I have had astigmatism in my dominant eye for going on 15+ years. As I age, it gets worse. On my AR platform rifles, I started using illuminated prism optics with the etched glass. Seldom need the illumination but when I do, it’s crisp. Problem solved. But I have many handguns ready to accept an RMR and I’ve heard green dots are much easier for those with astigmatism.

But my question is how much better? My red dots that are still on several rifles are 1 MOA dots and they look like an oblong oval Star. My glasses help and I can still hit decent groups, but I just put the starburst in the center of the target and can’t really get more precise because of the size of the bloom. Hard to describe unless you have this issue also.

So if anyone runs a green dot with astigmatism, I’d love any feedback. Not sure if a larger MOA dot would be better or worse. I’ve always used 1 MOA, ACSS and chevron reticles. Thanks for any input.

Why not get the eye surgery to correct the astigmatism?

I have a family history of blindness and other issues with my eyes. My specialist said he would recommend against it.

"AI Overview

What Does Astigmatism Look Like? Astigmatism vs Normal Vision
In individuals with astigmatism, green light is often perceived as clearer and less distorted than red light. Green light is at the center of human visual acuity and color perception, making it generally easier for the eye to focus on. While red light may be preferred for preserving night vision due to its slower breakdown of rhodopsin, green light can offer better detail and clarity, especially for distance vision or tasks requiring close-up clarity, according to Esko Safety."

I took one of my red dot scopes to my optometrist, tested with the scope in front of the testing unit, they then gave me the script to correct the astigmatism. They charged me $40, then I went online to Zenni Optical and ordered a couple pair of corrective glasses for about $75.

I'm very happy with the results and driving at night is also more pleasant.

I have had astigmatism since age 5. My glasses corrects for it. Eventually I may need cataract surgery, but my eyes will not be operated on until then.

I have red dots, green dots, 1x scopes and 12x scopes. All work with my eyes.

Indoors or outdoors, I see little difference between red and green. Go for what you like best.

OTOH, my buddy is color blind and he can't see either red or green. Only a crosshair for him.

That’s a great idea. Think I’ll give this a try! Much appreciated. Never thought of that.

I have a Vortex Strike Fire II. Has both red and green. I can see the green better. When I first used it the red dot looked like a star. Have worn glasses since a kid. Wear bifocals now. In the last three years I have had retina repair surgery (macular hole) and cataract surgery on both eyes. Green still works better.

I’ll have to find an optometrist that will let me bring an iron sight 6”!

I used to have red dot sights on my target pistols. At a match on a range I don't shoot on very often I discovered the angle of the sun was washing out the red dot. I tried a green dot and that eliminated the problem.

I have both red and green reticle oltics. I'll second, or third, or whatever the count is for the green reticle. For me it is much more visible over a wider range of lighting conditions than is the red reticle.

Should not be hard to find. I think all of them around where I live would let a client bring in a gun or optical sighting device.

Stigmatism and had cataracts here and the green dots made making small groups almost to easy. Had some new lens put in my eyes a couple months ago. Now I can see the iron sights again.

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balin
NRA Life Member

I have astigmatism for 30+ years, and have been using red dot sights in bullseye competition and carbines for the same amount of time. In the past 5 years, the condition has become noticeable. I recently tried a green dot pistol optic, having used green-dot rifle optics in the past.

I don't find any earth-shattering difference between green and red in terms of visual acuity. IMHO, the green is brighter, and obscures the target, in addition to being less friendly with certain target backgrounds. It's also a killer of your low-light vision.

In terms of the optic, the basic quality is the determinative factor. Low-end red dot optics give poor results. This is true regardless of brand name.

In general terms, corrected vision - by whatever means - is a far greater help than a green dot.

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Retired LE Instructor/Armorer

I sincerely appreciate all of your replies. They've been very helpful. Thanks guys.

I would get a second opinion from another eye doctor.
If you are likely to go blind in that eye anyway, what do you have to lose by trying to get it fixed now?
There are all kinds of things they can do nowadays to fix eye problems.

I too have similar issues with my eyes as the OP. I have experimented with red versus green dot optics in 1 and 2 MOA styles. After a lot of different models I have settled on Trijicon red dots specifically 1 MOA SRO's and RMR's. The SRO gives me the sharpest DOT with little scattering of the DOT unless I over brighten the sight. With my astigmatism I almost never "see" a true circular DOT in either red or green, but red is close to perfect, but only in high quality optic platforms. Holosun green DOTs are OK, but not as good as Trijicon red DOTs.

I have had cataract surgery and wish I had known about astigmatism correction replacement lens at the time. I just had a normal lens replacement and still need prescription glasses to correct the astigmatism. After my surgery I heard about the astigmatism correcting replacement lens. I would have had to pay out of pocket for the difference in the lens and would gladly have done so, but I wasn't told about the availability of those lenses at the time. I was a bit pissed about this when it happened. As it was I developed some pretty severe "floaters" after my surgery and they had to go back into my right eye to correct that issue and I didn't want to rock the boat any further with a second lens replacement. At 73 years old I am lucky to see as well as I do, but it could have possibly been better.

Rick H.

Ask an ophthalmologist why he wears glasses.

I have a similar eye issue and I recently purchased a Cyelee WOLF2 for astigmatism circle dot green optic, it's a significant improvement over all the other red dots that I tried.

Could you please do a clarification here? A proper glasses script will correct astigmatism. How did using the scope change the formula?

I believe green is easier for me to see.

I also noticed a difference (positive) in the bigger green dots that are in the K series Holosuns vs. the 2 MOA dots in the larger Holosuns.

I had an RMR with the big 8 MOA dot a few years ago and never had issues with it (amber in color).

There’s no guarantee that I will go blind. I’m just high risk and I have egg shaped eyes which increases my odds of retina detachment to 50/50.

This isn’t an ophthalmologist I see. He’s a retina and cornea specialist. Took me 3 years to get my first appt with him. He’s one of the best in the South East. Does eye operations on pro golfers, tennis players and pro baseball players. He’s literally the best without having to fly somewhere. Hasn’t taken new patients in about 10 years.

Because of my other conditions, any laser operation to my cornea raises my risk level. So if it’s not life altering, I’m not risking it. Plus if it’s not necessary, my medical won’t cover it.

Basically you hold the red dot in front of their test equipment and while viewing the dot they change lenses until you see a clear crisp red dot. That gives you the astigmatism prescription, then go to an outfit like Zenni Optical and use that prescription to order glasses. Zenni is inexpensive and the glasses work great, even clears up headlight glare while driving at night.

An old test to check for astigmatism or bad vision is to punch a hole in a piece of paper about the size of a ball point pen tip and without corrective glasses view your surroundings and the red dot through the tiny hole...if the red dot becomes crisp and/or you can see better...you may need a visit to the optometrist.

I started with 20/20 vision but still have an astigmatism, so only need to glasses for shooting or driving at night.

Of course you can use your own optometrist to order the glasses. From what I understand they must provide you with the prescription.