TIPS NEEDED: Right Handed/Left Eye Dominant

[326MOD10]

I have a friend of mine who is right handed but left eye dominant.

I was wanting to hear from shooters with the same issue, or trainers, as to tried and effective methods to help adjust to this issue.

Any advice, articles or videos from trainers or those that have adjusted to this issue and found their method to work would be appreciated.

Wasn't sure of a better place to post this question.

THANKS in advance!

 

[Rastoff]

This is certainly an issue, but not the end of the world. There are a couple of things to do.

First, with pistols, he can just turn his head a little to put the dominant eye in line with the sights. Be sure to turn the head and not cant it.

A second method, and the most effective, is to close the left eye when aligning the sights.

There are some other things that can be done, but I have a question first; how was the dominance test performed? Eye dominance is not a solid science. Most people are not strongly dominant in one eye or the other. I, for example, am not strongly dominant. Depending on how the test is performed, I can show either right or left dominance. So, it's important to be done correctly.

 

[Big Cholla]

Easy Peasy! Move the handgun over to the left and close the right eye for a while. After adapting to shooting while aiming with the left eye, start opening the right eye again for situational awareness. I am right and right, but about 6 mos. ago I had to have cataract surgery on both eyes. I now find that I can focus on my front sight much easier and more accurately using my left eye. It has now become second nature to me when using a handgun with open sights to just move the handgun a little and perhaps my head slightly less. Works very well and with just a few rounds down range became 'normal'. ...........

 

[ContinentalOp]

I'm right-handed/left-eye dominant. Quite strongly, in fact.

What works best for me is to turn my head slightly to the right. I can keep both eyes open but my left eye lines up with the sights. This works better with Isoceles than Weaver if shooting two-handed; when I shot Weaver I found I had to turn my head more than when shooting Isoceles.

If I'm shooting strong-hand only I will also cant the gun slightly to the right to better line up the sights with my left eye.

This is one reason I never got into long guns. When my dad taught me how to shoot as a child I had to wear an eye patch over my left eye so I could aim. If I were going to get into long guns now I'd probably try learning how to do it as a lefty.

Funny, somewhat related story: Back when I used to shoot archery I shot right-handed but aimed with my right eye (I closed my left eye) using the bow sights. I was pretty good at it, often punching holes in the fletching of arrows and occasionally breaking nocks with my shots. One of the salesmen at the store (this was in an indoor range/store) wanted to give my bow a try so I let him. He was a good, experienced archer. His shot was so far off he didn't even hit the target paper because the sights were set up for my non-dominant right eye.

 

[sawlog]

I shoot weaver and im left handed and right eye dominant. I just cock me head over I bit. no problems, works for me

 

[Wingmaster]

I am right handed and left eye dominent. I have been shooting since I was a kid. Probably 7 or 8 years old. I never heard of eye dominence until I was in my 40's.
What I have always done without realizing it is when shooting a hand gun I line up the sights with my left eye and keep my right eye open.
When shooting a scoped or open sighted long gun I close my left eye and sight with my right eye.
I guess I started doing this when I first started shooting without realizing it. It has worked for me.

 

[Mtnfolk325]

I'm another that is Right hand/Left eye dominant, I have been shooting since my early teens. Learned to shoot handguns in the Weaver Stance in the 70's during LEO Training. Was able to shoot long guns right hand, both open sight & with scopes without any problem up until late 2010. I started having some vision issues in my right eye & discovered that I was getting cataracts in both eyes. The right was the worst, with the cataract being in the middle of the Iris.

In March 2011, I had a cataract surgery with a corrective lens put into my right eye. The surgery was mostly a success, however due to the swelling & bleeding from my Diabetes, it required many rounds of laser treatment to get the vision down to 20/40, from 20/100 post surgery. I now shoot handguns with both eyes open unless shooting from a bench, then I close my right eye & turn my head slightly to the right. But with long guns it is normally right hand with scopes & left hand with opens.

Fortunately the cataract in my left eye has stayed on the outer edge and I still have 20/20 vision in that eye. BTW, I had a few laser treatments to my left eye also & now I don't wear any corrective lenses unless reading fine print. I use a cheap pair of 2.75x magnifiers from the drug store for that. FWIW, I limited out on the Dove Opener last year using a Mossberg 500 & shooting right handed.

 

[oldylocks]

I am right handed/left eye dominant.

I wear glasses.

I recently took a skeet/trap lesson from a local elderly gentleman who has taught for years, and used to be a trick shooter, back in the day. He tested me for eye dominance. Without saying a word, he reached into his pocket, pretended to fumble around and then suddenly put a small sticky piece of textured flexible plastic in the center of my left eye glass. It blurred my left eye vision and forced me to use my right eye for sighting. What is great about this is that I don't close my left eye, and keep the field of view with both eyes open. It does blur my left eye, but I can see clearly because the right eye takes over.

I saved that small piece of plastic, as it can be reused. The problem is that I've been trying to identify what material it is made of, but have had no luck. It is sticky, but sticky without any glue. (I'll have to call the gentleman and find out what he uses). Whatever it is, he cut it out by hand. It's about the size of a finger nail, so it doesn't cover the entire lens. I talked with someone recently who had heard of this technique - but this other technique uses a fogged piece of plastic tape.

Since using this trick, I find that I now acquire my sight picture much faster and I believe my shooting is more accurate. It's much more comfortable than tilting your head over to use your left eye.

Hope this info is helpful.

 

[Rusty Shacklford]

" I have a question first; how was the dominance test performed? Eye dominance is not a solid science. "


Since someone asked, look at a distant object-across the room say. Use your two hands to make a circle around the object at arm's length. Now bring your hands slowly back to your face keeping the object in the circle. Your hands will move to one eye or the other. This is your dominant eye. Not what you might call scientific but it seems to work, and yes I am a righty but left eye dominant.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

If the gun is to be used for concealed carry, simple solution would be to equip it with a laser. Solves the eye problem and makes the gun more accurate in a tense situation.

 

[Rastoff]

He tested me for eye dominance. Without saying a word, he reached into his pocket, pretended to fumble around and then suddenly put a small sticky piece of textured flexible plastic in the center of my left eye glass.

This is a common thing to do in clay competition. The part that is missing is how to locate the tape. The idea behind this is to occlude the front bead of the shotgun from the dominant eye. By doing that, it forces the non-dominant eye to place the bead under the clay, in essence, take over. I've had some success with this myself.

Because I'm not strongly dominant, sometimes my other eye takes over and I'll miss. Adding tape to my shooting glasses helped improve my scores. Closing my off eye helped more.

The problem for pistol shooters, is it's not so easy to occlude just the front sight. Especially if you're cross dominant and want to use a pistol for self-defense. You can't run through life with tape on your glasses, it just doesn't work.

 

[Shall Not Be Infringed]

I'm right-hand left-eye dominant. Actually... I'm a bit of a mixed bag. I do everything right handed except for bat, golf, and play hockey left handed. I kick footballs with my left foot and push off with my left foot when I run or jump.

Anyway... To the original point.

Handguns: I use an isosceles stance, keep both eyes open, and turn my head to the right to align my left eye with the sights. I used to use a weaver stance and close my left eye and aim with my right, but I've found that I my accuracy is much better using my left eye with an isosceles stance.

Rifle: I shoot right handed, with left eye closed on both open sights and scope.

Funny note: I had to train my left eye to close after taking a scope in the nose pulling the trigger on a 300 Win Mag when I was 12. I still have a dandy little scar on my beak. I was leaned over the stock that far trying to get my left eye into the scope sight, and I was that close to the scope because it was the only way I could get the entire field of view. My dad warned me 5 times to back off the scope, but I kept inching closer to it. He said on the 6th time, he figured the only way I was going to learn was to get scope bit. Sure enough, it worked. My dad didn't even know that some people were left eye dominant. lol

 

[4barrel]

This is not a handicap for people that know how to shoot. Most are better shots.

 

[ATF]

Just close your left eye and use the right over time your right eye will improve. The eye is like a muscle if you exercise it it will get better unless you have a medical condition. You can also try watching TV with one eye, it will force your eye to adjust. Two eyes give depth of vision but you really want tunnel vision for target shooting.

 

[326MOD10]

Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate the help.

To answer Rastoff's question I believe it was the method described by Rusty Shackelford, where you look at the item across the room and make the circle. Next time I speak to them I will try to make sure but I am pretty sure that is the method described by them to me.

Again thanks for the tips and I will email them and have them take a look at the Forum.

 

[badge 851]

I have a friend of mine who is right handed but left eye dominant.

I was wanting to hear from shooters with the same issue, or trainers, as to tried and effective methods to help adjust to this issue.

Any advice, articles or videos from trainers or those that have adjusted to this issue and found their method to work would be appreciated.

Wasn't sure of a better place to post this question.

THANKS in advance!

I too am right handed but left eye dominant. I shoot a handgun right handed. Rifles and shotguns however, I shoot left handed. I've shot this way all my life (65) and it is what WORKS BEST FOR ME!

 

[rjb1]

I don't think I'm going to add anything new, but just to add one more vote to the right-handed, left-eyed column, I just angle my head a bit and angle the gun a bit and that takes care of the problem. (and it really isn't much of a problem)
I learned to shoot long before anyone ever brought up the topic, so I didn't know there was a problem at all.
Just let your friend shoot the way it feels right to him and I'll bet he won't have a problem either.

Getting a good sight picture and proper trigger pull are much more significant than which eye you're looking through.

 

[UNCLE PAULY]

I am a lefty / right eye dominate. For 30+ years I would pull gun in my left hand across my body and line up with my right eye. Never was really good shooting this way.

About 2 - 3 years ago I started shooting right handed. Takes a while to get use to but now I'm right eye / right hand and shoot much better. I even bought all my holsters right handed. Good kuck.

 

[SixShooter14]

Similar situation here, strongly right handed but also very strongly left-eyed....

I see double all the time and the 2 images are of different size, focus, and elevation. So typically I just focus with my right eye (which with contacts or glasses can only see 20-40) I just started shooting archery left handed to compensate. And will aiming with my left eye(sees 20-25 on a good day) soon with my handgun. But for my rifles I will always have a scope...and typically iron sights as well

 

[hstrawn]

Didn't know I had a problem!

I learned to shoot long before anyone ever brought up the topic, so I didn't know there was a problem at all.

Getting a good sight picture and proper trigger pull are much more significant than which eye you're looking through.

Been shooting (long and short) for 65 years (Right handed/Left Eyed) and didn't realize I had a problem. Only issue was in accessing the bolt on a right handed rifle. Hope all this 'new information' doesn't mess up my performance at the range tomorrow!