Red vs. Green Dot? How To Deal With Color Blindness and Astigmatism

There are about a million factors that can affect your shooting, like wind, distance, and ammo consistency, but it is especially difficult to hit what you can’t clearly see.

Our eyes are complex and unique, and many of us experience issues that directly affect how we perceive a reticle. Two of the most common optical challenges shooters face are astigmatism and colorblindness.

If you’ve ever looked through a red dot and seen a starburst instead of a crisp point or struggled to pick up a reticle against a green forest background, this guide is for you.

About one in three adults have some degree of astigmatism. This number varies by age and demographic, but it is a massive segment of the shooting population.

An astigmatism occurs when the cornea is shaped more like an oval (think football) than a perfect circle (basketball). This uneven curve distorts how light enters the eye. For shooters, the result is often frustrating: a crisp red dot sight can appear fuzzy, smeared, or "starbursting" into a cluster of lights.

Unfortunately, no amount of brightness adjustment on a standard reflex sight will fix this biological issue.

Head here for a deeper dive into the science behind astigmatism.

If your eyes fight against projected red dots, the best solution is an etched reticle.

Unlike a standard red dot that reflects an LED off a piece of glass, an etched reticle is physically carved into the glass lens inside the optic. Because the reticle is a physical object rather than just a reflection of light, your eye (even with astigmatism) can focus on it without distortion.

This technology is standard in LPVOs (Low Power Variable Optics) and precision scopes, but it is also available in 1x prism scopes for close-quarters work.

• For Close Range: The Raider 1x Micro Prism features an etched reticle. It creates a crisp sight picture that functions just like a red dot but without the bloom or "starburst" effect.
• For Versatility: If you need magnification, our LPVO lineup, including the Tomahawk II and Warhorse, uses etched glass to ensure clarity at any range.

Bonus Benefit: Etched reticles work even without batteries. If your electronics fail or your battery dies, you still have a black reticle ready to use.

While astigmatism distorts shape, colorblindness affects contrast. Approximately 8% of men are colorblind. If you grew up coloring the ocean purple or wearing mismatched socks, you know the struggle. But on the range, colorblindness presents a tactical challenge: reticle washout.

There are three main categories of color vision:

• Trichromatism: Normal color vision.
• Monochromatism: True color blindness (seeing only grayscale), which is very rare.
• Dichromatism: The most common form, often broken down into "red-green" blindness (Deutan and Protan).

For a "Deutan" (the most common type of colorblindness), distinguishing red and green from background colors like grass, trees, and dirt can be difficult.

Many shooters notice that standard red dots tend to "wash out" in green or brown environments (like a forest). To counter this, shooters often crank up the brightness, which is less than ideal. Turning the brightness up on an optic higher than necessary will lead to a blooming and fuzzy reticle, even for those without astigmatism.

Green illumination is often a better alternative. To the human eye, green is naturally more vibrant and easier to pick up than red. However, biology is tricky. Some colorblind shooters may struggle to distinguish a green dot against green foliage.

If Red and Green are failing your eyes, modern optics offer new alternatives that sit on different parts of the color spectrum.

Amber Reticle

The Tomahawk II is available with our amber BFO reticle. In the United States, very few natural environments are yellow or gold, especially in urban settings. This makes amber an incredibly high-contrast option that stands out against almost any background.

The Blue Reticle

For those who want maximum contrast, blue illumination is rapidly becoming a favorite. Blue sits on the opposite end of the color spectrum from the reds, greens, and browns found in nature.

Reminiscent of the "Colorblind Mode" in video games like Call of Duty, where enemies appear orange and friendlies appear blue, a blue reticle offers a distinct, sharp contrast that is impossible to miss, regardless of the terrain.

Shooting requires enough focus without having to fight your own biology. Whether you are dealing with the "starburst" of astigmatism or the washout of colorblindness, you don't have to settle for a blurry sight picture.

By switching to an optic with an etched reticle like the Raider or exploring alternative illumination colors like Amber or Blue on the Tomahawk II, you can remove the guesswork and get back to shooting with precision.

The best advice we can give? Test before you trust. And because we know astigmatism affects every shooter differently, you can test out our optics with confidence knowing your purchase is protected by a 30-Day Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee. Customers have 30 days from delivery to try their optic risk-free. If the reticle color or optic itself doesn’t work for you, simply return it for an exchange or full refund.