"Fix" for astigmatism and red dots

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  • Bigtanker

    Cuddles
    Emeritus
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    24   0   0
    Aug 21, 2012
    21,688
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    Osceola

    We had this discussion a while back.
     

    foszoe

    Grandmaster
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    24   0   0
    Jun 2, 2011
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    I too have an astigmatism, but I have no problems with red dots. Am I special?
    Turn the brightness all the way up.

    I have aimpoints and like others I turn the brightness down. Normal sight people think my brightness level is too low but I see the dot fine. That may be your situation also.
     

    fullmetaljesus

    Probably smoking a cigar.
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    6   0   0
    Jan 12, 2012
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    Indy
    Turn the brightness all the way up.

    I have aimpoints and like others I turn the brightness down. Normal sight people think my brightness level is too low but I see the dot fine. That may be your situation also.
    Interesting, I'll crank it up later and take a look.
     

    T-DOGG

    I'm Spicy, deal with it.
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    262   1   0
    Feb 4, 2011
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    New Haven
    Astigmatism has been an ongoing issue for me. I've tried/used/looked through a ton of red dots (non-prism) over the years. All of them seem to give me fits to some degree, even recently I've noticed it now happening with Eotech Holo sights as well.

    General observations:
    - The brighter the dot, the worse the starburst/tadpole/blob effect is.
    - The larger size dots, like 6moa size or so, don't seem to cause me issues and I see a clear round circle. Holosun HS407K and Trijicon RMR come to mind as being very good to my eyes.
    - Looking through a rear peep style backup sight clears the issue right up, just like previously mentioned aperture devices. But that kinda defeats one of the reasons why I want a red dot to begin with, fast target acquisition and ability to use irregular shooting positions easier.
    - In the morning with a fresh set of rested eyes, the astigmatism isn't usually bad enough to cause me fits. Late afternoon into evenings can be another story. As my eyes fatigue, the issue gets worse. Long range days do not help this issue at all.
    - Glasses are better for me than contacts in regards to astigmatism.
     

    cosermann

    Grandmaster
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    14   0   0
    Aug 15, 2008
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    The fix for astigmatism, if it adversely affects red dots for someone is, wait for it. . . corrective lenses/glasses/surgery.

    Should fix the issue. In truth, if one has astigmatism, and isn't wearing corrective lenses, then everything you see is slightly misshapen. You just notice is more with a red dot.

    If you're lenses/glasses don't fix the problem, then they're not the correct lenses for you and you need a new Rx or the lenses weren't done properly, etc.

    The "pinhole" fixes might work, but it's a band-aid, and it obscures much of the FOV that is a feature of RDS.

    My glasses fix it, and they work on every optic I have. No need to goof/fiddle with individual optics.
     
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