Ok brain trust. I get the basics. Astigmatism hates dots but etched reticle are ok. Astigmatism makes dots starburst.
Here’s my question. I own C More, Aimpoint T1’s, Aimpoint PRO’s, and Sig Romeo 5 and 5X. The T1’s (which I use most) starburst on me. I usually lower intensity and the effect lessens and in either case it’s not so bad that the sight is still very usable. I always chalked it up to my astigmatism isn’t THAT bad. However ever since I built up my race gun 22/45 with C More sight, that dot doesn’t bloom. At all.
Do I have astigmatism? Do I have bad Aimpoint’s? What is going on. Shouldn’t all dots bloom. Or not.
Posts: 7540 | Location: Florida | Registered: June 18, 2005
Some are better than others when it comes to astigmitisim. My Romeo1 is usable but my Romeo zero is horrible. The Romeo5 wasn't too bad and the Romeo 5 Predator with a green dot works best for me.
Yes. Some are better than others about “blooming”. And there are many levels of astigmatism. Red dots, to me, look like clusters of grapes. A 2MOA dot becomes a 4MOA grape cluster. The best test I have found is to take a picture of the dot with your phone. If it looks like a dot in the photo, you have astigmatism. If it still “blooms” in the photos, it’s the sight.
Posts: 6359 | Location: East Texas | Registered: February 20, 2008
My astigmatism is corrected when wearing Scleral Contact Lens. I still have astigmatism when I wear glasses or nothing, but with scleral contacts I am able to see the red dot without the starburst blur.
I've warn soft, rigid contacts in the past that only cover the color segment of the eye. Scleral contacts are much larger and go well into the white part of the eye. They are also filled with saline, which soft and rigid contacts are not.
I can't explain why astigmatism is corrected with them, but my doctor says this correction is not unusual although the lens are custom made for your eyes and the astigmatism makes it a little bit more difficult for the doc to get it right.
The other test you can do is rotate the optic 90 degrees while looking through it. If the starburst pattern also rotates it’s the optic, if the starburst pattern stays the same it’s likely your eyes.
I also have astigmatism and see fairly prominent starbursts in my red dot sights with my right eye. I had cataract surgery on my left and the dots are clear and sharp with it. I'm hoping that when I get the right (dominent) eye fixed it will be as clear.
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Posts: 2028 | Location: Central Texas | Registered: June 12, 2004
I have the same problem. All red dots are blurry stars to me. Eotech type of sights look like rings of fire. Look into prism optics, they're the only quick acquisition sights I can use.
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Posts: 3689 | Location: TX | Registered: October 08, 2005
Originally posted by pedropcola: Ok brain trust. I get the basics. Astigmatism hates dots but etched reticle are ok. Astigmatism makes dots starburst.
Shouldn’t all dots bloom. Or not.
Eotech sighting system works well for me, but I also have a Sig Romeo and I can actually see it without issue. Aimpoints for me are a no go. I also have an astigmatism, but also got lasik and it make starbursts worse for me.
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Posts: 1057 | Location: Bluegrass State GO CARDS!!! | Registered: July 31, 2008
Thanks guys. I wonder why some dots are worse than others. Don’t know but glad I’m not the only one. The C More is a perfect dot. The others some lesser version of a dot. I wonder if it’s tech that the other manufacturers could emulate for us astigmatism guys.
Posts: 7540 | Location: Florida | Registered: June 18, 2005
I have one Red Dot and when I shoot with my glasses I see a blob vs a point, 3 MOA, so I can put the dot on target easier without glasses, that is targets within 7 yards. Longer distances need glasses. Everyone's experiences may be different.
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