I need to put a "red dot" style optic on an AR rifle and G19 pistol, but due to my astigmatism and other eye issues when I view a red dot it's fuzzy. Bigger the dot bigger the fuzz, Eotech looks like a giant fuzzy sprinkle donut. Prism optics for me are clear as a bell, but there are very few out there and only one that I would say is "proven", the Trijicon ACOG north of $1K. Only other one I am aware of is Primary Arms Microprism and Vortex Spitfire series. Steiner use to make the T332 and a few other variants, but none are in production. Any other options worth considering?

My other isssue is, I'd really prefer a true 1x optic and of the ones I've noted only Primary Arms and Vortex has the option. Of those two, Primary Arms has the best reticle by far as there is no option until you get into the 3x or 5x Vortex Spitfires.

My only other option is to stick with some sort of LPVO in a 1-Nx configuration. A magnified optic, even at 1x seems to fix my focal issue of a fuzzy donut.

Since all of those were for long guns, is there any Prism options for pistols? If there is, I'm having zero luck finding one.

Since prisms have a limited eye relief, there are no micro-prism optics for handguns. The eye-box would make them impractical for use.

I hate the look & feel of a mailbox on top of a slide; however, I begrudgingly admit that closed emitter optics work better for my astigmatism than open ones do. I recommend Holosun's EPS series and their 509T.

Many people w/ astigmatism report having better luck w/ green than red, so try that too.

Burris AR332 is a 3x, but with a both lighted and etched reticle. I really like mine.

I have the same problem with astigmatism, but find that the closer I put the red dot to my eye, the better it is. I also operate the dot at the minimum intensity for conditions and find this helps as well. Some people also claim that polarized glasses can help.

quote:

Eotech looks like a giant fuzzy sprinkle donut.

Mine has started to look that way as well. It has been a while since my cataract surgery and my eye doc says I am developing a film on the back of the lens he implanted. So a minor laser proceedure is in order and afterwards all will be well

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Originally posted by Ranger41:

I am developing a film on the back of the lens he implanted. So a minor laser proceedure is in order and afterwards all will be well

I had that, too. After an hour sitting in the waiting room, the actual procedure took less than a minute. It's a one-time thing, will not need to be repeated.

Had Laser surgery several years ago, it corrected 90% of the astigmatism issues that were driving me to glasses and contacts.

Now many years later I'm back wearing glasses, suppose I could go back to the Laser to touch it up.

OP you should check into correction for your eyes and see if the laser surger will help.

I have the same issue with astigmatism so reddot optics are no bueno for me either…I have five prism optics mounted on my ARs…two Primary Arms Micro SLX Prisms, one 3X and one 1X…Two Vortex Spitfires prisms, also in 1X and 3X and last but not least…an el-cheapo Monstrum Blackbird 3X with a simple circle dot (think Eotech) which is my oldest (it has surprisingly held up well even for a short time having the shit beat out of it mounted on a .450 Bushmaster)…but my favorites are the Primary Arms SLX prisms primarily (no pun intended) due to their overall compact design and reticles…I use the 3X scopes from all manufacturers with their ranging reticles on my AR rifle uppers…I find both the PA (Raptor-5.56/.308 BDC) and Vortex (EBR 556 MOA) reticles to be easy to use (and as a plus if it is important to you…the Vortex optics allow changing from red to green…both are clear and straight forward to use.

On my AR15-SBR and pistols I opted for the 1X optics with the simpler reticles (ACC Cyclops-02 red with it’s uncluttered ranging reticle) on the Primary Arms SLX and on Vortex Spitfire (the SPR-200 which is also pretty much a circle and dot much like the Monstrum)…any of these three 1X prisms, the PA, the Vortex and even the budget Monstrum (I think I bought it on Amazon for around $60 just to check out how my eyes would work with prism optic over the reddot) would work…but the Primary Arms 1X SLX would be my overall choice out of the the three for using a 1X on a rifle…not only does it have a simple ranging reticle it also comes with numerous different bases (same thing with the 3X PA) for choosing the correct scope height and eye relief (which is important when using a prism optic instead of a reddot as others have mentioned)…they all also lifetime warranties (Vortex is the only one I have ever had to use on a variable power scope that would not hold zero when the magnification was changed and they asked no questions and promptly replaced it with a new one)…with a prism optic, it’s also a plus to be able to use the scope w/o the battery if needed…
Check out Amazon for their latest prices as well as different websites (I avoid Optics Planet and Cheaper than Dirt though…if you know, you know )… I think that you will be pleased with your new optic.

Look into the Monstrum line of micro-prisms.
I know they are made in China but they are inexpensive and have a variety of options. I have a 4X and 6X.
Also have both the 1X and 3x Primary Arms micro prisms (2 1/2-3 times the price of the Monstrums)

quote:

Originally posted by Vette02:
Look into the Monstrum line of micro-prisms.
I know they are made in China but they are inexpensive and have a variety of options.

I have to agree with vette02 and I’m just being honest here…for a budget priced optic, Monstrum seems like a pretty solid option especially for the money…but as with all things imported and purchased…”your mileage may vary”…just sayin’

Are you going for some super precision that it is such a hindrance when it comes to hitting the target?
All my dots are stars to varying degrees and my Steiners aren’t stars they are about the shape of Long Island.
However for all my defensive purposes it really doesn’t matter. I still hit the target with decent groups in center of mass and head shots.

I have an MRO that is on my main rifle as it is the crispest dot with my astigmatism. My RMR is not bad followed by my Aimpoint COA (which is my main pistol).
Vortex and PA dots are pretty bad and my Steiners are awful due to my astigmatism.
But I have no issues hitting what I need to so I am not sure I would limit myself to a prism optic.

Black92LX,

For my intended purpose this would be a close quarters setup where I simply want to put a quick dot on target. My local Cabela's no long carries any Trijicon or Aimpoint products so I may need to make a trip down to Cincy to get some eyes on product. Based on what you said about the dot quality I'm guessing this has to do with the cyclic rate of the red dot and quality of the electronics. However, this is where the Eotech really failed miserably for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Are you going for some super precision that it is such a hindrance when it comes to hitting the target?
All my dots are stars to varying degrees and my Steiners aren’t stars they are about the shape of Long Island.
However for all my defensive purposes it really doesn’t matter. I still hit the target with decent groups in center of mass and head shots.

I have an MRO that is on my main rifle as it is the crispest dot with my astigmatism. My RMR is not bad followed by my Aimpoint COA (which is my main pistol).
Vortex and PA dots are pretty bad and my Steiners are awful due to my astigmatism.
But I have no issues hitting what I need to so I am not sure I would limit myself to a prism optic.

I've fondled the PA SLX at the fun store. Anybody tried their newer and pricier GLX line?

Do you think it really affects your shooting or do you just want a crisper dot? The odd shape used to bother me and when I got my Steiners it was so bad with them I thought it was the Steiner. Had some buddies use it and they said the dot was fine.
The star has just become normal and going through a number of courses and my first with the Aimpoint COA a couple weeks back. Just get more confident in my shooting.
Not having a crisp dot really does not matter to me as long as the optic is zeroed and it’s an optic I know I can trust. Would it be nice to have a crisp dot, sure I guess if that were so limiting in optic options.
But again defensive, center of mass, headshots on human sized targets is what I am going for.

For me, the dot isn't just a "star" or something with slightly fuzzy edges. It's gets bad and exponentially worse the bigger the dot or cirlce/dot is like the Eotech. The Eotech was so bad that it grossly reduced my ability to actually see the intended target. About the only thing I could do with it was roughly center the target in the big circle. Could I use them, probably if I had to, but with so many optics out there I figured there "should" be a solution for such a common problem for so many shooters.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Do you think it really affects your shooting or do you just want a crisper dot?

I have astimatism and it depends on the red dot.

My first few were Aimpoint PROs and just a little fuzzy on edges. Zero affect on shooting.

I tried out Sig's inexpensive Romeo 5 as I could buy 3 Romeo 5s for less than 1 Aimpoint PRO. With the Romeo 5, I experienced a 2nd cluster of red dots (i.e. which cluster do I aim at?). They were unshootable and returned to Sig Electro-optics.

I like the idea of having a crisp picture with something less expensive than an Aimpoint PROs which is why I'm considering PA's SLX or GLX.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Just buy an ACOG …

MDS

For a rifle, how about an LPVO? At 1x it wouldn't it just about be like a red dot?

From what I understand a green dot assists w/ the effects of stigmatism and red dots.

You won’t find a prism for a pistol, eye relief isn’t there, I own an acog as well as a primary arms compact prism optic and for a few hundred bucks that primary arms is very good. Acog is better but honestly I don’t think you can go wrong with the primary arms, mine is a 1x and I have it on my AK and have been very pleasantly surprised by it

What about something like XS big dots for the pistol. Simple “dumb” tech that gives you some of the advantages of a dot (fast up close) at the cost of precision at distance.

Ton of rifle options out there.