Best red/green dot for astigmatism??

[Colts Ironman]

I'm new to the optic world. Never really needed them but they have been fun to shoot with since. I've been reading up on various handgun optics and saw that the Sig RomeoZero reviewed somewhere that it was best for us old guys with diminishing eye sight, particularly astigmatism. Has anyone had experience with this one? The red dot itself doesn't impress me over holosun or trijicon and obviously not as durable. There's not a big selection of RMSc choices but if anyone cares to chime in on what they've had good experience with in the small red dot platform, please do.

I just recently started wearing progressive lenses and I’ve been avoiding wearing other types of eye protection at the range so I can get away with just wearing my glasses but these progressive lenses take a little getting used to. It’s not a very strong prescription and I have no problem seeing far away but it’s just that 3 to 4 feet of space between my eyes and the sights that get blurry. Sometimes I have to actually take my glasses down and look at the front sight or the optic with my natural eye. If can get away with not wearing my progresses with a good red dot optic it wouldn’t be as bad.

Thanks

 

[Tryin']

I share your astigmatism woes. I hate to bring this bad news, but in my experience it's not just make or even model, but individual sights have different looking dots to me. Some look like slashes, some like star bursts, some have a halo, and that's just the variety of Aimpoints on my squad. The armorer at my agency was kind enough to let me select the best option for my eyes out of the batch. Any illuminated sight I buy has to be in person due to the variability.

That said, I have had the most trouble with Aimpoints and clones, and the least with Trijicon. The EOTech units are really consistent, but definitely not a pistol sight.

 

[marvin02]

If you are putting it on a rifle where you don't need unlimited eye relief check out 1x prism scopes.

Red Dots VS Prism Scopes | Optics Trade Debates - Optics Trade Blog

Welcome to Optics Trade debates. In each episode, we will talk about a different topic and try to answer the most common questions we receive about it. Today, we are going to talk about the differences between red dots and prism scopes, why and how we should use one and the other and their main…...

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Prism Scope vs Red Dot Sight: Which Is Better? A Complete Comparison - Optics Mag

Before you buy yourself a prism or a red dot sight you should know which one will be best suited to your needs. That's why we've compared the two in this extensive...

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I just bought me first one and will be trying it out on my PC Carbine.

 

[Colts Ironman]

I share your astigmatism woes. I hate to bring this bad news, but in my experience it's not just make or even model, but individual sights have different looking dots to me. Some look like slashes, some like star bursts, some have a halo, and that's just the variety of Aimpoints on my squad. The armorer at my agency was kind enough to let me select the best option for my eyes out of the batch. Any illuminated sight I buy has to be in person due to the variability. That said, I have had the most trouble with Aimpoints and clones, and the least with Trijicon. The EOTech units are really consistent, but definitely not a pistol sight.

That's the same issues I have. The way it looks. I'll have to find a place near by that will let me eye test them lol

 

[Backpacker]

I have owned Holosun 507c in red and green. I found the dot to be about the same either way for my astigmatism. The circle without the dot looked mostly round to me. I eventually gave up on the red / green dots and went with a Burris 2x scope with crosshairs. My dominant eye continues to go downhill. FWIW, I am 64 y/o

 

[marvin02]

 

[DadSmith]

I have found a circle dot reticle works fine with my astigmatism. Dot by itself is a 8moa star burst. The dot was a 2moa dot though. So when I bought the Holosun HS507C X2 it has the circle dot reticle or a dot only your choice.

 

[bwframe]

I'm the odd man out on green vs red dots. Red picks up way faster for me. I can still see green but it's slow to discern the dot or crosshairs from the background, especially on grass, trees, leaves, etc.

I don't think have astigmatism as bad as some others, if I have it at all? Hard to tell with the, readers needed, middle age focus issue that I have fought for years. Amerglo Hackathorn big orange dot front sight has been a requirement for me for years. Recently added Holosun with the circle dot and really like it, although must admit not a lot of range time with it. Many many reps of dryfire though.

 

[Ark]

Dots all kinda suck for me. Useable, but a 2moa dot is more like a 4-6moa starburst. They do sharpen up a little when I get out into full daylight brightness instead of looking through one inside.

The HS510c has been my favorite. The circle dot doubles rather than starbursts for my eyes, and the double goes away when outside in the sun.

Lots of good prism options out there now. I have a gen 1 Vortex 1x that is okay, but PA and Vortex both have smaller and lighter 1x prisms out now.

 

[Jim McKalip]

I have serious astigmatism and have settled on the Holosun HS507C X2. The dot is not perfectly round but it is quite usable. The circle stays sharp for some reason. I can sure sympathize with the problems of advanced age. I'll be 91 in April.

 

[cosermann]

The best dot for astigmatism, is a proper pair of corrective lenses. They all look fine if your glasses are correct.

 

[gregkl]

Very little astigmatism here. Not enough that they recommend any correction. I still got the star burst with the first dots I owned. Then I went to 6 moa dot on my pistol. I am able to turn the brightness down and that made it sharper.

The smaller dots had to be cranked up and that made them starburst. I shot a friends red dot Saturday. I think it is a small dot and he had it turned down fairly low. It was crisp and clear but it took me a while to find it.

I'm still new thought to dots trying to figure them out.

 

[EyeCarry]

The best dot for astigmatism, is a proper pair of corrective lenses. They all look fine if your glasses are correct.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
This is what I keep asking myself about the poster's complaints:
Are they wearing their lenses that are correcting for their astigmatism and are they staying out of their add powers, be it bifocals or progressives?

 

[johntheplinker]

Very little astigmatism here. Not enough that they recommend any correction. I still got the star burst with the first dots I owned. Then I went to 6 moa dot on my pistol. I am able to turn the brightness down and that made it sharper.

The smaller dots had to be cranked up and that made them starburst. I shot a friends red dot Saturday. I think it is a small dot and he had it turned down fairly low. It was crisp and clear but it took me a while to find it.

I'm still new thought to dots trying to figure them out.

I've not found yet a dot that is perfect for my eyes, and I've looked through a bunch! However, if I turn down the intensity on several, they are at least usable. And yes, at times they can be hard to find at times.

 

[x10]

That video is great. I’ve tried to explain this to many shooters over the years

 

[ancjr]

I have terrible astigmatism that lenses do not correct, but I've used Primary Arms SLx 2.5x Prism and Holosun 510 with good success.

 

[marvin02]

I have the Swampfox 1x Blade Prism scope I just bought mounted on my Ruger PC Carbine. I'll be shooting it Wednesday and will report back on how it compares to the Holosun 510C-GR I was using. I don;t have a problem with astigmatism, but I want to try the prism scope and see how it compares.

 

[SpartanYeti]

I also have a slight astigmatism... like some others have said the bigger dots (6moa) seem to work a little better. Also I would go to a LGS that has displays so you can look at them before you buy. Good luck!

 

[eric001]

I don't think this will help at all for a pistol, but I figured out by accident that having a peep sight between my eye and the dot completely erases my astigmatism-starburst issues on my rifle.

 

[marvin02]

I have the Swampfox 1x Blade Prism scope I just bought mounted on my Ruger PC Carbine. I'll be shooting it Wednesday and will report back on how it compares to the Holosun 510C-GR I was using. I don;t have a problem with astigmatism, but I want to try the prism scope and see how it compares.

I put nearly 200 rounds thru the PC Carbine with the Prism scope on it over two range trips.

The scope is a really nice piece of hardware. The reticle is very nice and easy to see. Controls are good and glass is clear to my eyes. I could shoot very accurately with it.

The biggest disadvantages of the Prism scope are the limited eye relief and that it is less forgiving of eye placement. The prism is 8 ounces heavier than the Holosun 510c. I have no doubt that if you train with it you will notice this less and less until you don't even think about it.

The prism scope would be a great choice for a person with astigmatism as it completely overcomes that issue. The reticle is etched so the scope works when the battery is dead. I tried shooting with the illumination off and it is the same as using any etched reticle scope.

My Holosun is going back in the PC Carbine, just because I like it better. The prism scope is for sale in the classifieds if anyone else wants to try one.