Dominant eye issues

[moto_stevo]

I just shot my first idpa classifier. I had MAJOR issues with eye dominance.... It keeps switching mid target acquisition. It worked great when shooting from behind cover. Right side was right eye, left side left eye.

Is there a way to train one eye to always take the lead? At the range I can shoot one eye closed, but will not do that when I have to walk and shoot.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Oh, and the state championship is in one month. I will be practicing, and hopefully not engraining bad habits.

 

[bobby68]

My wife has a similar problem. She gets training as a nuclear security officer, and from those she meets at IDPA, USP?, and anyone she can chat up at the various ranges that might know. She gets a lot of varying, sometimes contrary, advice but still isn't sure how to best resolve her problem.

Just saying that it seems it can be hard to deal with. I'll point her here.

Good luck.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Is there a way to train one eye to always take the lead?

The short answer is "No." The longer answer is "everyone's different."

People who are strongly eye dominant have no trouble with both eyes open. Those who are weakly dominant or co-dominant can have a lot. "Training" cannot change eye dominance. However, it can help people with weak eye dominance to better control their visual confusion when both eyes are open.

I am co-dominant. It is fine coming around barriers, because I'm comfortable targeting with whichever eye breaks cover first. In most other situations it's not great, dealing with six clearly and equally seen dots (on my sights) if I'm focused on target, or five (and a doubled target!) if I've focused on the frint sight.

Briefly (at trigger take up) closing one eye to confirm alignment is the best method for me. I also have a pair of prescription shooting glasses that has the right eye lens focused at front sight distance, and the left eye focused at target distance. I find that helps, but again, that's likely to be highly individual. And while they are good for competition and practice, but I doubt I'll be wearing those in a gunfight.

 

[coolluke01]

I am weak eye dominant. I have found that if I partially close my left eye I can sight well with my right eye. With practice I have been able to learn just how far I need to close it to "switch over". This still allows me to see with my left eye and be aware of what's around me.

 

[dprice3844444]

just put a patch over the non dominant eye till you retrain it.(movie firebirds)

google eye dominance and eye dominance corrections

 

[Big Boy]

I am left eye dominant, right handed. Hasn't seemed to cause me any problems with hand guns at all. The gun just naturally comes up to my left eye.

 

[tuj]

use a blinder like the international pistol / bullseye guys do. It will help your dominate eye become more used to 'taking the lead' when you remove the blinder after practicing with it for a while.

 

[rainbowbob]

Is there a way to train one eye to always take the lead?

Yes. Simply turn your head slightly (30 degrees?) away from whichever eye you want to sight with until that eye is lined up over the sights.

 

[GoWolfpack]

Take two 3/8" dowel rods, each about 1 ft long. Hold them straight up and put a rubber band around them about 3/4 of the way up. Stretch as far apart as you can, pulling one toward you and pushing the other away. Let go of the one farthest from you.

BAM, eye dominance questions all cleared up.



Worked for me anyway.

 

[F-111 John]

I'm left eye dominant, but right handed. I put a small square of scotch tape on the left lens of my shooting glasses so that when I'm on the sights, the tape fuzzies up the left eye's view of the sights, but peripheral vision is crystal clear.

I can keep both eyes open at all times, and I never have a problem with the sight picture shifting back and forth between the two eyes. Because of my normal shooting stance, the 1/4" square of tape is slightly above my normal line of vision, so it doesn't even interfere during regular tasks.