You must have young eyes, David. The red dot is a substitute for open sights, not a tool for magnification. My right eye is 20-15, my left 20-20, however my up close vision requires reading glasses and I suspect that is the case with most of our older members. I see more of a need for a scope out west where shots are on the longer side. Red dots are also great for up close and personal fast target acquisition. So there is a definite place for them right alongside the variable power scope.