New irises, etc. for lame eyes

[doubleset]

FYI mostly for all us geezers out there who need a little more target/sight clarity ...

I was in the process of adjusting my Gehmann clip-on iris to fit my set of fairly thick and curved Howard Leight shooting glasses. Then I wanted to see if there was any way to increase the friction of the iris adjustment so it wasn't quite so easy (apparently not). But in the process of all that I discovered that recently Gehmann has seriously expanded their line of "shooter-mounted" ( ) irises. These now include a stick-on iris, and a headband iris. They also have a headband "lens holder" that allows you to use a single circular prescription lens for shooting (flip up/flip down from the headband). It's not clear to me how the headband-mounted approach would work in conjunction with regular shooting glasses (would the iris or lens extend far enough to clear the front of the glasses?). But the whole headband thing is an interesting approach.

As usual with Gehmann, if you have to ask "How much?" ... But seriously, they're pricey but maybe not outrageous if you need something like that. I think I'll pass on the new stuff since I can get my old clip-on to work well with a little bending.

The new stick-on iris appears to be available in the US (at least theoretically), but I don't see anywhere in the US that carries any of the headband varieties (though there is one place in Canada that carries at least one of them), and some of these are available via Ebay.

Just another bit of info for those thinking about using an iris to achieve acuity of target. I think I'm going to start using my old iris for that. At 25 yds, I don't have a problem. 50 yds is manageable, but not optimal. After that, the target had better be pretty big and provide heavy-duty contrast.

 

[nhmoose]

I am getting new lenses in my eyes next month. They remove the cataracts and put in new lenses. Mine is being done at request of my Retinal Dr. He may then finish the laser work for my Diabetic retinopathy in my left eye. Cataract is stopping his work till surgery is done.

My DW got both eyes done last month and now has no glasses except 1 power cheaters to read. She wore coke bottles since grammar school. She is almost 71

If you are a geezer it may be a good choice, to me it is way better than going blind.

 

[doubleset]

My wife and I had that done about 5 years ago. It's amazing. I haven't seen this well since I was 12. Not perfect, but I don't need glasses any longer -- except for cheap low power glasses for reading and computer work. In my case, it was necessary only for the ophthalmologist to document that my eyesight was affecting my "quality of life" and preventing me from doing some activities or curtailing driving under certain conditions. However, my right eye has always been the weaker of the two, and it benefits from the diopter for shooting purposes. Overall, my vision is 20/20 or better and the toric lenses I had implanted have completely corrected that fairly pronounced astigmatism that I had for my entire life. That's simply gone now.

 

[bud in pa]

I wore glasses for about 60 years. After I had new lenses in both eyes and didn't wear glasses anymore, I still kept trying to push my glasses back up my nose.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Some versions of the cataract replacement lenses do not require reading glasses, but are more expensive to replace. Some will require reading glasses and some of the replacement lenses do not correct for astigmatism. Talk about all the options with your ophthalmologist to make the best decision for your needs. I got the cataract replacement lenses and I think they are great. I don't need glasses after a lifetime of wearing glassses other than safety glasses.

 

[doubleset]

Some versions of the cataract replacement lenses do not require reading glasses, but are more expensive to replace.

I avoided these because I wasn't at all convinced about how well they worked -- and how quickly they would stop working. I'm real happy with my (toric) lenses. But my vision has degraded slightly over the past years since the surgery -- in at least the one eye. Slightly, but noticeably. When I first had the implants I could easily read without additional glasses. I still can, but it's a struggle and I use reading glasses now (bought from Amazon by the six-pack). You can expect your eyes to change a bit after the implants, and so expect your vision to change to some degree as well over time

In addition, Medicare has this nutty approach to covering different lenses. They will cover the standard lenses and the surgery. They will NOT cover toric lenses (for astigmatism) because their view is that you can wear glasses (once you get your cataracts fixed by the lens implants) after your standard lens implants So I think it cost me an additional $1,000 a piece out of pocket for my toric lenses, but was worth every penny.

Ask a LOT of questions before you commit to any particular path -- about cost, outcomes, and alternatives.

My ophthalmologist (who is head of one of the ophthalmology departments at Duke) told me at the time that the technology in the pipline is to provide implants that can change focal length just as natural lenses do. But we're not there yet. Probably not in my lifetime, but it's progressing. I have huge respect for ophthalmologists and they are, in my experience (both as a patient and in working with them), the most "scientific" of the physicians I have come across (with the possible exception of electrophysiologists in cardiology).

 

[Kansas Jake]

I’ve had the lenses that cost more for about 15 years or more. I’ve been very happy with them except after all these years my eyes have changed a little and I usually use glasses for driving and shooting.

 

[doubleset]

I’ve had the lenses that cost more for about 15 years or more. I’ve been very happy with them except after all these years my eyes have changed a little and I usually use glasses for driving and shooting.

Yeah, time marches on. I absolutely don't use glasses for driving. I also don't use them for shooting, but I am shifting over to using a diopter since I shoot right-handed and that's my "bad" eye. The alternative would be to switch over to left-handed shooting, and that's just a bridge too far for me in terms of the gain I'd get from it. I do also use glasses (either 1.5 or 1.75 diopter, depending on the distance involved) for reading, computer screen work, or playing music. Those glasses cost me less than $5.00 a pair and they seem to last a VERY long time. I have about 6 pairs scattered around here (bedroom, living room, office, car, bathoom, garage/shop) so I don't have to be pulling them out of my pocket all the time.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I had my ophthalmologist prescribe lenses for distance and a minor astigmatism that are set for distance. I use them for driving and shooting. They work well for me.