When I started shooting with my Dad when I was a kid I was right eye dominant. That stayed constant all the way through the Army and for quite some time later. Now that has change to me being left eye dominant. I am right handed and have never tried shooting left handed, maybe I should. Anyone have any experience or feedback on this issue?

Ron, there is a way to switch occular dominance....but it involves an eye patch and is a pain in the butt.

Call an ophthalmologist and explain the problem. An opthamologist can determine how severe your occular dominance is through tests. Then he/she can outline what you would have to go through to "train" your eyes (actually the brain). You could then decide if you wanted to do it ...... or just live with the condition.

Sorry to answer with a question, but are you shooting primarily pistol, or rifle?

I've never heard of eyes switching dominance. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, of course, but it must be rare. It is the same as someone going from being rt handed to left handed.

At any rate, the first real concern is what are you shooting, and how serious are you about it?
Unless you're at or near the very top echelon of some type of competitive shooting, I would consider the simple solution of simply closing your newly dominant eye.

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

I am right handed and left eye dominate.

I shoot rifles right handed and right eyed.

I shoot handguns right handed and left eyed, with both eyes open.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I've never heard of eyes switching dominance. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, of course, but it must be rare. .....

I've never heard of eyes switching dominance either. But, guess I'm willing to be convinced.

I do have a right-handed, right-eye dominate friend that I've shot skeet with for years. About 10 years ago he lost his sight in his right eye. He loved skeet and so spent about two years learning all over again to shoot left handed. It was extremely awkward and frustrating for him but he learned and now shoots well. (I know cause I got to shoot with him on his very 1st left handed round) So an old dog can learn new tricks - Especially the highly motivated ole dogs! He did it cause his grandson loved to travel and shoot registered skeet with him!

Now, If your only talking rifle shooting, I'd recommend using a scope and closing the non-dominant eye as opposed to going thru what my friend did.

Thank you all for the valuable input. I have taken your advice to heart and am in the process of further researching some of your ideas. Again Thanks to all.

I have a friend that after a stroke his eye dominance changed, gave him fits with a shotgun.....he did the patch thing and eventually it sorted for him.


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quote:

Originally posted by ronpink2:
When I started shooting with my Dad when I was a kid I was right eye dominant. That stayed constant all the way through the Army and for quite some time later. Now that has change to me being left eye dominant. I am right handed and have never tried shooting left handed, maybe I should. Anyone have any experience or feedback on this issue?

Not to be an alarmist, but if that happened to me I think I'd be talking to a neurologist. Since eye dominance is controlled by the brain, and any unexplained changes in that regard should be checked out. I wonder if you might have had a mini-stroke, or if an aneurysm or a tumour might be involved.

Right handed and left eyed dominant. I shoot left handed and try to keep both eyes open. But the dominance is slight and sometimes I have to slightly close my right eye to get a "picture"

i had the same thing happen to me over the last few years. i am right handed and was always right eye dom. i wear contacts and have a pretty strong prescription. i started having some issues with my right eye and my contacts. over about a 2 year time my shooting started to suffer some. one day while talking at the camp an old man asked me if i might be left eye dominate and i said no i had always been right. well ill be damned if when doing the little hands infront of your face test i found my eyes had actually changed. i had been able to shoot a rifle comfortably left handed so i gave it a go and my shooting improved quiet a bit so ive stuck to it for the last couple years. i still shoot my shotguns right handed it does seem to take me a few shots to get on when shooting skeet but since i don't shoot competition i havent tried to shoot lefty. i also still shoot my pistol right handed but left eyed.

I am all so right handed but with a left dominate eye. At an early age my father caught this and put the rifle in my left hand solving a host of future problems. I shoot both rifle and shotgun on the left side but shoot handguns (IPSC) off my right side. Because off all the things that I do from either side I am some what Cross Dominant which is most telling when I shoot shotguns and rifles with both eyes open.
There is a product on the market called a "Magic Dot" but scotch tape will work just as well.
Get yourself a really good friend some chapstik your shooting glasses and your favorite shotgun or rifle. Making sure that the rifle is indeed unloaded mount the gun and aim or point the weapon at your really really good friend's eye, have him reach down the barrel and while your head is on the stock take the chapstik and blot out your pupil only on your non-dominate eye. When this is done get some scotch tape trim it so it is the same size as the blot of chapstik and stick it to the inside of your glasses under the chapstik on the out side when this is done wipe of the chapstik. It should look like this

It will take a bit to get use to but when your head is up you are looking under the "Dot" but when your head is on the stock your non-dominate eye is being block, letting your dominate eye do it's job yet you are still able to see around the tape to let you take advantage of bi-nocular vision instead of closing one eye and only have monocular vision...
Give it a try it should help

^^^ Brilliant^^^

After you have exhausted all ideas
you can all ways try a cross over stock

quote:

Right handed and left eyed dominant. I shoot left handed and try to keep both eyes open. But the dominance is slight and sometimes I have to slightly close my right eye to get a "picture"

Similar here...I am left eye dom, but shoot right handed...didn't find out until i was much older. When I tried to shoot left with a shotgun (or recurve or longbow as well) I found that at times my right eye would be the dominant eye so they must be very close. On a shotgun, I squint just enough to make the right eye work as I acquire the sight picture (a fraction of a second) and then either leave it squinted or open it and I am pretty much good to go. I have gone round and round and have even dedicated to left shooting to 'make the switch' but it just didn;t happen for me.... I turned out left eyed and right handed because my dad switched me from left handed when I was a kid... note to parents: DON"T DO THIAT!!!


good luck!!

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:

quote:

Right handed and left eyed dominant. I shoot left handed and try to keep both eyes open. But the dominance is slight and sometimes I have to slightly close my right eye to get a "picture"

Similar here...I am left eye dom, but shoot right handed...didn't find out until i was much older. When I tried to shoot left with a shotgun (or recurve or longbow as well) I found that at times my right eye would be the dominant eye so they must be very close. On a shotgun, I squint just enough to make the right eye work as I acquire the sight picture (a fraction of a second) and then either leave it squinted or open it and I am pretty much good to go. I have gone round and round and have even dedicated to left shooting to 'make the switch' but it just didn;t happen for me.... I turned out left eyed and right handed because my dad switched me from left handed when I was a kid... note to parents: DON"T DO THIAT!!!


good luck!!

Catholic eh?

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. Non-issue with a scope or open sights. I have always instinctively "winked" at the target.

I learned about the eye dominance because I shot a lot of archery without sights when I was very young. Then at a local indoor range someone talked me into them putting a bowsite on my bow. I drew the first arrow and my instinctive shooting said hold bow here while my eye said no move it over there. Couldn't use a sight.

With a pistol I shoot modified Weaver and just bring the pistol over to sight with the left eye.

Don't shoot shotguns so I have no clue how that would affect me.

Ha! Not catholic by a country mile. Dad just didn't want a left handed kid... Figured a left handed wife was enough!

Am surprised you don't shoot shotguns Jim! Get thee to a trap range poste haste!!!!! I bet for every single rifle round I've fired I've shot half a case of shotgun....

Hit me up when you pass through Seattle... Got plenty of guns and ammo to share!

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:


Hit me up when you pass through Seattle... Got plenty of guns and ammo to share!

Deal!!

Might have to plan a long weekend one of these days. It's good to get Bait Babe out of the frozen north every now and then.

Cheers
Jim