Optics for decreasing vision

[wboggs]

My eyesight has decreased with age and I have increasing difficulty seeing the small black reticles. Black on red or blue targets is better but my eye fatigues after a short time and the image blurrs. I wonder if an illuminated red reticle would help?
I am using good quality glass by NF and Vortex so that is not the problem.
A busy reticle such as a MOAR seems to hinder me.
So, the question is if a simple illuminated reticle will help shooting up to a 1000 yds max on targets and steel.
I would appreciate members experience with reticles and poor vision.
Thanks
Bill

 

[Ranger188]

I would stick with the quality glass and just look for scopes with fatter reticles
and or dots.
You can usually look up the stats on particular scopes on their websites.
Like March makes 2 size dot reticles, MTR-2 (smaller) and the MTR-5 is twice
the size.
The Trijicon Tenmile 5-50x56 in MOA has slightly thicker lines than the NF comps.

 

[Clancy]

Swarovski X5i with a 4Wi would probably work well.

 

[chkunz]

I am in the process of making changes to the problem you pose.

I have having to give up on the Leupold 1/8 MOA target dot reticle that worked so well for many years.
I am going to a simple duplex reticle.

I am also using a HI-LUX ring reticle for some stages. It works like aperture sights and that works well for standing and sitting.

 

[jds holler]

My eyes are getting older, but still pretty "fair". Imma not liking a reticle that's too busy either.

One thing I notice is when I grab one of my rifles that has on old Leupold on it, how clear and sharp the view AND reticle is. Those scopes were from the seventies and eighties, and except for the bells and whistles, they still stack up pretty well compared to the new stuff I see. jd

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Illuminating a reticle fatigues my eyes way faster so don’t think that’s the answer. But if you do try illumination, the green color seems to be a lot easier on the eyes

If your eyes have changed, you might just need to play with the rear ocular focus. Its main purpose is to focus the reticle to your eye

 

[Ledd Slinger]

My eyes are getting older, but still pretty "fair". Imma not liking a reticle that's too busy either.

One thing I notice is when I grab one of my rifles that has on old Leupold on it, how clear and sharp the view AND reticle is. Those scopes were from the seventies and eighties, and except for the bells and whistles, they still stack up pretty well compared to the new stuff I see. jd

Yeah my old Japanese made Tasco scopes have some pretty awesome glass. The old Japanese built Nikon ED field scopes still deliver images that will compete at the top of the pack too.

 

[chkunz]

My eyesight has decreased with age and I have increasing difficulty seeing the small black reticles. Black on red or blue targets is better but my eye fatigues after a short time and the image blurrs. I wonder if an illuminated red reticle would help?
I am using good quality glass by NF and Vortex so that is not the problem.
A busy reticle such as a MOAR seems to hinder me.
So, the question is if a simple illuminated reticle will help shooting up to a 1000 yds max on targets and steel.
I would appreciate members experience with reticles and poor vision.
Thanks
Bill

Another thing that I found that works is to use a six o'clock sight picture rather than center of mass sight picture. I bring the center of the reticle up to the bottom of the black at six o'clock and just touch the edge of the black. I get good groups with this procedure and do not struggle with seeing the black reticle on the black target.