Red dot with astigmatism?

[Glock23SD]

Would you mount a red dot optic on your firearm if you have astigmatism? I have astigmatism but my overall vision is not that bad so I don't need to wear glasses all the time. I only put them on at night while driving long distance, but even without my glasses, at night, i'll still be fine. But with astigmatism, I need to wear my glasses in order to see the "dot" but I rarely wear my glasses! And since I don't regularly wear glasses, would mounting a red dot optic be pointless? Without my glasses, the dot is jacked up and is blurred.

[andrewak47]

I have astigmatism but I have Holosun on my ar15 and my Glock 19. I have no problems. I wear contacts and glasses. No problem. Without my contacts or my glasses, I can maybe hit a whale.

[Glock23SD]

Originally Posted by andrewak47

I have astigmatism but I have Holosun on my ar15 and my Glock 19. I have no problems. I wear contacts and glasses. No problem. Without my contacts or my glasses, I can maybe hit a whale.

I have the Holosun HE507K X2 on my Glock 23 and before that, I have the HE407K X2 with the 6 MOA dot. Without my glasses, I can still see the dot but it's just a blurry dot and not clear with solid lines. But if I point the dot on my target, I'm pretty sure I'll still hit it even with the blurry dot. Only one way to find out is to go to the range and test it out without my glasses.

[Peahi2]

I have astigmatism and on my optics the dot is a sparkle. Red or green, same thing. I will have to pull them out and take a look. Rmr/SRO/509T.

EDIT: Yeah, brought out all 3 pistol sights. Definitely a sparkle. Damn, my eyes are going downhill fast. So sad, and I love shooting iron sights on my 1911s. Maybe I'll put a TA44 Acog on a pistol, at least those aren't affected by astigmatism lol.

This is how I feel about my eyes

[dousan]

I got astigmatism; it's not that bad. Don't look at the dot. Some are a bit blurry or sharp (like a slash). I zero off a point of that slash, and it's good to go.

t1, 509t, 508, rmr, exps3 holographic

[Munny$hot]

Look through your BUIS and RDS will be round and clear without corrective lenses. Another option is a etched reticle or prism sight.

[Xplosiv3]

To be fair, I haven't met somebody who actually sees a perfectly circular red dot through a red dot sight. Everybody has some level of astigmatism even if you have 20/20 vision. Some just have it bad enough to where they have to wear special glasses and it literally causes streaks of lines that completely go across the entire sight window and outside of it also.

You just have to decide if the star/fuzzy shape you see instead of the dot spreads out bad enough to where it will completely cover a black circle target at 100 yards and wont let you aim at the bullseye. (IE, if the red dot is supposed to be 3moa, but you see a 8moa star shape instead due to your "astigmatism".)

Some red dot optics are crisper than others. My $80 Sig Romeo MSR has a crisper dot than a Trijicon MRO or RMR.

Polymer lens red dots refract less light than a glass lens red dot also.

[xounlistedxox]

I too have astigmatism, in both eyes. All my RDO from different brands appear like a splotch. This includes Aimpoint, US Optics, Leupold, Bushnell, Nikon, Shield & Primary Arms.
That said, I still shoot with them really well. My splotches look fairly similar, so I zero them based on a certain part of that shape. It does help to use the lowest setting you can based on the lighting of your environment.

I have been reading that Prism sights may be a better solution for those of us with astigmatism and may check one out.

[RAMCLAP]

They look like starbursts to me. It's the same sized dot. It just looks like a starburst instead of a dot so no big deal. Interestingly, when I see one on camera it is a regular dot.

[tacticalcity]

Not only do I have it, but I also had Lasik surgery...and star bursting of bright lights is a side effect (though it reduces drastically over time but so does the effectiveness of the surgery as our eyes are always changing). I do fine with red dots. Yes they starburst a little bit. If they do so too much I just dial down the intensity of the dot's brightness and it works just fine. While everyone is different, I always just assumed the people that complained about this were just doing it wrong. I assumed they had the dot dialed up to 3 or 4 times the brightness it should be at. Which even then, it's not intrusive. Certainly not worth complaining about. But maybe they see something I don't. No way to know...I'm not in their head.

[DRoberts12345]

If you need glasses wouldn’t you be wearing them while shooting? I wear mine all the time

[MongooseV8]

Try a green dot there is much less distortion

[Munny$hot]

Originally Posted by DRoberts12345

If you need glasses wouldn’t you be wearing them while shooting? I wear mine all the time

Astigmatism is caused from the curvature of the eye and regular glasses don't correct it. Certain prescription can be filled with your lever of Astigmatism, also if you're far sighted, you may not need correct lenes for shooting vs regular eye pro.

[Ki6vsm]

Originally Posted by DRoberts12345

If you need glasses wouldn’t you be wearing them while shooting? I wear mine all the time

Should be. And good for you. I can't imagine why someone would take off their prescription lenses to shoot.

Originally Posted by Munny$hot

Astigmatism is caused from the curvature of the eye and regular glasses don't correct it. Certain prescription can be filled with your lever of Astigmatism, also if you're far sighted, you may not need correct lenes for shooting vs regular eye pro.

^^^ Good words. Get prescription glasses if you have bothersome astigmatism.

.

[brassburnz]

I have a Holosun 507c red dot on a Glock 17. Without my glasses, I can see the 32moa circle better than the 2 moa dot. The circle distorts a little less. The dot gets distorted sideways, either by itself or with the circle. I'll have to try the green dot to see if it's any better.

I usually shoot with my glasses and I can see the dot just fine. Usually. I use Ultradot 1" tubes on my other pistols. The dot is much sharper in the enclosed tube. When my eyes get tired, the dot grows a tail like a comet.

[joefrank64k]

Red/Green dots are stars/splotches with my contacts, but are razor sharp with my progressive glasses.

My contacts don’t correct for astigmatism and my glasses do. Wanted astigmatism correcting contacts, but the lowest power would over-correct my astigmatism and make things worse, apparently.

All that said, I still hit stuff with the red dot, haha!!

[TFA777]

Try the ACSS reticle from primary arms.
Solved the splotchy dot for me.
Still not perfect but there's limits to what a dot can do.

[Munny$hot]

Originally Posted by Ki6vsm

Should be. And good for you. I can't imagine why someone would take off their prescription lenses to shoot.


LOL all eyes are curved. Seriously though, it's an irregular curvature of the eye. Important distinction. It causes light to focus not at a single point but along a line, aka a certain "axis".

I don't know what you mean by "regular glasses", but any optometrist worth a darn will be able to measure your astigmatism and write a prescription for it. Then any lab that's worth a darn will make you the lenses to correct it. It's not a big deal. Just need to go out and have it done.

I don't know why people don't just get their eyes checked and get glasses. 'Supposed be wearing some kind of eye protection when shooting off guns anyway. Have a prescription filled for polycarbonate lenses.

LOL, I didn't think I needed to posted in child terms since I assumed everyone posting should have a very basic understanding of an astigmatism and that an "Irregular curvature of the cornea cause astigmatism, but for you, I guess I have to be very specific. Should I have also mentioned an eye basically round in shape also? You should really read up on a subject before you post and try to Google the difference of a regular cut prescription lens vs one cut for Astigmatism. I know, I know may be beyond your understanding so here's a link, but just be sure to read the complete page before you post. Remember "Reading is fundamental"
https://www.warbyparker.com/learn/gl...BoCrlsQAvD_BwE

[Ki6vsm]

Nice sarcasm. Well done. I re-read your post and do apologize. You actually did sum up the solution pretty well. Looking back, what I said really wasn't necessary and might have come out as a little rude or condescending.

FWIW, I didn't need to google anything. I've had corrective lenses for astigmatism in both eyes for over 25 years. I know a lot about what it's like to have it. I think we're in agreement then, any optometrist should be able to diagnose and correct for it.

For the benefit of others reading all this, it's just another kind of eye defect, similar to what "regular lenses" correct. Decent labs can even combine axis correction with near- or far-sightedness correction and add bifocal/progressive features to the glasses if you need that as well. Standard stuff nowadays.

[Glock23SD]

Originally Posted by DRoberts12345

If you need glasses wouldn’t you be wearing them while shooting? I wear mine all the time

Not technically.. Hard to explain.. I dont need to wear my glasses in order to see. I have ok vision and I dont need to wear my glasses to drive, etc., but when I mounted the red dot, I realized that I cant see the circle/dot clearly. It's a blurred image and looks distorted, this is how i see the red dot " *", it's more like a star.

so my question is, since I dont wear my glasses regularly, if an emergency was to happen and I needed to use my firearm, the red dot will be a blurred/distorted image, so I am asking, if this was you, would you keep the red dot or remove it.

[Glock23SD]

Originally Posted by RAMCLAP

They look like starbursts to me. It's the same sized dot. It just looks like a starburst instead of a dot so no big deal. Interestingly, when I see one on camera it is a regular dot.

yes, i have the same issue as you. on camera, the dot is fine, which is why i decided to purchase a red dot only to find out i have astigmatism. i see a * also instead of a circle/dot.

[Glock23SD]

Originally Posted by Ki6vsm

Should be. And good for you. I can't imagine why someone would take off their prescription lenses to shoot.



^^^ Good words. Get prescription glasses if you have bothersome astigmatism.

.

it's because i dont need to wear them to see. so 99.9% of the time, i dont have my glasses on. but since i have a red dot, without my glasses, i will not be able to see the dot clearly and instead it will look more like a star " * ".

so my question is, since i cant see the red dot clearly if i dont wear my glasses and since i dont need to wear my glasses regularly, would it be pointless to have the red dot since i will not be able to see it clearly without my glasses?

for example, if an emergency comes up and i needed to use my firearm, i will not have the time to go and put my glasses on so in this case, do you feel having a red dot on will benefit me or not since i will not be wearing my glasses for the most part.

[Glock23SD]

Originally Posted by joefrank64k

Red/Green dots are stars/splotches with my contacts, but are razor sharp with my progressive glasses.

My contacts don’t correct for astigmatism and my glasses do. Wanted astigmatism correcting contacts, but the lowest power would over-correct my astigmatism and make things worse, apparently.

All that said, I still hit stuff with the red dot, haha!!

ok, this is the post i was looking for.. so even with the dots looking like a "star", you are still able to hit your target if you place the "star" on it?

[Munny$hot]

Originally Posted by Glock23SD

ok, this is the post i was looking for.. so even with the dots looking like a "star", you are still able to hit your target if you place the "star" on it?

If you stick with 1 red dot then picking a part of the star, nike woosh, egg plant, coma, grapes, or a bunch of other shapes that folks see with astigmatism you'll be good when a precise shot is required. Some have seen other shapes with different RDS, so you may want to consider that before buying a different model/brand. "Most" defensive shots from a postola any bloob you see will be good enough to send some love in that direction. On a rifle I'd consider an etched reticle, LPVO, or something with a diopter on the ocular lens.

[joefrank64k]

Originally Posted by Glock23SD

ok, this is the post i was looking for.. so even with the dots looking like a "star", you are still able to hit your target if you place the "star" on it?

Yes, most definitely, especially in the 'emergency' scenario you posited.

With the star, you are 'minute-of-bad guy' accurate, no problem in a self/home defense situation. You will get rounds on target.

I see another post where the suggestion is to stick with one brand or type of RDS. I think that's a good suggestion - even without the astigmatism - on any weapons that are in a self/home defense role.

I've got Holosuns on all the self/HD weapons, and I prefer the green dots.

For my range toys, I've got all manner of RDS/LPVO (Bushnell, Holosun, Sig, Trijicon, Ultradot, Steiner...whatever's on sale, haha!!) and they all have slightly better/worse stars, but I can hit what I'm trying to hit (as long as I do my part, haha!!).

[Oceanbob]

I have astigmatism too. Red looks like a volcano but Green is much better.
I have a Holosun 507Cx2 green on my 1301 shotgun. I use the largest reticle of three you can select. I call it the circle of death with 00 Buck.

[teflondog]

I have astigmatism in both eyes. I still use red dots on most of my rifles. I just have to center the Nike logo on where I want the bullet to impact.

[unindicted_coconspirator]

I'm similar to one of the other commentators in that I have had Lasik surgery (about 22 years ago) to correct both very significant nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism. I *think* that I get the starburst effect from oncoming car lights when driving at night, but maybe I just don't remember how lights appeared at night from before the Lasik procedure. Now at age 59, I have some myopia and astigmatism as well as age-related difficulty seeing close objects (e.g., text) clearly enough to read (presbyopia). If I am wearing a fully corrected astigmatism, myopia, presbyopia glasses, the rectangular screen of my laptop appears trapezoidal. [I liken the affect to that of the evil-doers lairs in the original Adam West Batman series where the change of scene to the evil-doers lair was marked by tilting the camera because the evil-doers were, in fact, crooked.] I now have a prescription to be able to read my computer screen that is not so extreme which I have also used for pistol and shotgun (very short range) shooting at a range. A red dot on a pistol I tried then didn't seem horribly weird, but I have no point of reference to know for sure. John Paul of JP Rifles has also suggested using prism sights for us astigmatic older folks. I have been intrigued by some of the offerings from Swamp Fox, but one of the prism sights I'm familiar with would fit on pistols. I'm considering the new Steiner MPS and the Sig Sauer Romeo2 red dot sights for pistols. I think I would like to get shooting glasses with progressive lenses and would like to learn what other shooters have had success with including from Wiley, Oakley, GatorZ, Decot, Etint [ https://e-tintproducts.com/military/ ], and others. I may use morganoptical.net or hollywoodoptical.com as they have been successful at serving the needs of others.

[Murmur]

I have astigmatism in both eyes and nearsightedness. Red dots and holographic sites are pretty blurry (Aim Point and Eotech) without prescription glasses, but look fine with my prescription glasses on. If you wear safety glasses while shooting, it doesn't seem like much of a burden to wear your prescription glasses. I have my prescription glasses made by RX Safety https://rx-safety.com/ and use Wiley X frames so they look like shooting glasses and what I was issued in the army anyway.

[9mmContagion]

Trick is shooting with both eyes open and looking through the dot at the target. Maybe my astigmatism isn’t “that bad,” but I don’t focus on the dot while shooting. If I look at the dot it does look like a blurry mess, but shooting I let my eyes look through the window. It is noticeably worse without contacts in, I can say that. But again, if I look through the dot to the actual target, that blur becomes negligible

[kingransom]

Ditch the Red Dot and go to a prism scope. Problem solved

[AAShooter]

Understand optics with chevrons work much better for astigmatisms.

[BucDan]

Etched like Primary Arms' optics, or prism is the way to go.

[DrewTheBrave]

I have an astigmatism and use an AimPoint H1 on my 11.5" AR15 pistol and have a Holosun 507 and Primary Arms micro on a few other guns. The dots "bloom" slightly and look more like a comma, but are still effective at helping me get rounds on target quickly.

RDS are my preferred short range optics for their forgiving eye boxes and minimal parallax error when shooting from odd positions.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[xblax619]

damn i guess my astigmatism is worse than most here. It doesn’t seem to happen all the time bit i tend to see a double dot/circle thru the romeo5 xdr and holosun 503g that i have on my long guns.

[ken5714]

Long time progressive lens wearer, red dots no longer work with my astigmatism, I have been helped by using green opticts and what 9mmcontagion said, "Trick is shooting with both eyes open and looking through the dot at the target", really helps me as well. I have a Swampfox, Kingslayer, Green, on my Beretta 1301, very easy to use.

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

I have fairly significant astigmatism, so much so that most red dots are not very useful. Green dots are better, green dot/circles better yet and prism sights are razor sharp. I'm gradually going to Swampfox green circle/dots on handguns and Vortex Spitfire prisms on short range long guns.