Searched forum but need dialogue re: IOL for shooting

[OhMyEye]

The Sport
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I enjoy some informal competition shooting.  Pistol, rifle, carbine.  I’ve always used open (iron) sights for these activities, and I’ve shot both eyes open for 50 years.

Majority of my focus is on the front sight.  My eye acknowledges the rear sight, and automatically centers the front sight therein (be it notch or aperture), but my focus has always been the tip of the front sight.


Front Sight To Dominant Eye
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Front carbine sights are approx 25" from my dominant eye.

Front rifle sights approx 38" from dom eye.

Front pistol sights approx 28” from dom eye.


Darn!  Cataract Dominant Eye
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Right eye dominant.  Planning for cataract surgery.  Underlying retinal issues complicate everything.


Current Target
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Distance vision.

Target is plano to -1.0 with Alcon SN60WF.  The target was chosen to match my right eye, which uses a -0.75 contact lens.  That contact lens gives me solid 20/20.  With it I can read at 18"-24" (no glasses), watch TV (no glasses), and see into the distance pretty well.

The Questions
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1.  Assuming we meet target of plano to -1.0 in my dominate eye, what’s the chance:

a.  I could see front sight well in focus or almost focused?

b. I could see front sight AND target downrange, where “downrange” is from 30 feet to 75 yards?

3.  If the distance IOL prevents me from seeing front sights at 25” to 38”, can a + power contact lens allow me to see the front sights AND the target at same time?

4.  If yes to above, what will my vision be like beyond 38", and under 38"?

5.  What's the better choice:

a.  # 3 above (distance IOL and "+" plus contact lens that allows me to see front sight AND target at same time)?

b.  Get intermediate IOL so I can see front sight AND target at same time, and use - contact lens for distance vision when I'm not shooting?


Holographic v. Red Dot
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I've had the pleasure of using EOTech holographic and Trijicon non-holographic red dots. I found the reticle (the "dot") has to be in focus to hit your target.  When the dot's not focused it's fuzzy.  If it's too fuzzy it's no longer a concise aiming "point".  It's just a blob that covers the target, and you're not sure if the target's centered in the blob.

Is it correct then, to believe all the above questions are relevant to optic use?


Mono/mini-mono?
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Can one shoot both eyes open (BOE) with this?  I don’t see how one could.

Example.  Right eye dominant shooter, IOL set for "intermediate" in right eye.  IOL left eye set for "distance".

The right (dominant) eye will see the sight(s) clearly, but not the target.

Left eye will see target, but not the sights.

Because each eye sees on its own "line of sight", how can the two different lines of sight (distant target viewed through left eye; intermediate sights viewed through right eye) merge to truly align the sights with the target?


What Do I Need To Know That I Haven't Asked?
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Not even sure I asked the right questions.

Appreciate all input, great or small.

[JohnHaganMD]

You may want to go with your surgeons recommendation of -1.00 to plano.  After your recovery you can work with an optometrist and try a variety of contact lens in your dominant RE to give you the best sight picture.  Contacts are much easier to adjust than trying to make calculations prior to surgery.  You would wear a plus + contact to induce myopia for seeing sights.

[OhMyEye]

Thank you Dr. Hagan.  In reviewing my post I got confused about what I was asking!

I was taught to shoot both eyes open since first BB gun in 1965.  It's because I've always shot both eyes open (with irons) that I'm grappling with what IOL or IOL/contact lens combination will allow me to continue shooting both eyes open.

My natural, pre-cataract vision was pure monovision with -2.50 dominant eye, -0.50 other eye.  Without contacts or glasses I could shoot both eyes open and easily hit a stationary clay bird at 100 yards with notch or aperture rear sight.

The cataract doc said he'd target my dominant (bad) eye plano to -1.0, to match my good eye.  I accepted that until recently when I realized I wouldn't be able to see my sights with the target IOL recommended.

Now I'm wondering about trying to replicate my pre-cataract monovision (which allowed me to shoot both eyes open) by targeting the bad eye for -2.50.  But your other post said even if we hit the -2.50 target, it wouldn't return my pre-cataract vision.

So my next thought is to go with the doc's plano to -1.0 target, and for shooting only, use a +2.50 contact (to try replicating my pre-cataract vision) so I can shoot both eyes open.

Firearms have been a part of my life since I was a boy watching black and white westerns.  The past 15-20 years of my life were heavily involved in the firearms retail and then manufacturing business.  About 10 years ago I went heavily into informal competition shooting.  Combat/3 gun/pistol plate shoots.  Spent a small fortune on all the toys.

Whether your sport is downhill skiing, motorcycle racing, tennis, or shooting a barricade course, there's nothing like being "in the zone" and on top of your game.  It's a great feeling.

Losing my dominant eye vision is a very hard adaptation.  I'm trying my hardest to make the best choice I can that allows me to continue in my favorite sport, and also allows me to live life off the range, as you so eloquently put it.

Thank you again.

[JohnHaganMD]

almost all good shooters shot with both eyes open. They use their dominant eye for both front/rear/distance image. As I said in my other none are perfectly clear with iron sights. The non-dominant eye image is suppressed or ignored (like when a scientist looks in a one eyed microscope and ignore the image from the other eye. Some people have trouble doing this and use an occluder on the non-dominant eye (generally just paper target shooting) hunters, trap, skeep, combat shooters don't cover the non-dominant eye because they want increased field of vision and a sense of depth.  

[JohnHaganMD]

skeet  

[OhMyEye]

Before posting the above I searched "shooting".  Found 136 posts.  These were the most relevant but I still had questions.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/Need-advice-on-selecting-dominant-eye-IOL/show/2812719
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/Questions-for-IOL-after-vitrectomy/show/2921796
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/Recommendations-for-IOL/show/738305
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/feedback-from-IOL-patients/show/366537
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/Cataract-surgery-and-shooting-pistols-and-rifles/show/1442282