So I wanted to give this new fangled red dot thing a try and picked one up on the cheap. I have astigmatism and I knew going in the dot wouldn't be clear and it wasn't. It looks like a smeared comma. It's still perfectly usable though. In regards to shooting it has improved my long distance accuracy, but didn't improve my close range speed or accuracy. For me it's a fun range toy and that's about it.

Anyway, despite being perfectly functional, the smeared dot bugs me. From what I've found online there doesn't seem to be a consensus on green dots being an improvement over red for people with astigmatism.

I am curious what experiences other shooters with astigmatism have found with green dots. Are they clearer? IF anyone with astigmatism and experience with green dots wants to chime in I'd appreciate it.

Thanks ahead of time for your replies.

I also have a slight astigmatism. Dot color doesn't seem to affect dot definition for me, however it does vary between different optics. The RMR and 407k are very clearly defined for me, whereas the 407C is pretty much a blur. The Romeo 1 is somewhere in the middle.

Once you get use to shooting with a target focus, the blurriness really isn't a problem.

I have a rifle with an AimPoint Pro (red dot), another with a Vortex sight that you can select either a red or green dot, and a pistol with a HoloSun (green dot). I have pretty bad astigmatism. I’m finding the green dot easier for me. Not sure if it’s simply better visibility or less distortion. But I would agree that it’s not too bothersome if you’re focusing on the target.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
I also have a slight astigmatism. Dot color doesn't seem to affect dot definition for me, however it does vary between different optics.

That's been my experience as well, on both points.

But most of all, nearly all of the astigmatism-related issues with dots go away (for me) simply by using a proper target focus. If I look at the dot, it's not perfectly round. But if I focus on the target - like you should be anyway - it is a crisp dot.

having played with a pile of various red, green, and even a cheap blue dot ,

none seem to matter to me,

I have Astigmatism, and all are a * instead of a dot,

I just put the * on the target, and move on,

I have both green and red holosun green seems to make my astigmatism worse.

I agree with neither color effects astigmatism but I tend to pick up the green dot much easier then red

I notice no difference between red and green for my astigmatism. Size of the dot seems to have a bigger impact than the color of the dot. I am enjoying the one green dot which resides on my P365XL.

My astigmatism is pretty mild.
My only RDS is a Vortex Strikefire II which has red & green dot options.

No discernible difference red/green for me, but I have found that I prefer the green dot in dimmer indoor ranges & the red when outdoors.

Yeah, it's not realy a question of shootability. As several have noted I'm focused on the target, not the dot when shooting. It's just that the blur bugs me when I do focus on it.

I'm not expecting a green dot to improve my shooting, I'm just curious if those with astigmatism have less blur with a green.

quote:

Originally posted by dking271:
I notice no difference between red and green for my astigmatism. Size of the dot seems to have a bigger impact than the color of the dot. I am enjoying the one green dot which resides on my P365XL.

Is a bigger or smaller dot better for you?

I wear glasses so not sure if that matters or not. Dots are still never really crisp to me. I do find green is more pleasing to me. I am not sure if I can say that as an objective clarity observation or simply as subjectively more pleasing or easier for me to pick up but I prefer green reticles.

Hello. I have very high astigmatism which requires me to wear corrective lenses 100% of the time. While my astigmatism is 100% corrected with my Rx, red dots are never perfect, especially indoors. They exhibit a slight starry effect. But when focusing on the target and not the dot (like RogueJSK mentioned) it does not matter, and you don't notice it.

quote:

Is a bigger or smaller dot better for you?

1 MOA looks like a 3 MOA blob
3 MOA dot looks smaller than 6 MOA blob
6 MOA looks about 9 MOA

The 6 is brighter in the middle and easier to pick up, the 3 is easier to shoot more precisely. The 1 is harder to pick up and is less of a dot and more of a splotch. I’ve settled in to both the 3 and 6 MOA size, both do the job for combat shooting with a slight edge going to the 6.

I have never tried any sight system other than iron sights. Not convinced that it would help my shooting up to 7 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by sonnydaze:
I have never tried any sight system other than iron sights. Not convinced that it would help my shooting up to 7 yards.

I guess you’ll never know if you never try one.

I was okay with red until I hit 50-ish and needed cheaters. My Astigmatisms are pretty severe. I switched to green and found it much easier on the eyes.

I can also run Green at a lower brightness than Red before I get dot focused instead of target focused.

I'd also recommend going through TheHumbleMarksman YouTube channel for some good red dot training tips and on what size dot to get.

Green works best for me. With green, it's almost a clear dot. Red, no matter how low the setting, looks like a shotting star made out of a smashed raw egg. It's very frustrating to say the least.

Wearing my eye glasses helps.

On a rifle, if I use a separate magnifier the dots are perfect. Doesn't matter if I have my glasses on or not. It's crazy how that works.