Eyesight

Drew

Well-Known Member
One thing none of us can manage without is perfect eyesight, whether natural or corrected. I have a slight prescription for short sight and astigmatism. To be frank it's the bane of my life, I bloody hate it, really bloody hate it. I detest wearing glasses, contact lenses give me a blinding headache and I'm not suitable for laser eye butchery. I've tried an excercise regime which actually does work but you need to give it at least an hour a day and lay off correcting your eyesight...which can make life difficult. The only alternative I have left is replacement lenses...basically an implantable contact lens that either replaces or enhances your eye's natural lens. The main drawback being the 5 grand for the op!

Does anyone have any views on eye surgery or anything else eye related? Any eye surgeons/opticians here?
 
I have Glaucoma and am virtually blind in my left eye and am losing vision from top downwards in the right eye.
It is only a question of time before I fail my next compulsory DVLA eye test and become a pedestrian.
At the moment I can see the reticle centre clearly and hold my own at Stalkers rifle shoots and have no trouble blotting feathered vermin or Deer.
The NHS buggered up my eyes partly by only giving me surgery on my right eye when my left eye was clapped out, by which time the optic nerve was damaged on the right side too.
I wish I had been given better advice by the NHS as a 5K operation would have been a bargain.
Following this debacle when I was told I needed open heart surgery I opted to go private and was sorted in 5-6 weeks at a cost of 15K or so, however this is a poisoned chalice as I have no desire to live to the age of 90 like some of my family and with no vision.

HWH.
 
stag1933 said:
I have Glaucoma and am virtually blind in my left eye and am losing vision from top downwards in the right eye.
It is only a question of time before I fail my next compulsory DVLA eye test and become a pedestrian.
At the moment I can see the reticle centre clearly and hold my own at Stalkers rifle shoots and have no trouble blotting feathered vermin or Deer.
The NHS buggered up my eyes partly by only giving me surgery on my right eye when my left eye was clapped out, by which time the optic nerve was damaged on the right side too.
I wish I had been given better advice by the NHS as a 5K operation would have been a bargain.
Following this debacle when I was told I needed open heart surgery I opted to go private and was sorted in 5-6 weeks at a cost of 15K or so, however this is a poisoned chalice as I have no desire to live to the age of 90 like some of my family and with no vision.

HWH.

I sympathise with you over the appalling treatment you have received in regards to you eyesight problems via the NHS
However I strikes me as ironic that you had the financial means with which to avail yourself of timely private medical treatment yet failed to do so.
The double irony is that you subsequently decided to have you heart surgery through the private medical system yet consider it a waste.

There are many in less fortunate positions that would be delighted to have that freedom of choice.

I have always greatly enjoyed your photo posts.

DG
 
Having paid my taxes all my life like many other people I expected to receive correct care and/or advice when needed on the NHS without the need to pay someone else.
Glaucoma is something which sneaks up on you so slowly that from month to month you do not notice it happening to you.
In my case I was sitting up a high-seat waiting for a Roe to appear and was fiddling with the individual focus on my binocs.
The left side picture appeared to be fuzzy and uncontrollable so I turned the binocs over and found the same bad result with the other lense assembly.
Next day I went to a local optician and was diagnosed with Glaucoma and instructed to notify DVLA as it is a `notifiable affliction`.
After that I was a NHS patient, certainly a mistake with hindsight but then with `hindsight` we would all be millionaires living in a perfect society.
When the heart job popped up I was on a steep, stony mountain stalking Reds, it was my breathing which was affected and I saw my doctor the same evening.
It transpired that I had a very serious heart `murmour`and was told that if I had not been a `mountain man` and a non-smoker I may have been long dead. [I had a new valve fitted.]
That was the end of my mountain days, pleasures which will never be forgotten.
There is no point having cash in the bank and a failing ticker, no doubt I would have got a `freebie` sometime but with a wasted heart muscle.
I may be lucky and again pass the compulsory eye test next time but in the
meantime I am getting out shooting as much as I can, whilst I can.
There is no point being a premature dead squirrel if you have some nuts to keep you going.

HWH.
 
Hi Stag,
Thank you for the Carl Gustaf information, I recieved it today. I'm only thrity nine but I have trouble with my eyes. At certain points my eyes register a double image. At my last eye test I was told that it is getting worse and I now have to under go hospital tests. It effected my rugby career, it seems that it will make my stalking more difficult too! :(
 
Hi Stag,
They think that it is hereditary. The optic nerve is round the wrong way, plus I nealy lost the same eye when I picked up an serious eye infection during my sea going days! The scaring to the back of the eye is very interesting I am often told. The optician usually fetches a college to take a look to! :confused:
 
Hi BEO.
Glaucoma is also hereditary but I am the only member of my family who has had it.
I must have inherited it from the arsehole who got my mother into trouble when she was 17. [He was 93 when he died.]
My gran on my mothers side was also 93 when she fell off her perch.
At one time she and 2 of her sisters totalled 270 years of age hence my fear of living to be an ancient blind bat.
 
Blimey Stag!
I see your problem. No pun intended! I don't think I could handle loosing my ability to stalk, it is everything to me. I'm just lucky that I have a very understanding wife!
 
Eyes are an extremely weak link.
I have a stigmatism and my right eye is lazy. They can't do anything about the right eye and I can't recognise people at 10 foot with it. The brain has shut off the signal from it even though it is a good eye. Has something to do with double vision as a baby or something.
They eye specialist (optomisomething!) just suggested that I don't damage the left eye!
I learnt to shoot off my left shoulder when I was about 10 and have done it ever since. It is the only thing I do left handed but is quite handy when lamping out of the passenger side of the truck for foxes!
 
Funny things eye's, my master eye changed from right to left when I was in my late forties. Now I am a cack handed sort of bugger anyway, I write left handed and use a knife and fork left handed, other than that the right hand side of my body is dominant. My right eye is not too bad but the left is better.

As a result I have now trained myself to shoot a rifle off either shoulder. However I still use a shotgun off my right shoulder but I have to remember to shut my left eye, otherwise with both eyes open my right eye takes control and I always miss behind.

John
 
An old, now deceased friend, had a left `master` eye but had an old Cogswell and Harrison 12 bore with a cross-over stock .
He shot off the right shoulder with the left master eye lined up the rib, it served him well.
I am normally right handed yet when I played cricket I was a `left hander`.

HWH.
 
When you have vision related problems, it is very important to tart with a professional eye test. (check: http://www.leightonsopticians.com/eye-tests.aspx ). The test will reveal the nature and strength of your eye problems. I am short sighted with my right eye and my left eye is long – sighted. I also have dry eyes symptom. This is something that I’ve discovered after I’ve had an eye test. I would advise to be very careful whilst choosing to wear contact lenses and to make a contact lenses fit test before you buy them. I really find the contact lenses uncomfortable and they can make your eye dry. I think that laser surgery is a good option, but I think it’s really very expensive at the moment.
 
Drew

You have my sympathy. I have a condition called keratoconus ( link here ) which means that my eyesight has deteriorated since the age of 18 (I'm 32 now). While I'm very lucky not to be an acute sufferer, it is massively frustrating - my eyesight, even with special contact lenses is poor at best (although I can at least drive)! Sadly, laser surgery is not an option.

I've found that (as far as fieldsports go) stalking is actually not too bad in some ways. After all, we all spend a lot of time with binos up to our eyes and using scopes, both of which can compensate for lack of vision to a certain extent. For me (and I'm still very much a novice), its been about ensuring that I can shoot to an acceptable standard and ensuring that I'm absolutely confident when taking a shot on a deer - essentially the same process as everybody else (hopefully), its just that I'm more conscious of it. (I also lug around a bigger pair of bins than a lot of folk!)

Anyway, chin up, best of luck and give me a shout if you need the details of a good optometrist.

Tom
 
I feel your pain as regards kerataconus. I was diagnosed with a very mild version a couple of years ago. Noticed an issue when glassing while out stalking and had it checked out.

Gas permeable lenses can combat it for now, but u miss the comfort of soft lenses!

Novice
 
Novice

I had a good look at different treatment options a couple of years ago when I had a bit of a deterioration in vision and I now wear soft lenses specifically developed for keratoconus sufferers - link here. They are excellent.

That's actually the website of the optometrist I use - drop me a PM if you want a chat about it.

Tom

Just noticed the date of the first post - who dragged this up from the way back machine?!
 
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