Up front I will say that I know the answer is "wait for your eye to heal" but whatevs, this is what's happening now and it might be interesting to discuss.
On Sept 27, 2018 I had surgery to repair a torn/detached retina. Vitrectomy and scleral buckle. Gas bubble, 10 days looking at the floor, the works. It's a long recovery. Up to a year for vision to return, and not necessarily return to what it was, just to settle at what I'll be left with.
When the gas bubble was in the way I couldn't see anything. Just light and movement. It was bad. As the gas bubble went away and I could see over it the vision was much clearer and I could pick up the ACSS reticle in my PA 1-6x scope. Obviously 6x is a lot clearer than 1x but I could see it. For reference, about a month post-op my vision was 20/400 although the whole field of view is back. The Leupold DPP I have is useless. The 7.5moa triangle is just a red fuzz. No distinction whatsoever. So magnified optics it is, at least for the foreseeable future.
So I decide that if the PA is good, something actually good would be better. I like the 1-6x but it's a pig. So I settle on a TA33 and talk myself into spending ACOG money. It arrives yesterday and I can't see the damn reticle. I can see through the little guy just fine with my bad eye. It's a little clearer than the PA on 3x as I hoped but there's just no reticle. I mean it's there, I can see it with my left eye, but nothing with righty.
So that leads me to my main question....is there some inherent difference in the way a traditional scope is constructed, the way the light travels through it, the internal location of the reticle... vs. a prism scope like an acog that would prevent someone with poor vision from seeing the reticle?