Can you be right-eyed or left-eyed?

[AtticusThraxx]

Guys I need a BS check. I have an associate whos telling me people have a dominant eye, like being right handed or left handed. He claims you can test your self by holding your index finger in front of your face centered on your nose with both eyes open. Now close each eye independantly. One of your eyes will not shift the view. That is to say closing and opening one eye will shift the "view" and one eye will not. The eye that gives you the same view as having both eyes open is the dominant eye and is the one you aim with. Naturally I asked what if your right handed and left-eyed? He claims is doesn't matter, use the dominant eye.
So can anyone shed any light on this claim before my wife smacks me in the head for walking around with one finger up blinking!

[wuchak]

He's right about eye dominance. As far as being cross dominant, where your dominant hand and eye are on opposite sides, the strategies vary. In some people the eye dominance is not that strong so they are able to use their non-dominant eye and their dominant hand. With handguns some people just shift the gun position slightly and use their dominant eye and dominant hand. In rifles, from what I've read, you should shoot using your dominant eye. If you do an internet search for "Cross dominance shooting" you'll find lots of information.

[BridgeWalker]

Shooting with both eyes open is also a possibility, and many shotgunners prefer that. I am cross-dominant, left-handed, right-eyed. I shoot right-handed. For handgun, I shoot one-hand, right-hand, with right eye. For me, and lots of others, handedness is much easier to "train away" where shooting is concerned than eye domiance

[Camjr]

It is absolutely true. My problem is on the skeet range. Most folks that are right handed tend to be right-eye dominant, but I'm left-eye dominant. Many skeet shooters that are cross-eye dominant simply put a very small piece of scotch tape across their shooting glasses so they can still shoot with both eyes open. For me, I've found that if I simply squint a little with my left eye, it changes the dominant eye to my right while still allowing me to keep both open.

Simple way to find out. Extend your arms and touch the thumbs and index fingers together of each hand to form a diamond. With both eyes open, pick a point or object in the distance and look at it so it appears in the shape formed by your hands. Now, close each eye in sequence. They eye that sees it through the gap with the other one closed is your dominant eye. For example, if you see it when you close your left eye, but it disappears when you close your right eye, you are seeing it with your right eye and you are right eye dominant. Sounds confusing, but it's clear once you try it.

Cheers.

[AtticusThraxx]

OK so using the finger method and Cam's diamond method, looks like I'm left eye dominant and right handed. Generally if I'm just trying to practice getting center mass at short distance I kinda point more then aim. But with aimed shots, this could make a difference.
So if I understand the concept using a scope on a rifle mitigates any eye dominance because of limited distance even with long eye relief, correct?

[Sistema1927]

I am left hand/right eye dominant.

I shoot long guns from the right shoulder with left eye closed (shotgunning has always been a problem). I shoot handguns left handed, both eyes open, but the right (dominant) eye is the one lined up with the sights.

[BrennanKG]

I'm in the same boat with Sistema: LH but right eye dom.

I shoot rifles right-handed almost exclusively, except for your standard weak hand (or in this case weak eye) practice.

I shoot (and carry) handguns for a left-handed set-up, but can shoot right handed almost just as well. When shooting handguns left-handed I'm still sighting with my right eye with both eyes open.



B.

[cpaspr]

using the fingers/thumbs diamond is to focus on an item through the diamond when your hands are extended all the way in front of you. Now bring your hands back toward your face, keeping the item within the diamond. As you do this you will automatically draw your hands back toward your dominant eye, since you are keeping the item centered.

[cpaspr]

cross dominance sucks. I'm right-eye dominant, but shoot long guns left-handed. Not because I can't shoot them right-handed, I can. But my right eye is also my weaker eye, with a greater astigmatism than the left eye.

[larryw]

Our club runs a training program where we teach roughly 350 Cub Scouts a year about shooting and safety. The first thing we do before hitting the BB gun range (Cub scouts can''t yet shoot rimfire in a Scout sanctioned event) is an eye dominance test.

Over the years, we've come to the conclusion that over 10% of the population is cross-eye-dominant. In these cases, we always try to get the Scout to shoot the rifle from their dominant-eye side (rifle shooting is more about fine muscle skills and eyesight than strength and coordination). "Try" is the operative word here, and it is rare that a child who chooses not to comply shoots on par with his pals.

Conversely, when shooting a pistol (NRA instructor also), I've found that dominant hand is preferred for most.

YMMV, but this is based on 10+ years of direct experience.

[aquapong]

Another cross dominant person here. I shoot longguns leftie and pistols righty.

[Johnny B]

I used to think I was left-eyed, because in spite of my being a righty, I shot rifles left handed. I took a break from shooting for a couple years and came back shooting right handed. I don't know what happened. My theory is that somewhere deep down, I found it very incommodious to shoot left handed for some reason and I willed myself to switch my dominant eye.

[peashooter]

I'm left handed but shoot right handed. Probably because, as a professional photographer, I just got used to using my right eye all the time and it became my dominate eye.

[Deacon Blues]

I am right-handed and only very slightly right-eye dominant. I can do the "finger frame" test and end up with them in the middle of my face. If I squint, I can make my left eye dominant; so I can see what you cross-dominant guys are fighting with. My wife is right-eye dominant even though she's left handed; lucky for her, she's actually ambidextrous. :cool:

With a lot of things, if you keep at it long enough, you can become proficient with your off-hand. I would think shooting would be the same way.

[Brian Williams]

I have 2 children who are right handed and left eye dominant and 2 who are right handed and eyed.

[grimjaw]

I am right-handed but left eye dominant. I shoot handguns with both eyes open and with my head tilted to the right enough to line up the sights without altering my natural point too much. Unless I'm shooting one-handed and trying to show off . . . :cool:

jm

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1011/1178080867_617bb6682f_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/grimjaw/1178080867/)

[dralarms]

I must really be messed up, I write left handed as well as most other life's other tasks, but shoot right handed and I'm right Eye dominate.:banghead::banghead:

[Rapidfire_85]

I am right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot right handed with my right eye.

I probably need glasses/contacts or at least a vision test, but I've noticed that when I line up the irons on a rifle, my left(dominant) eye brings the front post out clearer than my right(current shooting) eye.

I haven't tried shooting lefty, and my cross dominance doesn't seem to affect me when using a red-dot scope. But next time I go to the range I plan on trying to shoot left handed. Anything to look out for? (10/22) brass in the face?
-Ben

[byf43]

Right handed and right eye dominant. My right eye was scratched badly a few years ago, so now, I have a 'haze' over the lens.

My oldest daughter is right handed and left eye dominant.

She had a heck of a time learning to shoot her scattergun.
(One 'trick' I used was to 'smudge' her left lens on her shooting glasses!)
Now, she can hit what she wants to, IF she keeps up with follow-through!


Handguns, we both have to hold our head(s) a little to the right so that we get a clear sight picture using the left eye.

[jefnvk]

Simulate pulling a trigger with your right index finger, then with your left index finger.

Any difference? You can teach your muscels to shoot right or left handed. You can't change your eyesight. Shoot with whatever hand your eye dominance is.

[littlelefty]

Me and my daughter are both lefties, but she is right eye dominant using the test described in the opening post. I taught her to shoot right handed before she developed any habits pro or con so that she can use her dominant eye, even though she keeps both eyes open as instructed (you see twice as well:D)

[jad0110]

Right handed, right eye dominant.

I found out one day when dry firing my S&W 686. With both eyes opened and focusing on the front sight, I closed my left eye. The sight picture remained the same. I opened both eyes, then closed my right. Suddenly, I was looking down the left side of the gun with my left eye. It was like the whole gun jumped over about 3 inches.

[FieroCDSP]

Atticus, I usually shoot rifle right eye, but I am left-eye dominant. The problem there is that my left eye, which should remain open at least partially for situational awareness, takes the sights on a longer sight radius. It keeps trying to establish the target and front sight (or no sights when using a scope), which results in seeing the side of the gun more than the target. For handgun, I can switch eye dominance easily by partially closing, or blinking my left eye to establish sights with the right. You have to work at it. Different stances and holds help.

[Oldskoolfan]

I am left eye and left hand dominant.

[Ops Officer]

Right-handed and left-eye dominant here. I've always shot long guns left-handed, but handguns right-handed while I was growing up. I even got through a military career shooting long guns and handguns that way. I always did well whether it was qualification or competition in the military. Years ago, my agency sent me to a tactical course. The first thing the instructor did was determine eye dominance. He insisted I give him a day to re-train me to using my left hand as my strong hand. If I wasn't convinced I shot more accurately without slowing down, I could revert to my right hand as my strong hand. It was a long day. I did everything in slow motion and worried about left-handed drills, i. e., clearing clothing and drawing from the left, left-handed only malfunction drills, and other fairly tricky drills. At the end of the day I was converted. The rest of the course showed me greater accuracy with the use of my left hand as my strong hand. It can be done with practice, practice, practice.

[SouthpawShootr]

I'm cross-dominant. Right eye dominant and left handed. Very fine work gets done with my left hand. Over the years, I've learned to shoot right handed. Saves me a good bunch of time and money in that I don't have to pay extra for left versions of holsters and, where available, guns. Also don't have to wait for limited lefty runs of popular holsters. I've also worked on shooting left handed and have done pretty well with it.

[wuluf]

Right hand, left eye. For handguns, I cock my head slightly to the right and shoot with both eyes open. That works til i get tired (300 rounds or so) then i close my right eye.

[Nortonics]

Here's an easy, sure fire method to tell what eye dominance any other person has in seconds.

Watched a hunting firearms instructor perform this on 25+ students in a class where he absolutely identified each persons eye dominance within 5 seconds each - he did the entire class in about 2 minutes.

He had everybody stand up and face him at about a 20' distance. He had everybody point one arm straight out with their finger pointing straight at his nose, with both their eyes open. As they did this, he looked at their eyes. What is seen is one eye looking straight at his (the testers) eyes, and the other eye is sort of looking off in a slightly different direction. Whichever eye is looking straight into his eyes was the persons dominant eye.

It absolutely works, every time. It's actually kinda' funny to see this! Try it yourself with friends. One nice thing about this method is the tester determines which eye is dominant, not the student. I've corrected numerous people who believed their dominant eye was the opposite of what was factual...

Every so often you'll find a person who has both eyes looking straight at you, or equal dominance. This is THE WORST condition to have, because neither eye is truly dominant, or can sometimes be so slight a difference that either eye can capture dominance. When clay bird shotgunning where both eyes should remain open (best choice) this truly sucks as the angle change can really throw off the point (notice I said point, not aim).

[bikerbill]

I'm right and right, learned about it in a KR class a few weeks ago ... I always shoot with both eyes open, I just find it's easier to pick up the target and keeps your peripheral vision in play ...

---

When they kick at your front door,
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun?

[Harvster]

If you close one eye. Dominance doesn't seem to matter. Try all the tests with either eye closed. You'll find that you can point, center the diamond etc. easily with either eye when one is closed. So, in a situation like shooting through a scope, if you close the eye you're not looking with in the scope you should be fine.

[joshk-k]

I am right-handed and left eye dominant. I (am just learning how to) shoot handguns with both eyes open. It takes a hair (just a hair) longer to get my sight picture, but keeps my peripheral vision open (if there's one bad guy, there's often more, and I'd like to see them coming instead of missing that because one of my eyes is shut). I figure that I do everything else in life (drive, cook, etc.) with both eyes open, so I should be able to do this too. I shoot shotguns with both eyes open and rifles with left eye (the dominant one) closed, although the next time I'm out shooting, I plan on practicing with both eyes open.

Josh

[GLOOB]

I right handed, and slightly R eye dominant. But when shooting a pistol, I find I can use either eye. When shooting off hand, I usually use my left eye. I always keep both eyes open, and just pick up the inner set of sights. Muscle memory gets the right sights onto target, and the appropriate eye takes over from there.

[Tom Fury]

In a combat stance with a pistol (left side to the target) My chin ends up against my slightly extended right shoulder.

Now just for fun, you can notice who is what in the movies and TV: I believe David Caruso (Horatio Caine, CSI) is also RH & left eye dominant; Bruce Willis is LH, and I seem to remember watching his chin rotate into the opposite direction in some two handed shooting scenes from Die-Hard (I believe he shoots with both eyes open tho).
Cheers, TF

[Tom Fury]

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone find they shoot really well with one barrel length and not another? My eye hand mojo seems to work really well with Commanders or less, but I don't do well with 5" 1911s at all.
Cheers, TF

[LegalAlien]

I have dominant eye situation taken to the next level. Due the normal aging process,I to wear either bi- or multi-focal glasses, or Mono Vision contacts. For those that dont know, Mono Vision contacts consists of two contact lenses of totally different strenghts. One contact is for reading (up close vision) and one contact is for general far seeing. I am right handed and right eye dominant, with the result that I have the far-seeing contact in my right eye.
After my most recent eye exam and lens upgrade, I now find that the gun sights (both front and back) are blurred, but the target is beautifully clear!! Before the last adjustment, I was able to see the front sight and target pretty clearly with the rear sight being somewhat blurred.
I have now started practicing to lean my head over slightly and using the strong reading contact (left eye) for sighting to get a clear gun sight view - the target ends up being somewhat blurred if I close my right eye. It is going to take a fair amount of training to remove the muscle memory of right eye sighting.
Time will tell

[pittspilot]

Right handed, left eye.

I cant pistols slightly to the left instead of canting my head. Also keep both eyes open.

For rifles, I close the dominate one just before the shot because it is hard to get your chin over the gun.