Red Dots and Astigmatism
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- If your red dot isn’t looking like a red “dot”, it could be the result of an astigmatism in your eye. Many people have it and don’t even know it, but your red dot can many times be the one to diagnose you. Let us know if you have any questions at all at 1-800-426-0048 Ext. 5 or in the comments below with #AskVortex and your question might get answered right here.
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Red dots is actually the only time my astigmatism bothers me.
Pretty much the same for most of us :/
Same here. Had a PA Micro Dot. The dot used to be extremely crisp, then I went out to the range again after a couple weeks and the dot was basically a star. Seems I've developed an astigmatism over the course of two weeks lol
@@jarettrivas8356 Sure it wasn't just different lighting conditions? Like maybe the first time you went out it was really bright so you didn't notice the starburst but later on you went shooting when it was darker outside so you could see the starburst more apparently?
I was shooting at the same location with plenty of tree cover for shade. Also started investigating the issue at home with the lights on and off, and with the optics brightness as low as was visible for various natural and artificial light conditions. Slightly darkened safety glasses helped quite a bit though!
I’ve been shooting red dots for years now..Around 2015 I went to a scope.I used a low power variable optic..I have always prided myself on perfect clear vision...Well I just went back to red dot and I have the very small cluster of 🍇 astigmatism...Wasn’t there before..I have been working construction in the Texas sun for years..Vision still seems fine..Till I look through my red dot..I pulled out my old one from years back and now it too is a small bunch of grapes....I just could not believe my vision had this “new” effect..Great video BTW a big help..👍
Anyone watching this and just now realized they have this condition? Lol
Yup
I'm not really sure I cant see the video clearly enough 😝🤣😆😅
I just realized I have gone freaking blind somewhere along the line, WTF is going next? My ears? No. my Teeth? No. My Hair? No. My 🥒? Oh man this sux. Getting old is not for pussy's✌🇺🇸
Yup. After my return window ended.🤦
Time to sell on Ebay I guess.
👍
I know am late but spent 300 on one just to now find out I have astigmatism. Lol. Fucking ironic
READ IF NOOB: Okay so I pretty much convinced myself I had astigmatism as my Holosun 507k appeared blurry star/flower shaped and then I realized I was looking at the glass of the optic instead of through the glass. This helped me and was a huge sigh of relief as I had never had eye problems in my life. Give it a shot if your new to red dots/ eye problems.
Great tip. Thanks.
Wwhat do you mean by looking at vs looking through?
@@nguyenminhle8694 Unlike Iron sights you focus on the target, like wing shooting with a shotgun, rather than the sight. So in this case you would be focusing on the target in the distance, and the reticle of the red dot will look like its floating in space in front of the target. I experienced the same thing with my Holosun AEMS.
I do have an astigmatism but it's basically a non issue when I focus on the target correctly, the ring just looks a bit like a ring of dots rather than continuous but otherwise the dot and ring are clear and fine.
I find that a red dot with a circle and dot in the middle helps a lot with my astigmatism. The circle helps my eye focus and the dot becomes clear enough to use.
Found that circle dot Plex helps me better too
If you have back up sights flip up the rear and use the red dot really helps focus the dot if you have astigmatism
I have a holosun 507c on my IWI Masada. I've used the Leopold red dot too, and they look fine to me. I didn't even know that I had a astigmatism until I looked through my grandsons vortex red dot yesterday, it almost filled the circle and looked like a flower 🌺.
I have astigmatism. I don’t wear glasses and had no idea. The phone picture confirmed it. Thank you, sincerely, for the video. Huh… crazy.
Any one know if a holographic sight may work better than a red dot?
@@fallingjeff if it doesnt have a etched reticle it probably isnt gonna work.
thank you for the possible variations in the beginning. it’s something easy I could have looked up on my own, but I wouldn’t know what to look up!
Happy to help!
If you co-witness your rifle irons and look through the rear sight the dot appears much clearer, at least for me. I know this kind of defeats the purpose of a dot sight , but the distorted reticle still works at close range.
I've noticed the dot becomes A LOT crisper when used outside in natural sunlight! Inside it looks like a little starburst, but outside it's a PERFECT little red dot!
I've noticed the same thing.
I noticed a small extra dot last week at the range. Thanks to this video I checked my rifle / red dot.... low and behold the "ghost" dot disappeared ;-) thank you doc ;-)
I used magnifier glasses (cheap non prescription,store bought) and had this problem. When i renewed my eyeglass prescription , It solved the problem, or at least greatly reduced it.
Wow, I'm glad I watched this vid. Thanks for posting!
I had absolutely no idea i had this untill I put a red dot on my g17
Very well explained. Crystal clear...
GREAT video! Diagnosed myself with astigmatism. I am right eye dominant so have always sighted using my right eye (even though both are open). Quite by accident I happened to sight in with my left eye, you'll never guess what I saw... a perfectly round reticle! Now... how to retrain my process! Have fun!!!
I find that as long as I hold my head correctly (not tilted) with my Rx glasses, I don't have an issue. The glasses correct the vision to 20/20, astigmatism is corrected with the cylinder power and axis needs to be spot on,they are made spot on as I did it. Been making glasses for over 30 years. Find an optometrist in private practice who has been in the business for years. Ophthalmologist do not seem to do as good of a refraction as it isn't what they went to med school for....usually is tech's doing the work and they sign off on it. Glasses are only as accurate as the lab that surfaced the lens and the shop that edged them. Try to stay away from the big chains. There are good people working in them, but hard to find. Not all poly lenses are created the same and the chains tend to use the cheapest examples for higher profit. I tend to not use poly for myself as other lenses have higher visual acuity. I have never had a CR, trivex, poly, or hi index lens break when I have tried with a hammer. A bouncing brass will not, and if you are worried about a bullet coming at your head then the problems are much worse. Sorry this got off tract, I hear every day about bad advise, poor products and poor quality of craftsmanship. Be safe folks.
Thanks bud
poly makes me feel sick when wearing them. cr39 all the way.
My new Razor AMG UH-1 works great. It is the only red dot I have that looks like a dot. The rest of the of it looks a bit odd but is useable.
I have an astigmatism and my red dot looks like a star. I find that if I pop up my rear sight (i have my red dot setup at an absolute cowitness) the dot becomes super crisp. 👌
I bought a vortex red dot must have been 9 years ago or more . It was my first one and I saw 2 dots in it . I called vortex and I think the gentleman that helped me was just as bummed out as me that my eyes suck.
Pro tip for you lads with red dots and astigmatism: try to flip up your rear backup irons and look at the dot through the diopter. Does it improve things at all? If so, you can use the dot as is when you're up close and flip up the rear sight at longer ranges when you need more precision.
im farsighted xD thats a big nooo for me haha.
I have 2 rifles that have Spitfire AR sights and another with a Strike Eagle 1x6 scope. Both are great options.
Always look past the dot at the target and keep the illumination as low as possible for the current condition.
My eyes focus too much on the dot/ACSS and I have an astigmatism so I've been switching to glass etched 1-x scopes. Definitely heavier, but much more enjoyable at the range.
Prism sights are also an option that I have not tried yet
Something that I just came here to clarify that I did not see any of the videos when I watched when I was very concerned about this and getting into red dots. If you wear corrective lenses, this one will not be an issue for you. Assuming your prescription is correct. This is specifically for people who have an astigmatism that is mild enough they do not wear glasses.
I only see an issue if I concentrate solely on the dot. When I do that I see a cluster of smaller dots.
That is pretty typical of an astigmatism! Not focusing on the dot will certainly help!
The best way to self diagnose using a red dot is to poke a pinhole in a piece of paper or card and look at the dot through that pinhole, if it doesn’t look misshapen any more then you have an astigmatism
Welp you saved me 60 days of waiting and a week of back and fourth with the warranty customer service. 😀
i thought i was cross eye dominant then i looked at the 32 moa circle with the other eye and just the dot and it looks better than my supposedly dominant eye.
My 2 MOA dot is more like a 10 MOA sunburst.
I can still see the dot in the middle, but it makes the target super hard to get focused on.
If the red dot looks like a different shape, will you not be shooting straight if that "shape" is put on target? Why would it have to be a "dot" shape, as opposed to a star shape?
If you sight the shape in to match up with your point of aim, it really doesn't matter what shape it is - it will be consistent and you can be accurate with it with practice.
I never knew I had an astigmatism until I actually started shooting with red dots. I have a Crossfire and am in the process of sending it in for repair because it is not working properly. I may consider a different optic in the vortex brand to see if it will be clear for me when I shoot.
Tip: FOCUS ON THE TARGET NOT THE DOT.
Lets say you’ve placed an apple somewhere. When looking through it, look at the apple do not make trying to see the dot in a normal way a priority or else you’ll only focus on it and see it blurry
I got lasik and no longer have this issue. Do they give or encourage lasik in the military?
I feel that if I use it under bright sunlight, it turns out be ok, with low light in my basement, no matter what level I am using, it still not showing a perfect dot.
Doc said I definitely didn't have astigmatism so I bought a Spac 2. Turns out I have astigmatism. They should gave you look at a reflex sight at the opthamologist. I think I need to move to a 1x6 or 1x8 scope.
Spac?
Ok so i just got my very first pair of glasses. I have a slight astigmatism i put the glasses on and i see no difference looking at my red dot with or without my glasses what do i do
Mine looks like the example with the little "predator" looking multiple dots... booooooo lol
Vortex should sell a affordable tinted shooting glasses for people with astigmatisms.
Think about it...
So how about a in depth review on the strike eagle 4-24x50 please!
I use my sparc 2 with my vision making it a blurry dot just fine
All my red dots including my Strikefire 2 look like a starburst. But if I slip the VMX-3T in front they look perfect.
That's pretty common actually - a magnifier has a tendency to clear up a lot of the "Noise" you see around the not when it's not there.
these videos! Try this and that. Some of us have one chance to get it right because we ain't got the bucks to try 2 or 3 dot sights. That said Thanks for informative video!
I never knew and I bought the solar red dot and now I don't know what to do I cant return it 😭
I have a Venom & two Vipers. They're perfect if I have my Rx glasses. Without the Rx they look like red nebulas in distant space through a telescope
Yours is the best on this topic I have come across, BUT you still don't make it clear if your comments apply to people with astigmatism that wear/use glasses to correct this or they are looking through the sight with an obviously uncorrected naked eyesight. For example I went to my optometrist, they told me, yes, you have an 'Astigmatism, (lower range); so in reality what happens to me is I get the distortion when looking through an 'Uncorrected' R/G-Dot sight, I only have distortion when I am using my 'Computer' reading glasses to look through the sight; if I use my naked eye, no distortion, If I use my long distance glasses, no distortion either and importantly I can see the target as well? So what will happen if I use a Red/Green Dot Sight that is corrected for 'Astigmatism' will it distort with the naked eye because I should be wearing glasses for close up, (computer distance- arms' length), or my prefered situation of wearing my long distance glasses. Nobody discusses this or makes it clear; glasses no glasses, long distance, short distance, what should I do with an Astigmatism adjusted R/G-dot sight? I don't want to buy the corrected sight only to find that I now have a distorted view when wearing my prefered 'Long Distance' Glasses? What is the answer to this?
I can see the dot, but it is blurry and as soon as I look into the red dot I get very bad eye strains to where my eyes hurt.
Thank you!
What about for pistol optics
I have an issue with that i see kind of a distorted dot but not so bad that i cant use them.
One interesting note with me is when i look through the lens with my left eye its a perfect dot .
but i shoot with my right eye.
More than likely you just have a slight astigmatism in your right eye!
I have good vision w glasses but suck with a red dot i have a strong astigmatizm
Design a red dot that is Astigmatism Friendly and innovate move the bar. I love all of my Vortex parts. Great Video
Prism scopes are apparently astigmatism friendly
@@andrewkelleher2415 I own a Vortex Spitfire Prism while it is Amazing. it is nothing like the eye relief you get with a red dot. But I can see how they could be considered an in between. Love my Vortex Optics.
I guess my opto lied to me because despite astigmatism I see no wired shapes/halos on my rd (it's a reflex one)
Or did I just accidentally buy a magical anti-astigmatism one?
All astigmatisms react differently to different optical systems! You may actually have an astigmatism, but for whatever reason the optical system in your red dot just works for your eyesight. :)
I have a $500 Trijicon MRO and $200 Vortex VMX-3T magnifier. My astigmatism is annoying because the dot is a starburst flare.
Hey Branden - just to clarify, are you seeing the starburst effect when the magnifier isn't engaged? Let us know - sometimes micro red dots have trouble working in tandem with a magnifier, but if you're experiencing this same effect with/without, then it is indeed an astigmatism issue.
@@VortexOpticsUSA it's without magnification
@@brandensoutdoorb-channel8084 It sounds like you are in fact dealing with an astigmatism. Magnifiers can act as a filter to focus the dot which is why you might not experience it when using the magnifier. The true test is to take a picture of the dot to see if there is the same effect. If not, it's simply an astigmatism.
RMR, DPP, Romeo 1 = Clean your emitter.
How does this apply to the spitfire 3x?
Also you guys need to work on the etched reticle. Without illumination its pretty much worthless
Astigmatisms don't affect the glass etched reticle, whether the illumination is on or off. Appreciate the feedback on the reticle, we'll pass it along to our product development team.
Can you add some links?
Anything for pistols? I have a sig p320 X carry and would love a dot sight.
I'm waiting for 🔋 power to get better & the new designs to come ⬇️ in sale price. $600 for a top optic is 🚫. Not in 2020.
I see starburst with red dot. LOL
Might have kerataconus. That is what I see and I have that, I have to wear hard lenses and even then it sucks ass. Prolly need a cornea transplant
I see a snowflake pattern. I should just imagine shooting a snowflake and just be fine with it hahaha. All joking aside it’s a bummer.
Try the Leopold or holosun. I have the holosun 507c and it's good, the Leopold is better, but it was $100 more. The vortex was really bad for me, looked like a 🌺 flower.
Mine looks like blood cells under a microscope. Thought the lens was cracked until I looked at it with my non-dominant eye.
Wanted a red dot for 12 gauge, will the prism work as good. My astigmatism distorts the red dot pretty bad.
A prism scope would certainly work, but generally they are going to be mounted at a height too tall for more shotgun setups. Also, most of the prism optics are going to be magnified, so depending on your application this could make it more challenging.
I have astigmstism and the 2 moa dot appears the same size as my front sight so i guess it cant be worse than using irons
I just transitioned to a red-dot and my dad tried to shoot it and thought it was off zero. But I was nailing groups on it. My dad may have a stronger astigmatism than I do. Zero is Zero, correct??
Does throwing a magnifier behind it make it worse, better or no change?
Usually it actually makes the dot look better
I developed astigmatism after catching a rock to my eye. before that my vision was fine. I was lucky I didnt lose my eye. I was blind for about a weak until it healed.
Oh shoot that's brutal! Haven't heard of an astigmatism being developed that way before but almost certainly it would cause a malformation in the surface of the eye!
I had a wire in my eye. Now I have an astigmatism. Not to mention a bit of rust and a small cataract.
Quick question. Can you use a magnifier in conjunction with Spitfire AR ??? I am currently running a Vortex Spark and was getting ready to send it back to Vortex thinking it bad because the dot was blurry. Long story short I have an astigmatism.
Absolutely! It works quite well when paired with the Spitfire AR!
@@VortexOpticsUSA, thanks for the quick response.
Love your products !!!
Good evening. I have astigmatism and I'm shooting open gun. What red would you recommend? Thank you!
Get a dot that's green or has both. I cant see shit with red. But green I can see past the dot when Shooting
Thank you!
Different red dot will effect your eyes differently. I would recommend getting behind a number of different ones to see how they look with your astigmatism. What works great for one person might not be the best for another when it comes to astigmatisms.
Odd enough this clears up pending light condition
I just grabbed the Viper to put on my Ruger Lite 22/45. My astigmatism is showing up pretty bad with this dot. I need something like a prism style but small enough to put on top of the 22/45?
Try DI optics
Hey does red dot on a pistol get inaccurate the closer you are?.. i feel like i keep needing to zero my sight everytime i change target distances any advice
How dramatically are you changing the target distance? If you're zeroed at one distance and then go to another, things may change a bit depending on how different the distances are. Up close, it shouldn't be any less accurate, though. Which sight do you have and on what pistol?
I have a strong astigmatism. I can't see a res dot, the dot looks like a splash of red.
If I see starburst red dot, but then I see a nice red dot when I wear shooting glasses, does that mean I have astigmatism?
There's a pretty good chance! Most people have some form of astigmatism.
Just found out my daughter has an astigmatism. She said it looks like a " snowflake " . Thanks for the video.
I’ve tried red and green and my sight picture is way worse than the example you showed.
If you've also checked your brightness level and confirmed it's not too bright (Which will make any dot to any person look terrible) then it may very well just be the result of an astigmatism.
Vortex Optics yes! I've turned it all the way down and it's still horrible. I've noticed it better a whole lot better outside so I will just use suppressor sights for inside. I just wish I didn't have to do that though. Oh well maybe technology will fix that some day for us weirdos. Lol
does a Green dot work better?
Not necessarily as it is still an emitted light coming at your eye. Some people have found that green can be friendlier, but this will vary person to person.
#askvortex do you know if getting glasses helps with this
Glasses can certainly help, but we shy from saying they'll completely solve the problem. In most cases, they can correct for an astigmatism, but we've seen it where some people still see a bit of bloom around the red dot even with their glasses on. That can usually be easily mitigated by turning the brightness down a setting or two, or any time the red dot is brought outside to shoot, the ambient sunlight usually takes care of that too.
Vortex Optics thanks I have the space 2 works perfect
*cries in farsighted and astigmatism* i cant see the vertical dots on a mil dot reticle, and the whole reticle is fuzzy.
Does anybody have any good recommendations on sights that don't require batteries? Maybe some that aren't red dots, but not hunting scopes? I know Trijicon is a good option but I would rather not spend 1200 bucks
Check out the Spitfire HD Gen II or the Spitfire AR! They are a prism scopes, so they have an etched reticle with the option to be illuminated.
Just bought my strike fighter 2 my gun shop won’t let me exchange it. Sucks 200 bucks waisted
Hey Luis - is there something going on with your Strikefire II?
Anyone wanna buy my never used vortex venom? ☹️ Thought the red dot had a defect and just found out it’s my eyes that are defective.
Or my new MRO? I even sent it to Trijicon to confirm it wasn't the optic
I thought something was wrong with my Venom 6MOA. It's round as a penny through my phone's camera.
Happens more often than you'd think. Many folks here at Vortex HQ didn't realize they had one until they tried this trick!
I've found that with my slight astigmatism using my 3 different red dots two of which are vortext red dots I just use the lowest setting that's visible with a clear dot shape, memorize where it sits n turn it back up to what ever brightness I wish n let em fly. i haven't had any problems what so ever making my shots count n zeroing my rifles. even managed to get my scout Mosin that has my Vrtx Sparc2 mounted to it to a 1" 1/4 inch group at 100 yards.
I was pissed my new $500 halosun aems was defective.. realized I just have astigmatism lol
It's there but doesn't really bother me. So I'll stick with the red dots
I have an astigmatism but if I have glasses or contacts in it’s Crystal clear
That is super common. The glasses or contacts will act as a buffer between your eye and the light.
Just get glasses, lol.
I was blaming the red dot and it’s my damn eyes? Wtf I didn’t know I had this.
Mine is the 2nd pic. A few small dots clustered together. Sux. lol
They're definitely a pain. If you haven't already, we'd recommend checking out a prism style optic. They have a glass-etched reticle, so you won't have the same issues with the cluttering affect that you'll see in a projected dot.
If you have astigmatism and want to shoot with a red dot on your pistol...basically, you're screwed. Get LASIK or stick to irons.
Source: Have astigmatism.
I wonder if he sponsored by vortex
*My eyes are so Bad I'm ready to hire assassins', I mean body guards*
What a bummer :/
They both look bad for me, but my holographic is more usable than my red dots without my glasses. Of I'm wearing glasses or contacts then both are clear
Generally, holographic sights will be more gentle on your eyes than a red dot will with astigmatisms, but that depends on the individual.
My phone's camera actually does have astigmatism
fuck well i just bought a glock 19 MOS put a holosun 407k on it and learned I have an astigmatism lmao
I see a sort of line instead of an actual dot
It's definitely possible that you have an astigmatism! Have you tried taking a picture of the dot with your cell phone camera?
@@VortexOpticsUSA yup, a truly beautiful red dot for the price, would highly recommend. I just wish I could use it! Im returning my Sig Romeo 5 because of my astigmatism. It will (hopefully) be replaced by the Vortex Spitfire 1x, which is a prism sight. I’ll post a follow up comment after I find a sight that works for me for anyone with a similar problem.
i always though it was because i was buying cheap shit. even higher end stuff looks like crap. i use a crossfire 2 one power lpvo looking scope and a crossfrie 2 red dot that also looks like crap. the scope reticle is easier on the eyes but doesnt have to perks of illumination. next buy will be an actual lpvo with illumination to get the best of all worlds.
Guess i'll get the spitfire then
Qsaws same
Bought Romeo 5 and looks blurry
@@josecampos2165 Yep same, got a Vortex Venom for my pistol, 6moa because it was my first pistol dot and it's big and blurry. Next time i get a pistol red dot i'll get the smallest dot possible like 1moa. At least for rifles with things like the Spitfire and LPVOs it can be avoided.
I can't see a dot, its more of just the whole sight glows red when its on. My friend sees a perfect dot
Unfortunately that sounds just like an astigmatism, check out our prism red dots as they are glass etched reticles and you won't see the bloom!
Fuck... I think I have an astigmatism.
Red dot