What is going on w/my eyesight?

[psriley]

I was at the range earlier shooting one of my rifles, using a Leupold VX3 4-16x scope. Just shooting at 3" paper circles trying to make nice groups. I was fine for like the first 15 minutes, then all of a sudden, I was having a lot of difficulty focusing my eye on the target. It kept fuzzing in and out of focus, sometimes drastically. Normally, I line up the shot, then focus only on the crosshairs, intentionally blurring out everything else, but got to the point where I could not refocus on the target after breaking the shot.

Nothing was being changed on the scope, and I'm pretty near-sighted which should be perfect for looking through a scope. Unfortunately, I don't have another similar scope to look through, but I look through all kinds of other optics regularly without issue. I'm blind in my right eye, so I'm positive I'm left-eye-dominant.

Anybody else ever experience this? I really want it to be a problem with the scope, but I'm afraid it's my eyesight.

[USN CHIEF]

Yep, it is your eyesight. Age takes it's toll. I had the same problem, go see the eye doctor and get you some eye glasses....

[Pthfndr]

You had a stroke. You're going to die.

Dibs on your guns

[NeoWeird]

I have a stigmatism in my eyes (mishaped eyes that focus improperly). I don't have the money to get glasses as my insurance doesn't cover it. I'm a young lad of 23 and every now and then my eyes just get fatigued and will have problems focusing, especially when changing from nearer objects to farther objects.

I would imagine that some variables in your day caused extra eye fatigue and they just stopped focusing properly; maybe too much daylight, too much eye strain from focusing on the crosshairs/target back and forth, driving long distance before hand, not enough sleep, etc. If you're young eye glasses can elp your eyes to relax which can help your body to repair them, but nothing is certain. The only thing that is a fact is that they will get worse the longer they go untreated.

I'd tell you to go to the eye doctor, but I don't want to be a hypocrite. So if you want, and are able to, you should.

[CSDGuy]

One thing to consider is how often you look through that sight. You stated that you do look through various optics. Do you look through them for more than, say, 15 minutes? When was the last time you use that sight? The last time you did use it, did you use it for the same duration?

These are just some questions you need to ask yourself. I'd guess it's just eye fatigue. My own eyes do the same thing after a while if they're not conditioned to working in a particular way. Your lenses are focused by some muscles in the eye. They can, and do fatigue!

ETA: No, I'm not an MD, nor do I play one anywhere, including on TV!

[M5police]

Get some sleep and then try again.

[USN CHIEF]

I don't have the money to get glasses as my insurance doesn't cover it. I'm a young lad of 23 and every now and then my eyes just get fatigued and will have problems focusing, especially when changing from nearer objects to farther objects.

How about Joining the Armed Forces? They offer free Medical/Dental or almost free. They will fix your eyes

[psriley]

Yep, I think it's off to the doctor. I do spend quite a bit of time looking through the optic. I shoot about 150-200 carefully-aimed rounds in a 1.5-hour range session...maybe reducing my round count will help too.

[psriley]

How about Joining the Armed Forces? They offer free Medical/Dental or almost free. They will fix your eyes

Actually, when my eye was injured as a kid, the first doctor my parents took me to was an AF doc who said it should clear up in a couple days, put some drops in it, and sent me home. Later, a specialist told me that if they had operated right away, they may have been able to save my sight.

I did actually want to join up, even after that, but they told me not to bother. I always wondered why, since most people close one eye when they shoot anyway....

[ar15barrels]

You had a stroke. You're going to die.
Dibs on your guns

With friends like that...

[Mac]

....

[NeoWeird]

How about Joining the Armed Forces? They offer free Medical/Dental or almost free. They will fix your eyes

Tried when I was 17.

Lied about my age, until my school sent them a notification saying I wasn't of legal age. The recruiter said something about not having sent it in yet and would just void it. By the time I was of age I was already steady with my now wife. I can't leave her, but every day I wish I had made it in.

[6079Winston]

You might also check the parallax and focus adjustments on your scope to make sure it's set up right. There is a correct order and way to do it, which should be available somewhere on the web. Your eye will compensate for the scope being out of adjustment, causing eye strain. Also be aware that physiological factors change eyesight slightly on a day to day and even time of day basis.

[psriley]

With friends like that...

who needs enemas.