Red Dot VS Green Dot, Which One to Choose?

Therefore, a red dot scope would be more practical for shooting with a green background, such as hunting. Another fact is that red light has a higher wavelength than green light, as well as a lower frequency, which makes red dot sights strike your eyes faster. Therefore, red dot sights perform better in fast target acquisition.

The above is common sense. But there is another situation that is out of the question. That is, when you are in the desert instead of a forest, how should you choose?

That’s more complex because it is related to the wavelength. In general, a green dot is more visible under strong light since your eyes can catch green lights more easily in very bright conditions. Therefore, you can choose a red dot sight in low light conditions and a green dot sight in strong light conditions.

Red or Green dot For Astigmatism?

Have you ever suffered this: When observing a light source dot, you may see the lights like a line rather than a dot.

How does this happen? In fact, this is defined as astigmatism.

It is estimated that 33% of the population has astigmatism. It is often present at birth or in people with nearsightedness or farsightedness.

This seems like a non-serious problem in your life. Nevertheless, it can be a drawback in some activities. Imagine that, when you shoot with the help of your red dot sight, all you can see is just a blurry dot in front of your eyes.

The same thing happens with a red dot sight. People who suffer from astigmatism may see blurry or wavy dots because the light entering their eyes is bent more than it should be.

How to Choose a Reflex Sight If You Have Astigmatism?

Then, how do choose a reflex sight if you have astigmatism? And a green or red dot for astigmatism, which is better?

 Picture 2 show how people with astigmatism problems see through a red dot scope.

The reflex sights themselves are very bright, and the red color can put extra pressure on your eyes. As you can see in the above picture, a pistol owner with astigmatism may find red dot sights functionally useless.

When you see through a red dot sight, it may present a blurry dot rather than a crisp dot. That’s how astigmatism influences you in shooting scenarios. Under this circumstance, a green dot is a better choice, because it will not distort the reticle of your red dot sight.

But you may wonder why a green dot is workable. The reason is very simple. Green dots can get better visibility under the same illumination intensities. (Human’s eyes can catch green lights more easily than red lights because of the wavelength).

Some people may ask “Can I use a red dot with astigmatism? Actually, when you set a red dot sight at a high illumination intensity, the dot will become extremely blurry for people with astigmatism. But if it’s in low gear illumination, it will be not blurry that much. However, a green dot can solve this problem to a great extent. Therefore, if you have astigmatism, a green dot is your best partner to go.

VictOptics Red and Green Dot Sights

As we mentioned before, to overcome any astigmatism issues, the green and red dot sight will likely be the better option. Take a look at VictOptics RDSL24 red and green dot sight.

This model is built with four reticle types and two colors. You can switch the reticle from a crosshair to circle with dot. When the red dot seems blurry, you can change it to green dot mode.

Five illumination settings make it visible in all kinds of environments.

Whether Red Dot Sights and Green Dot Sights Match with a Night Vision Device?

Picture 3 is a good example. You can see that red dot has a sharp contrast with dark colors like blue or black. At night or in a low-light environment, the red dot is very visible. However, in a bright environment, the visibility of the red dot would be greatly reduced, so the red dot would be too weak to acquire targets.

The green dot can sometimes work with night vision, but it depends on different devices. Sometimes if your night vision device has ANVIS (Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System) lenses, then the green dot won’t show up at all. So to combine the green dot with night vision, you have to check with the manufacturer first and find out if it works.

A quick summary: Green Dot Vs Red Dot

Pros and Cons of Red Dot Sights

They can meet most shooting scenarios, are good for fast target acquisition and low-light shooting, and are also more suitable for night vision.

In bright light, it is difficult for the red dot to acquire targets, and it is not recommended for shooters with astigmatism.

Pros and Cons of Green Dot Sights

The green dot is easier to see in daylight and more astigmatism-friendly.

The green dot sight is not recommended for the green-background environment and night vision devices.

If you still feel confused, Victoptics is willing to help. By the way, our 1×35 5 MOA green and red dot reflex sight is equipped with two illuminated dots that can fit all kinds of conditions.