Eye Dominance

[VicW]

I have got an eye dominance problem which has only just manifested itself but it is inconsistent. I am or was right eye dominant but recently noticed an inconsistency in my shooting so when I suddenly started missing targets I was previously hitting I carried out a quick dominance test.I found that my dominance would change from right to left at random so causing my lead to be wrong.During a recent routine eye test I mentioned it to the optician who agreed that generally you do not need to know which eye is dominant but shotgun shooting was a special case.He also confirmed that dominance can change at random,particularly as you get older.I tried patches on my glasses,completely blacking out the left lens and using those long red front bead thingys.None of these worked,presumably because the condition isn't permanent.To tackle the problem I have gone back to skeet shooting,which gives you the whole range of crossing birds and today tried the bleeding obvious,shut one eye.What I actually did was to pick up the bird with both eyes open then closed my left eye just as I made the decision to pull the trigger.It worked or at least my scores improved drastically,now what I have to do is get used to doing it so that it becomes second nature.Anyone else have dominance problems and I am not enquiring about your personal life !!. Vic.

 

[ExSCA]

Vic,I'm left eye dominant, and a right hand shooter - I'm also completely useless with my left hand - so switching sides was never going to happen for me.I queried my technique when I had some lessons and got given some great advice. Shooting with one eye closed is not a huge issue, but picking the bird up is easier with two - so when I shoot gun down, my coach asked me to visualise a length of fishing line between my left hand, and my left eyelid - as I bring the gun up, imagine that my (pointing) left finger is pulling my eye closed.It might not work for me, but with enough practice using my Arrow Laser Shot - I've got better at consistently doing that.Now, even if I shoot gun-up - which I do some days, I still have the same process - see the bird with both eyes, close my left as I make my sight picture and pull the trigger. During my last two outings, Ive really conciously practiced this, and slowed down my whole approach to make sure - and my scores have improved and got a little more consistent.Matt

 

[Mike]

I have a friend who has an eye problem. He has a small dot of tape stuck on the lens of his glasses, so that full binocular vision is available, but the left eye cannot take over as the pupil of the left eye cannot see the bead on the gun.

 

[lefty]

Hi Vic i have the same problem left handed right eye dominant i purchased one of these red tube fore sight that sticks to the end of the barrel it is supposed to make your lazy eye notice the small red dot so taking the dominance away from your master eye it was £35 but now you can get much cheaper ones.Well i shoot the clay shooting classic every year and the guy who sells these sights was there so i went to see him and i said these sights you sell he said yes whats the problem i said i dont see it when i shoot all i see is the target i dont see the barrel nothing only the target,He said thats right you see it but you dont realise you have seen it is doing its job i walked away and thought well i dont know have my scores improved no i am still the same with my problem does the thing work i dont know, Buy one Vic it may be noticeable for you they can be got for £20 or less now, me i will carry on squinting my right eye Good luck regards Lefty

 

[Nigel]

as I've said before I've struggled with sight problems for over 2 years now, it comes and goes and it can effect me in different ways on different days, I've been ok with it until 2 weeks ago when it returned, my main problem is when I shoot at left to right targets, I'm left eye dominant and I shoot of my right shoulder, I have told that eye dominance can move from eye to eye several times during the day this can be caused by tiredness and different times of the day - early morning would not be good for me to shoot, I've even been told by the maker of those long beads that I have central vision when I went to see him one morning at the English Open last year, I've had opticians tell me as I know I'm right eye dominant I did buy one of the long beads and I think it did work for me once, I also suffer from blurred/double vision too, again this has been put down to tiredness and how I'm feeling at the time, I take morphine for my back trouble so this is another reason I've told that slows my eye reaction time down too, I've tried Everything that can be bought to 'fix' this problem and I can honestly say none of them are a cure the only thing I can rely on is to squint or close my left eye as soon as I see the target that's causing me trouble. I've been told by sports opticians that eye dominance problems grow as you get older. It drives me to despair at times - I had it so bad yesterday I came home with a headache with lasted all day, but before I forget there is one thing that seems to help this from coming onto me more often and stronger than other times is to taken plenty of water and not to be dehydrated, it might be worth a try someone else.Nige

 

[VicW]

Thanks for the replies folks. Like Nigel my dominance problem is not permanent,it is intermittent and like Nigel,I found that because of this the proprietry 'fixes' do not help,in fact they are a hindrance when the dominance problem is not present.The worst,I found,was the bright red dot-in-a-tunnel front beads.When the dominance problem is not present the red dot took my attention away from the clay.Permanently covering the left eye takes away your binocular vision and distance measuring capabilities.I know people with only one eye go about their daily lives but theirs is a permanent condition and they adjust accordingly.The patches over the glasses 'solution' is a distraction when the dominance problem is absent.So I will continue with the closing my left eye technique,the 'bit of string' analogy describes it rather well.I'll keep you posted.Vic.

 

[GavB]

This is a subject that I have read as much of as I can. When I started clays a couple of years ago I was definately left eye dominant, but this now fluctuates and also I have had two new prescriptions in two years which is a sign of getting on I suppose.Having tried a few of the remedies, I currently shoot with a small disc over one lense, similar to the shot spot.I have tried the easyhit, closing one eye when pulling the trigger and also having both eyes open and really concentrating on the target. Also holding the forend with thumb raised and tilting the cap peak over left eye.My dominance changes throughout the day and also depending which hand I point my finger at a stationary object with, the outcome is different.The easyhit didnt work for me and both eyes open worked on occassion and then some really strange misses [having no concept of the barrels in my peripheral vision]so I opted for the patch which I have used the last 4 months my scores initially dipped but have shown some signs of improvement. I may however return to closing one eye as I go pigeon shooting and shoot in my regular glasses.This is a very complicated subject and clearly what works for one wont for another. There is no miracle cure and you have to find what works for you and how far you want to take it. All this experimenting combined with learning different methods and ways of holding the gun and stance etc has resulted in a very slow improvement. But thats the way I do things, I have to exhaust all avenues before I settle on one thing e.g closing one eye and getting in the 70% mark, and then thinking "right, now I will try the patch over one eye route"

 

[Salopian]

A very, very complex problem, often completely incorrectly diagnosed, and more often the advise given to correct the problem is totally wrong.So I will be outspoken (for a change) and say categorically. You do not HAVE to shoot a shotgun with both eyes open. Use your both eyes open binocular vision to acquire the target, then as you mount onto the target with the barrel, dim, close ,or wink the off eye to complete the shot.Depending on the severity of the cross dominance you may find that the easyhit bead, shotspot patch, or fogged lense will work better for you. Each case is individual, do what suits you and improves your shooting.

 

[hnachaj]

I have the same problem as Vic and Nigel. Yes, massive hydration helps specialy when it is warm and one has "lazy eyelids" as I do. They had to tape my eyelids for laser surgery when a cataract came back! What works best for me, is hard focus on the target and as I pull the trigger a wink or closing of the left eye. It has to be done automaticaly! I have been practicing this this year with excellent results.The Lone Canadian,Henry