Astigmatism and red dots

[globetruck]

I have 20/20 vision, but I do have some astigmatism and red dots aren't always all that crisp. I'm probably not the first person to discover this, but thought this may be useful for those of us with astigmatism.

I was shooting at 50 yard targets and for some unknown reason I flipped up my magpul back up rear sight. I was using the small peep hole and looked through, noticing that the hole pretty much compensated for my astigmatism. The red dot was crystal clear and a perfect circle. I also noted that I could have the dot at a much higher brightness setting without any ghosting.

I realize that using the small aperture combined with a red dot might not make sense for all applications. But for 50-100 yard aimed shots (no speed drills), I found the aperture + red dot to be a useful combination.

Give it a try!

[Slippers]

I have 20/20 vision, but I do have some astigmatism and red dots aren't always all that crisp. I'm probably not the first person to discover this, but thought this may be useful for those of us with astigmatism.

I was shooting at 50 yard targets and for some unknown reason I flipped up my magpul back up rear sight. I was using the small peep hole and looked through, noticing that the hole pretty much compensated for my astigmatism. The red dot was crystal clear and a perfect circle. I also noted that I could have the dot at a much higher brightness setting without any ghosting.

I realize that using the small aperture combined with a red dot might not make sense for all applications. But for 50-100 yard aimed shots (no speed drills), I found the aperture + red dot to be a useful combination.

Give it a try!

I do the same thing, and find it a big help at 200+ yards. I recently got one of Aimpoint's new 3X-C magnifiers, and it also gives a perfectly crisp dot with a Micro T2 despite my astigmatism.

[MistWolf]

Other shooters have mentioned the same thing. Looking through a small diameter hole cuts down on light transmission but it also increases the depth of focus

http://jdainis.com/depthofocus_1.gif

I have astigmatism. Getting the right corrective lenses for my vision works wonders. Not just for the RDS but it also reduces glare at night and makes stop lights clearer

[Firefly]

Getting the stig myself. I just deal with it or squint

[pag23]

I have one in my dominant eye, I see a little tail at the end of a red dot . What helped was changing my brightness settings and target focus.

[Zirk208]

For those with astigmatism, has laser surgery helped, or is it even an option?
I've never been able to stick with wearing glasses, and eventually slack off with contacts, but my vision has slipped in the last 3-4 years.

[3M-TA3]

For those with astigmatism, has laser surgery helped, or is it even an option?
I've never been able to stick with wearing glasses, and eventually slack off with contacts, but my vision has slipped in the last 3-4 years.

Laser surgery adds a starburst effect to your vision that to me is made even worse by lasers. I can pretty much ignore it except for red dots and holographic sights. Fortunately prismatic scopes work well and also give you an etched reticle if the batteries fail. I've been using the Vortex 1x Spitfire with great success, but the Burris and Leupold prismatic scopes have just as crisp an image. I like the Vortex dot surrounded by twi rings the best - it just naturally draws my eye to the center very quickly.

[The_War_Wagon]

SMALLER the dot, the less the 'bloom' for astigmatism. Hence I'm partial to 2moa Aimpoints, although I have a couple of 4moa as well.

[signal4l]

I sold my Aimpoints due to astigmatism in my dominant eye. I now use either a Vortex PST 1-4 or irons.

The Vortex Spitfire looks interesting. Im glad to see more prism sights on the market.

Correcting the astigmatism with laser surgery can have its disadvantages. I was advised by my DR to avoid it.The surgery would correct my distance vision and the astigmatism but would cause me to need to glasses to read a book or to look at my watch.

[darkwater1967]

I haven't experienced one yet, but many have said prismatic scopes are the way to go with astigmatism, as they give you an illuminated circular reticle without the starburst or fuzziness seen with red dot sights.

[drtywk]

For those with astigmatism, has laser surgery helped, or is it even an option?
I've never been able to stick with wearing glasses, and eventually slack off with contacts, but my vision has slipped in the last 3-4 years.

Laser surgery can help, but they cannot completely correct an astigmatism, so even though you might have 20/20 or 20/15 vision after it is corrected, there will still be some lingering astigmatism. This is what happened to me when I had PRK done in 2000. I need to go in and have an enhancement done, but have been happy with the results. I have also found that the quality of the diode in RDS makes a huge difference, as does the size of the dot. I prefer 2 moa dots because of this and have been thoroughly impressed with the MRO, although I still love my Aimpoint Micros and PRO. The dot on the PRO is a lot more crisp and round for me than those on the Micros and the MRO is just as good as the PRO.

[Canonshooter]

Sighting through the rear BUIS certainly helps sharpen the dot. That said, recently I've been shooting groups at 50 yards off the bench with both irons and RDS - my groups with irons are consistently (and appreciably) tighter with irons. Because of this, I'm now running a LPV scope with offset BUIS, which seems to work well for my tired old eyes.

As always, YMMV...