Best optic for astigmatism?

[JHARCO]

I've been debating which optic to buy for my AR. In the past, I used an Aimpoint Micro T2, and I struggled with all kinds of bloom or "starburst" effect as well as seeing multiple dots depending on the ambient light / brightness of the optic. Not only does my right eye have an astigmatism, but it's my non dominant eye.

I've been considering an EOTech, as the reticle is a bit easier for my eye to focus in on, but I've heard lots of complaints with them and it's not going to completely remedy my issues with the astigmatism. Another option would be a prism or variable 1-6x scope. I've found the more reasonably priced variable scopes like the Vortex Strike Eagle to have a frustratingly long and narrow window for eye relief, and it starts getting extremely expensive (outside of my 1000 dollar budget) for good quality glass.

Anyone here have a similar issue, and if so, what optic did you find was the best solution?

[ray1970]

I had bad astigmatism before my lasik. Honestly, I haven’t really done any shooting with any type of red dot since my procedure. Before my procedure the Eotechs were probably the worst for me as far as being blurry. I much preferred the Aimpoints. Yes, the dot usually appeared as more of a fuzzy little cluster but it was good enough to be serviceable and much better than the Eotech fuzziness. If you need total clarity then a low magnification scope is going to be your best option.

[mutt]

EOTechs will still have some kind of visual artifact with an astigmatism. For me it was seeing a very light ghost image/blur to the right of the actual reticle but it wasn't enough to bother me. I think training yourself to ignore the artifacts is the only real option for those of us with less than perfect vision. Aimpoints have a comet effect once my eyes are tired or my contacts starting to dry out near the end of the day. I've learned to ignore that too since the head of the comet is where POA/POI is. ACOGs do not have any distortion that I can notice but they are more like a traditional scope and may not meet your needs.

[earplug]

I have crappy eyes, take a peak at a NIKON 2x8 with the Nikko plex reticle. I also have a Vortex 1x6 and like the Nikon better when i'm shooting tactical type matches.
Shot a 22LR match with a fixed 16x SWFA scope for the first time today. The glass worked fine. They might have a variable on sale that would work.

[Eric P]

Try a green dot. A lot less starburst for me. Post lasik and astigmatism.

I have considered shooting left shoulder, right handed so I could use my dominant eye with has far less blurry. I can't for the life of me get comfortable shooting left handed.

[Sawin]

I found the Burris AR-332 reticle to be dramatically better than an eotech, and it also provides 3x magnification.... but with a $1000 budget on an optic, I’d almost just suggest spending that $1k on fixing your right eye. LASIK is by far one of the best things I’ve ever worked up the motivation to spend big money on. I do not regret it for a second. Before it I had horrid astigmatism, nearly to the point of not being able to wear contacts for full correction. Nevertheless, if you haven’t looked through the Burris AR-332 yet, give it a look. I love it.

[mb504]

You'll need to get a prismatic sight, if you want illumination. There are several out on the market. Sawin mentioned the Burris AR-332. There is also:

Burris AR-1x
Burris AR-532
Burris MTAC scopes
Vortex Optics Spitfire AR Prism Sight
Sig Sauer Bravo 4
Leupold 1x14 Tactical Prismatic Rifle Scope (battery life sucks on this one)

There are many other out there. These are just the ones I've used.


The easy test is if you can see it the dot (or dot and donut) when the power is off, most likely it is prismatic.

[esaabye]

Big fan of the vortex prism option. Added bonus is you can run without battery and crisper reticule then the typical red dots.

[Jer]

My buddy has astigmatism & runs EOtech XPS. He says it's the only thing that works for him and wishes he could run T1's instead.

[Delfuego]

Prism sites are the way to go.