Astigmatism?

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  • DC-W

    Ultimate Member
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 23, 2013
    25,290
    ️‍
    That video was eye opening. Sorry for the pun. The guy talked about exactly my issue. I do not see commas or the like. the red dots for me look like little balls of string with frayed edges. Now I know. Good video DC-W. Thanks for sharing.


    Glad it helped!
     

    photoracer

    Competition Shooter
    Oct 22, 2010
    3,318
    West Virginia
    Being a competition shooter who also has astigmatism I will tell you what I know. I found out that the bigger the red dot the less like a comma it appears. So I use red dot sights that have dots rated at 8 MOA or larger. If I have to shoot iron sights I use a pair of corrective glasses with a short focus in the dominant eye. A few years ago I had to have cataract surgery. Choices were far or near-sighted, that plus astigmatism correction, or all that plus multifocus. I was nearsighted from a young age so I chose far-sightedness. Allowed me to buy off the shelf sunglasses or shooting glasses. As for the astigmatism part that correction is a counter correction for another defect in the eye. And there is no guarantee that the defect won't change with age and negate the correction in the inserted lens. Better to correct it with glasses if you need it. I find that the only time I like having the astigmatism correction is at night due to how taillights look. I find I can shoot FO iron sights fine without the correction 90% of the time.
     

    rockstarr

    Major Deplorable
    Feb 25, 2013
    4,592
    The Bolshevik Lands
    Unfortunately in the past 2-3 years my astigmatism has gotten to the point where red dots aren't very usable. I usually see a huge scattered sunburst. So I use the Vortex Spitfire AR, and I love it. So far it has been pretty durable. I may get one of the new Trijicon ACOG 1.5xs with the ACSS reticle for a life and liberty type gun, but I really have no interest in putting a $1000 optic on every single firearm I want red dot capability on. Especially not when the Vortex SPARC AR has worked so well for me. Plenty happy with iron sights too.

    im sure you could sell it here if you don't use it anymore. Plenty of people looking for a deal on an optic :)
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    im sure you could sell it here if you don't use it anymore. Plenty of people looking for a deal on an optic :)
    Haha I have plenty of guns for optics to find a home on. And I just noticed that I referenced two different optics in my original post. The Spitfire AR (prism sight) is the one that is still working great for me. The SPARC AR is a great red dot, but does not make my eyeballs happy. I bought one when they came out, and have since passed it on to a friend. About the only unoccupied sight I have right now is a Holosun (EOTech style reticle with the solar panel top), and that is only because it does not work AT ALL for my eyes.

    On the bright side, I just did a two day course where I spent a bunch of time with an EOTech 512. Whatever it is that sucks about my eyes, EOtechs seem to be working for them now. I shot REALLY well. I then noticed that an EOTech 512 is about $315 on Primary Arms or Optics Planet after the $75 "Sorry we lied about our optics having terrible POI shift and have generally been jerks" rebate. I figured I would give them a chance before trying out more expensive options, like a trijicon reflex, mepro m21, or ACOG. I'd love to just be able to use an Aimpoint or MRO like all you normals, but it ain't happening.
     

    ARMatt

    Active Member
    Apr 12, 2016
    654
    NAS Pax River
    Primary arms prism scopes are solid too if the acog is too expensive.

    I had the same trouble with my MRO and vortex so so I sold them, the dot is partially distorted due to the magnifier not just your astigmatism
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    Primary arms prism scopes are solid too if the acog is too expensive.

    I had the same trouble with my MRO and vortex so so I sold them, the dot is partially distorted due to the magnifier not just your astigmatism
    Does PA have a 1x or 1.5x? I thought they mostly had fixed low power magnification prism optics. I do have one of their gen2 1-6 scopes, as well as one of their FFP 4-14 scopes. Both great quality for the money spent. Would not hesitate to try something else out from them.

    As far as being able to afford an acog, I can afford them if I really want them. The major quibble I have with the 1.5x (TA-45 I think) is that $1000 is an awful lot of money to spend on a CQB style optic. For whatever reason I have a lot of trouble paying that large an astigmatism penalty over something like an Aimpoint T2 for what I want to use it for. Maybe someday I'll get over it, but so far I'm happy with lower priced options. Now for a TA31 . . . I would have no complaints about spending asking price for that if I had the right gun for it. In fact, I was thinking about putting one on a light weight AR308 I only have irons for so far. I was waffling between that and a Steiner 3x or 5x, but decided they were all too heavy for such a light firearm (a little under 7lbs empty).

    Speaking of heavy expensive optics, I sure do miss my ELCAN SpectreDR. To think they cost $700 or so before they got picked up for SOPMOD 2.
     

    Jaybeez

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Patriot Picket
    May 30, 2006
    6,392
    Darlington MD
    I can say The Wilmer Eye Institute at John Hopkins is outstanding. I have I have BCBS Blue Vision and they helped for lenses inserted in my eyes to correct both of my eyes. They also have a program where if you can not pay for the lens and you qualifie they have a program that will pay for the lenses they put into your eyes. Both my eyes were so bad and i was very near sighted on top of that as well. Now i have 20/20 vision in both eyes....

    Intacs?
     

    beowulf9

    Member
    Aug 31, 2017
    34
    I have mild astigmatism also, aimpoint and the other red dot sights look a little weird. So does Eotech.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,734
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I have mild astigmatism also, aimpoint and the other red dot sights look a little weird. So does Eotech.

    Just learn where the real dot is. It is usually at one end or the other of the sphere that you are seeing. When you find out the "Real" red dot, just aim using that part.

    It works for me and I have bad astigmatism. :shocked3:
     

    BigDaddy

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 7, 2014
    2,235

    I had Lasik 26 years ago. Astigmatism is measured as an angle and diopter, much like near or far sightedness is measured in diopters. I think I had 3 or 4 diopters of astigmatism, which is a fair amount, it was much improved after surgery but.......

    Never looked through a red dot before surgery, but a couple years ago I had a chance to use a Nikon red dot and I saw a figure 8, canted about 30 degrees off straight up and down. My fine leupold cross hair and dot is also a dual image offset 30 degrees.

    I also have an early cataract in my dominant eye. My eye doctor says she can fix it with a special implant lens when it is time to remove my cataract. I have already had 2 lasik procedures on that eye (over correction the 1st time)

    I was also near sighted enough that it was hard to find my glasses, if I didn't remember where I put them. I would not have lasik surgery just to be able to use a red dot sight. I am glad I had the surgery, but 10 years later, old age set in and I needed reading glasses. Since you need glasses, you might as well get prescription glasses and fix the minor problems that lasik did not.

    Bottom line, I am not sorry I had the surgery, but it is not a certain miracle.

    Google Kathy, bless her heart, Griffin and lasik surgery. She did not have a good result.
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    Just learn where the real dot is. It is usually at one end or the other of the sphere that you are seeing. When you find out the "Real" red dot, just aim using that part.

    It works for me and I have bad astigmatism. :shocked3:
    Unfortunately this doesn't work great for me. I see a huge sunburst. I am fine with it at close range, but I don't CQB much anymore these days, and being sure of where my rounds are going to hit past 25 yards with all of my rifles matters to me.

    Just look through a flip up peep rear sight. Try it, will sharpen up the dot.
    It can certainly help, but depending on rifle and astigmatism it may not really be worth it, since you lose a lot of the benefit of a parallax free-ish red dot.

    So far a 1x prismatic with an etched reticle is the best solution for me, with an EOTech as a second best option. For some reason holographic sights work a lot better for me than red dots, as long as I'm using glasses. I think I'm going to eventually invest in a Mepro M21 for a home defense rifle I am building, which will give me parallax free-ish always on functionality that I can use without glasses if need be, with reasonable trade-off compared to a more precise/less light finnicky solution you normals can use, like an Aimpoint. As I said before, I don't CQB much these days, but for home defense it seems like a relatively decent option.
     

    motorcoachdoug

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    I went to the Wilmer Eye Institute which is part of John Hopkins hospital about me being near sighted and my astigmatism as well. My near nearsightedness was so bad i could not even read the highway road sign clearly at 20 feet. Kinda hard to drive a bus with that going on. Had both my eyes operated on where they replaced my corneas with lenses to repair my astigmatism and my being near sighted as well. If $$ is an issue they do have a program that will pay for the lenses if your astigmatism is 2 points or more. They accepted my blue cross blue shield for payment and since i am one of the unusual ones they had to put me to sleep due to my back problems since I was not able to lay still on my back for 45 minutes. Their is help for that out their and hopefully this info will help others get it taken care of. PM me if you want any details on this..
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    I have a similar problem. Central serous retinopathy(CSR). It causes doubled vision. Sometimes the red dot is a 'dash', sometimes it is a colon/semi colon, sometimes two dots side by side. I've learned to compensate through the years by adjusting my shots accordingly. All my ARs have red dots except one is scoped. I guess the only good thing is my malady is temporary. It comes and goes.
     

    pilot25

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 13, 2016
    1,822
    Just learn where the real dot is. It is usually at one end or the other of the sphere that you are seeing. When you find out the "Real" red dot, just aim using that part.

    It works for me and I have bad astigmatism. :shocked3:
    That's what I have been doing. If I sit and stare at it, I obsess over it. If I focus quickly and shoot I don't even think about it. So real life scenario it doesn't matter. Polarized lenses help me but if I'm grabbing the thing for a home emergency the chances I'll have my eyeglasses on or contacts in are next to zero let alone polarized lenses too. I like the MRO compared to the EOtech where I don't have the same issue. So I'll live with a little comma.
     

    Dr. Rod

    Member
    Mar 29, 2013
    11
    Anyone know where I can get an eye exam from a friendly optometrist that will let me bring my guns in for the exam? I have heard some will allow it.
     

    dreadpirate

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 7, 2010
    5,521
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    I went to the Wilmer Eye Institute which is part of John Hopkins hospital about me being near sighted and my astigmatism as well. My near nearsightedness was so bad i could not even read the highway road sign clearly at 20 feet. Kinda hard to drive a bus with that going on. Had both my eyes operated on where they replaced my corneas with lenses to repair my astigmatism and my being near sighted as well. If $$ is an issue they do have a program that will pay for the lenses if your astigmatism is 2 points or more. They accepted my blue cross blue shield for payment and since i am one of the unusual ones they had to put me to sleep due to my back problems since I was not able to lay still on my back for 45 minutes. Their is help for that out their and hopefully this info will help others get it taken care of. PM me if you want any details on this..

    I can also vouch for Wilmer; I have an unusual issue in one eye they were able to treat that nobody else could seem to comprehend. Didn't cure astigmatism and the red dots are not crisp dots for me, but my sight is fairly good thanks to them.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    The whole thing helps to have them measure eye to sight distance with your normal hold. 2 hand or one for bullseye shooting.
     

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