Eye (non) dominance

[MTechnik]

I'm a lefty, and all the tests I do show me as left eye dominant.

But when I focus on the front sight, everything behind it doubles, and nothing in my non-dominant eye fades away. Actually the "brighter" thing usually wins. Since most backgrounds to targets are darker than the targets themselves, this means I see two fuzzy targets behind the front sight post. I've just learned to target the left object with the front sight and ignore the right one.

When I am shooting a 3x5 card it looks like a 3x10 card until it gets far enough away that the two images split. It will be a 'stronger' white (against the brown backer) in the middle, but not enough to work with.

This is a real bitch on dot torture as the dots cross-stack on me and I'm seeing an array of 5 dots sometimes.

Squinting my right eye helps, but seeing as how I've just become able to shoot with both eyes open, I don't want to move back in the other direction.

Any thoughts? Or is it just something that should hopefully get better with time as I get more used to shooting with both eyes open? (which is really only the last year)

[ToddG]

For many people, it does get better. Whether the double vision goes away or you just learn to tune it out, it becomes easier and easier to find the "right" picture.

Having said that, while I shoot both eyes open and I do think it's an advantage, I'm not sure it's a big enough advantage to warrant all the effort if you're having trouble. Being able to shoot well with one eye is better than being able to shoot fair with two...

[Beamish]

I am cross-eye dominant (right-handed, left-eye). I find it easiest to briefly squint my left eye to get a good front sight focus with my right eye, then I can open both. As I get tired, I end up squinting the left eye for longer.

I have tried to force the both eyes open situation but there is no way for me to properly pick up the front sight with both eyes open from the start. My eyes simply won't converge on the sight. I decided it was simply better to actually see the sights and focus on proper trigger control rather than fight my eye sight. I'll "suffer" the loss of "situational awareness" and move on.

[MTechnik]

I presume it isn't too bad to mix keeping both eyes open for larger close targets, then squinting or closing one eye to get better definition at distance? Or should I really push the both eyes thing to try and get used to it, and get quicker with it?

Thanks for the help.

[hoodoo_operator]

I was going to post a similar thread because I have the same problem (but I'm right handed and right eye dominant). Shooting one eyed isn't going to be a problem? I'd rather not learn bad habits that I'll have to unlearn later.

on another forum I was told to try tilting my dominant eye forward. It seems to help a little, but not a whole lot.

[MDS]

I find it easiest to briefly squint my left eye to get a good front sight focus with my right eye, then I can open both. As I get tired, I end up squinting the left eye for longer.

I do the same thing. At this point it's become pretty much automatic; that is, my left (slightly less-dominant) eye will squint by itself whenever there's a distracting ghost image, or if my right-eye contact is blurring that vision slightly, or whatever.

It's gotten noticeably better, in that I don't squint as hard or as often as I used to. It's hard to tell how much better, though, again because the squint is pretty automatic so I don't always notice it. I think the improvement is probably due to my doing the Wall Drill for about 10 minutes in the morning, then again at night, every day for a few months. Also, it seems to be easier with a very hard front-sight focus.

[KentF]

...

But when I focus on the front sight, everything behind it doubles...

I took my wife and daughter out shooting on Saturday. My wife said that she saw two of the front sight, with the target centered between the two.

[SLG]

Two eyes open may be preferable, but shooting with one eye is not a problem.

[Occam's Razor]

I shoot with both eyes open but just slightly turn my head so my dominant eye is aligned. Don't even think about it now. It's not a quick process for some, but maybe take the last ten minutes of a session and try it for awhile.