 2 1/2 weeks can see a person 10 feet away from top of head to his waste but below that it is dark.so sight is coming back slow but fuzzy. Dr said should know in 6 weeks were I finally end up on how good I can see. Just wondering if anyone here has had a detached retina and was able to come back and see good enough to shoot rifle targets and trap shoot and hunt ? I am not a tournmeant shooter but have always been able to shoot moa. You guys think I have a half way chance to rebound ? If not I am afraid I will have a lot of guns to sale. Did not realize how hard it is to function with 1 eye at age 58. Not good. I can barely able to drive. Not use to 1 eye. Marty.
Will I ever be able to target shoot again ?
- Thread starter NDAR15MAN
- Start date
Marty: sorry about you are going through:
my mentor who shoots with me is almost 80 years old: and is legally blind in his one eye, he just learned to shoot with the other eye.
he still enjoys shooting competitively and still kicks my butt and all those around him on a regular basis.
the key for you is to first: let the eye heal as long as you can before you even go near a rifle. the percussion and pressure we can feel shooting a rifle is something we all take for granted. make absolutely sure the retina is solidly in place and no further detachment is present.
follow closely with your eye doctor: right now he is your BEST FRIEND.
also make sure if you have other health issues: such as high blood pressure, that you make sure that it is well managed. high blood pressure not properly cared for can raise your risk for retinal detachment.
Time will tell if you will regain enough vision in the eye which was detached, just depends on which part the retina was damaged.
be patient and let your eye heal completely before you even go near a rifle.
best of wishes to you
khanh
Just remember that you don't have to shoot otherhanded when your master eye has issues. I have several friends who shoot F class with an outrigger scope mount. It takes is a plate fixed atop your rifle action & then a heck of a lot of measuring & precision work to get the scope mounted truly parallel with the barrel.
prwhite
Silver $$ Contributor
I had a similar situation with my right eye, but this was a retinal tear that the fine doctor at the local retinal specialist laser stitched. Everything was good for a year or two, then I noticed that the view thru the scope was not as good as it could be, eventually getting to the point that the reticle was nearly disappearing. The doctor said there was a thin film of scar tissue that was starting to cover the macula and was causing the degraded vision. It got to the point where a scope was no help...so I bought some 45 deg. offset mounts and moved my scope to be used with my left eye ( which was dominant anyway) and continued to shoot. As far as shooting goes, everything is good, but normal day to day I see some degradation in my depth perception. I am told my condition is operable, which is something I'm considering, because if anything serious should happen to my left eye, I would be legally blind and that would end many of the things I do and enjoy. I know it would be difficult to get accustomed to having one functional eye, especially for driving, but I'm sure many people in that situation adapt. Since this event has happened I no longer do any kind of cheek weld on any firearms because I don't know if that was the cause to begin with. Bottom line...hang in there, give the situation some time and adapt your equipment and body to continue to do what you enjoy.
Pete
Marty,
Sorry to hear your problem . Is it detached retina or macular degeneration ?
I had retina problems 21 years ago, started to manage my life as one-eyed, continued to shoot one season with no longer competitive scores until the second eye was also suffering macular degeneration. I had several intra-ocular operations to attempt to save the maxilmum of that eye vision.
From the first, doctors said fullbore shooting could well have been one of the causes of my problems .
I am legally blind since 1997 as I have lost virtually all central vision and had to re-organise all of my life and I still enjoy it everyday at now 85 .
I remain active in the shooting community, in the associative and technical aspects .
My advice to you would be to letsome time elapse before attempting to transform your equipment to continue shooting with your now treasured left eye , at least until the doctors are sure your second eye is safe and your condition is stabilised?.
Apologies to be abrupt, it is only my experience.
R .G.C
Hoping for your full recovery and a reminder that Sugar Ray Leonard continued to take punches for over a decade after detached retinas in both eyes
Marty, here is hoping for a speedy recovery.
Im sure all the forum members will be praying for you.
Im sure all the forum members will be praying for you.
Marty
Allow your self plenty of time to heal !!
Stay positive and treat your self well !
Good foods, plenty of water,
Friend of mind had same, it took awhile,
He still shoot's (hunting and target) and still Doe's alright !! Age 62
He now shoot's 6mm/284 gave the big booms away
All the very best !!
Allow your self plenty of time to heal !!
Stay positive and treat your self well !
Good foods, plenty of water,
Friend of mind had same, it took awhile,
He still shoot's (hunting and target) and still Doe's alright !! Age 62
He now shoot's 6mm/284 gave the big booms away
All the very best !!
You may want to consider changing games. http://www.ir5050.com/
Just my experience with a detached retina....everyone's case is different, and there is no standard way to recovery.
In the beginning, heavy and repeated recoil is a recipe for poor healing. I had to shoot something, so I moved to bench rest rimfire. You don't have to change which side of the rifle you "use"....you can use your left eye via off-set scope rings. There are several manufacturers out there.
So, for the first few months, I shot nothing but rimfire. This gave the laser sites time to heal. I was lucky and most of my vision returned, but I took my doc's advise when he explained that the area is weaker and more prone to tearing again. He also showed me statistics that people with a retinal tear like mine had about a 50 percent chance of tearing the retina on the opposite eye. It seems like you are predisposed to that happening. Now, that is some scary facts!
Because of the weakened/damaged retina and the risks of tearing the retina on my opposite eye, I stopped shooting anything above a 30 caliber, and shotguns. I had been a competitive shooter for most of my adult life, and this decision resulted in the sale of a lot of rifles and shotguns over the next few years.
I was pretty bummed about my choice, but decided it was better than permanent sight loss. I learned to adapt and still shoot short, mid and long range competition, but now it is with different 6 mm variants. I have had no problems with a 13.5 lb PPC for short range, a 17 lb. 6 BR for mid range, and a 17 lb. 6 Dasher for long range. I even used a 6.5x47 for several years, but that was with a brake. I no longer have to use the off-set rings, and can shoot right-eye dominant.
Here is my 2 cents, take it for what it is worth. Stop the big calibers. Heavy recoil is the worst thing for weakened retinas. Find a competent doc that you can trust and communicate with. Get 6 month evals by an opthamologist, not an optometrist. Learn the early warning signs of another retinal tear. Permanent vision loss is not the best way to live your life.
Jack
In the beginning, heavy and repeated recoil is a recipe for poor healing. I had to shoot something, so I moved to bench rest rimfire. You don't have to change which side of the rifle you "use"....you can use your left eye via off-set scope rings. There are several manufacturers out there.
So, for the first few months, I shot nothing but rimfire. This gave the laser sites time to heal. I was lucky and most of my vision returned, but I took my doc's advise when he explained that the area is weaker and more prone to tearing again. He also showed me statistics that people with a retinal tear like mine had about a 50 percent chance of tearing the retina on the opposite eye. It seems like you are predisposed to that happening. Now, that is some scary facts!
Because of the weakened/damaged retina and the risks of tearing the retina on my opposite eye, I stopped shooting anything above a 30 caliber, and shotguns. I had been a competitive shooter for most of my adult life, and this decision resulted in the sale of a lot of rifles and shotguns over the next few years.
I was pretty bummed about my choice, but decided it was better than permanent sight loss. I learned to adapt and still shoot short, mid and long range competition, but now it is with different 6 mm variants. I have had no problems with a 13.5 lb PPC for short range, a 17 lb. 6 BR for mid range, and a 17 lb. 6 Dasher for long range. I even used a 6.5x47 for several years, but that was with a brake. I no longer have to use the off-set rings, and can shoot right-eye dominant.
Here is my 2 cents, take it for what it is worth. Stop the big calibers. Heavy recoil is the worst thing for weakened retinas. Find a competent doc that you can trust and communicate with. Get 6 month evals by an opthamologist, not an optometrist. Learn the early warning signs of another retinal tear. Permanent vision loss is not the best way to live your life.
Jack
nmkid
Gold $$ Contributor
I kind of know what you are going through. My "shooting" eye is so bad that I can just barely focus my scopes for a clear(?) view. Have been thinking I might have to start shooting left handed. Good luck and don't rush things. May not seem like it but...There are more important things in life than shooting a rifle.
br1111
Silver $$ Contributor
prayer sent! god is great and you will get through this!
coford
Gold $$ Contributor
Marty,
I had a traumatic retina tear to my left eye (I''m left handed) when I was young. They sewed a buckle on the back of my eye to hold the two sides together and they told me to never shoot a gun again. I am legally blind in that eye and can only see the upper left half. I can see color and motion in that part but not much more. I switched to shooting right handed. I waited a year after the surgery and started with .22 rifles and then graduated to a 22-250 for hunting deer and varmints. After several more years and 3 laser surgeries I finally moved up to a 12 gauge and .308 sized cartridges. Take it slow and expect a few setbacks. Give yourself time to heal. You can adapt to shooting with your off side. There are many light kicking cartridges to play with like .223, 6BR, 6 Dasher, and 6XC. Don't over do it and with a little luck you will be back to shooting in no time. Good luck.
I had a traumatic retina tear to my left eye (I''m left handed) when I was young. They sewed a buckle on the back of my eye to hold the two sides together and they told me to never shoot a gun again. I am legally blind in that eye and can only see the upper left half. I can see color and motion in that part but not much more. I switched to shooting right handed. I waited a year after the surgery and started with .22 rifles and then graduated to a 22-250 for hunting deer and varmints. After several more years and 3 laser surgeries I finally moved up to a 12 gauge and .308 sized cartridges. Take it slow and expect a few setbacks. Give yourself time to heal. You can adapt to shooting with your off side. There are many light kicking cartridges to play with like .223, 6BR, 6 Dasher, and 6XC. Don't over do it and with a little luck you will be back to shooting in no time. Good luck.
Downhill
Gold $$ Contributor
Hate to hear that man. But I have a friend who lost vision in his right eye due to a botched surgery. Through sheer determination, practice and general hard headedness he taught himself to shoot left handed. Now he is back at the top of the long range black powder game. His age is 67ish. Keep an open mind and to quote the old Indian from Jose Wales-"Endeavor to perseveer"
Thanks for all the good advice. I have been away from forum a few days with eye DR appt. 3 weeks out know. Eye is doing better. I have like a water bubble in eye from laser and stitches. Dr said bubble will disolve in 3 or 4 weeks. Will kniw then we're we are at on eye sight. It is depressing after spending all this money on getting my Ruger m77 6.5 creedmoor to shoot a honest .5 group at 100 yards and 5/8 inch group at 200 yards. 600 rounds of reloads in the ammo box read to shoot now. I might have to go to left hand shooting. Or even 22Lr shooting. Might need to cut down to 223 maximum caliber to shoot. I don't think I will pick up gun till this fall ( sept ) to make sure it is healed up. It was a full detached retina. I will keep every posted through the weeks and months. I have to get a hearing aid because I noticed my hearing is gone at 57. Will post question on this topic tonight. Thanks for all your support. Heck of thing to happen to shooter ( detached retina ). Marty
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brokeasajoke
Silver $$ Contributor
My neighbor lost his domanent eye when he was hit with an rpg. Thanks so much to our vets that give up so much. Anyway, he has to shoot left eye left handed now. He can do much better than moa. Hope you heal up well and fast.
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