Instead of a red dot, I have a red comet, or line, or two dots...

My eyes are not what they used to be.  I'm pretty sure it's not the 30mm Ultradot.  I held the gun to the side, homie style, and still the same longated dot.  What can I do?

Get glasses that correct your astigmatism for how you look when you are holding the pistol up.

Chip

Oh, I wish it was still that simple. I got the glasses. Trifocals, that worked great for steel through the middle lens and had a nice round circle looking thru the top lens. After I started taking Flomax (because I'm old) and my eyes wouldn't focus anymore. They didn't warn me at the time but Flomax can/will/does effect cataract surgery. I have a pre-op scheduled for tomorrow and new lens going in the 31st. I hope your problems aren't that bad. It wasn't all bad. I had a great excuse for shooting poorly.

Len

The elongation is astigmatism. Phil, I used an eye doctor here that I liked. I can put you in touch with her. You could bring a dot and an iron sight rib with you if you like.

OldMaster64 wrote:Oh, I wish it was still that simple. I got the glasses. Trifocals, that worked great for steel through the middle lens and had a nice round circle looking thru the top lens. After I started taking Flomax (because I'm old) and my eyes wouldn't focus anymore. They didn't warn me at the time but Flomax can/will/does effect cataract surgery. I have a pre-op scheduled for tomorrow and new lens going in the 31st. I hope your problems aren't that bad. It wasn't all bad. I had a great excuse for shooting poorly.

Len

What if you have a second pair of glasses with the lens you look though for shooting have only one prescription, no trifocal in that lens?

Chip

I give a lot of pistol lessons.  The folks with multifocal lenses always struggle. I have them get readers, and they do much better afterwards.

Chip

    To answer your question about just one prescription. I think that would probably work for the near sighted. Being far sighted and over 40 I would still need bi-focals. Unless I could get someone to score for me I need the bottom lens to read and write.

Len

Like many of us, I sit in front of a computer all day.  Lately, i've been working long hours.  Then I come home and get on the computer.  I notice I have problems with the dot later in the day, than earlier.  Thanks Dewey, I'll call you.  I haven't seen an eye doctor in many years, probably about time.
-PC

Vociferous wrote:Like many of us, I sit in front of a computer all day.  Lately, i've been working long hours.  Then I come home and get on the computer.  I notice I have problems with the dot later in the day, than earlier.  Thanks Dewey, I'll call you.  I haven't seen an eye doctor in many years, probably about time.
-PC

It might be as simple as dry eye syndrome. Try some lubricant eye drops (Systance Balance) got it at Sam's Club.

I found by taking my red dot to the eye doctor with me, that even with contacts that corrected for my astigmatism, I still had the "flare" coming off the dot.  The eye doctor did figure out, though, that when my pupil was smaller that the dot was very clear.  If I shoot outside on a bright day, my dot is perfectly clear.  Indoors shooting in the winter is my issue when there isn't as much light.

Not saying it is your issue, but might be something to investigate.  Have someone shine a small pen light next to your eye while you're looking at the dot...

you never said what type of dot, some dots are just not round no matter who's eye looks at it.

Another perspective from an Optometrist.  We inherently have some distortion within our eyes from the cornea and the crystalline lens known as spherical distortion.  At a younger age, the distortions from these two areas cancel one another.  With aging, while the cornea remains unchanged, the spherical aberration of the lens continues to change, thereby perhaps adding another factor to our difficulty to focus perfectly.  A smaller pupil size will reduce the aberration but we cannot control this.  The use of an aperture will help but only after making sure you have the best possible corrected lenses.  Toric contact lenses may exhibit some fluctuations to ones vision.  Eyeglasses tend to allow more stability.

OldMaster64 wrote:Chip

    To answer your question about just one prescription. I think that would probably work for the near sighted. Being far sighted and over 40 I would still need bi-focals. Unless I could get someone to score for me I need the bottom lens to read and write.

Len

Len,
If you shoot with an occluder here's a possible solution. Get the distance Rx for your dominant eye and an Rx for reading (at the appropriate distance) for the non-sighting eye. Move the occluder as necessary when scoring. If you have a back-up pair of glasses you already halfway there.

I'm not an optometrist, but I'm optimistic,
Larry

OldMaster64 wrote:Chip

    To answer your question about just one prescription. I think that would probably work for the near sighted. Being far sighted and over 40 I would still need bi-focals. Unless I could get someone to score for me I need the bottom lens to read and write.

Len

I am similar.  I look through my left lens bifocal for close up work and my right lens for shooting.  Only wear them for shooting.

Chip

Thanks Larry. Thanks Chip. I can see the merits of both suggestions. When I get the new lens in my shooting eye the 31st I will play with both and see what works best for me. In a perfect world my  I wouldn't have to worry about corrective lenses after the surgery. In this world it is best to have backup plans.

Len

OldMaster64 wrote:Thanks Larry. Thanks Chip. I can see the merits of both suggestions. When I get the new lens in my shooting eye the 31st I will play with both and see what works best for me. In a perfect world my  I wouldn't have to worry about corrective lenses after the surgery. In this world it is best to have backup plans.

Len

Just curious.  Did the surgery/new lens work for you?  Hope so!

Chip

Chip,

   Yes, the surgery was a success. I now have a round dot when I look thru most of my dots. Some dots  are just not round. I solved my  steel sight problem by taking some advice from a pair of previous posters. I have a set of glasses just for shooting iron sights. The right eye lens is just focused on the front sight. The left lens is my standard bi-focal. I wouldn't want to wear them driving around town but they work great for a match. My scores went up after surgery. Thanks for asking.

Len