Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics I have astigmatism

I've had a Bushnell holosight years ago, an eotech, and various cheap red dots.
I'm going to buy a 16" upper to replace a 10.5" upper in case it becomes a bad nono to have.
It's gonna be a flat top, and I'd like to put a red or green, something or other on it.
I like eotechs, but I haven't kept up on new red dots.
Is there a sight that wouldn't be so fuzzy or multiple dots out there now ?
I don't want cheap, but I don't need tier 1 either.

I'm thinking maybe going 9mm, using Glock mags too.
Home defense, RV defense, plinking, etc.

What do I need ??

isn't' your astigmatism corrected with glasses or contacts? this helps but mine was never fully corrected and after eye surgery its still not fully gone. the purpose of a red dot is point and shoot. IMO its not meant to be a precise aiming point. if that is the use don't sweat the fact the dot isn't perfectly round.

Have you tried a prism sight? They focus like a scope, plus the light can be turned off leaving a black etched reticle that is sharper than the usual red dot, so more precise. The etched reticle means they work without batteries in a pinch. They come in 1x, plus magnified versions. The downside is they have limited eye relief just like a scope.

Go to a retail location and try one out, focused to your vision.

I can still pass an eye exam with out corrective lens. I use cheaters to read, reload, see small print, etc.
Regular life, I don't need glasses.
I'll look at prisms.

Etched reticle will help significantly with a astigmatism as Pappy mentioned

I think my astigmatism is something like 3 degrees if I remember correctly. is yours worse than that?

No idea. Never asked or was told at an exam.

An eye exam for a driver's license or the 20/20 chart while you're in the optometrist's/ophthalmologist's office? I have -2.25 diopters of Astig. and -.25 spherical (which is virtually nothing). I'm 20/40 uncorrected and can read the chart well enough that I don't "need" corrective lenses to pass my driver's license exam.

From a hunting/shooting perspective however, correcting my Astig to 20/20 clears up the "edges" of everything and I spot a LOT more game and see targets much more sharply w/my glasses on vs. off. The proper lens material can make a big difference w/correcting astigmatism as well. Polycarbonate/1.59 REALLY sucks for correcting astigmatism vs. Trivex/1.53. Plain old CR-39/1.50 plastic is optically excellent as well but doesn't offer the impact resistance of Trivex or Poly.


The axis to correct your astigmatism might be +/-3 degrees from 0, 90, or 180, but the amount of correction would be measured in diopters not degrees.

Ah...
I'll put my glasses I have on, and look through a red dot I have laying around.

My guess is that you were told you have 3 steps of astigmatism. Steps are usually .25 diopters per step so you might have .75 of astigmatism. As you said thats a pretty mild rx and can take it or leave it for most situations. Night driving and red dots are the 2 biggest exceptions. Dean

Guess I'm going to use a 2-8 x scope, and add a mini dot on the side or top....
No suggestions, so doing my own investigating of options.

Astigmatism is different for everyone, regardless of how minor or how bad, everyone sees the dot slightly different. We could make a recommendation, but ultimately it may or may not work for you.

This was my solution:

BH Red Dot Tac Optics Lil P Prism BLK Circle Dot BDC Hi Rise 5L (1/20-1324)
Item #: BHBT71XPS

I ended up giving the rifle to my sister during hysteria prior to the election. Bushnell discontinued it and I haven't found a suitable replacement that works for me for my next build.


Bushnell Lil P Prism sight

You can always get a 1x or 2x prism scope.

I'm looking at them !!
Thanks guys...

Some of the prism scopes have a short eye relief, be sure to check it out.

The Holosun 507 and 503 work well for my eyes.