# Dominant Eye?



## brettb (Aug 23, 2009)

Since this was brought up on another thread, lets hear how many guys are Left Eye Dominant and Right Handed, or vice versa, and any issues with it. I'll start...

I''m Brett, I am Right handed and Left Eye Dominant, I have issues shooting through a scope. Just hard to focus with my right eye. Shooting a shotgun hasn't seemed to be an issue. I shoot both eyes open when shooting a shotgun, and I think instinct has just taken over through the years. 

Sounds like there are a few like me out there, maybe we should form a support group.

Anyone?

Brett


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I am cross dominant as well. Sometimes it can be a challenge to shoot through a high magnification scope, but have trained myself to overcome the challenge for the most part.

To help myself with this issue, I will sometimes shoot with an eye patch.

Some guys will tell you to shoot left handed and the issue will be solved, but clearly these guys have never tried switching things up on their own because that is darn near impossible to switch dominant hands. I feel like a fish out of water using my left hand, so I would rather keep shooting with a cross dominance issue personally.

Shotguns don't phase me either since you shoot with both eyes open.

Handguns are tricky for me at times too. Well... honestly I suck at shooting handguns. I am sure it is due to a number of factors including left eye dominance, lack of practice, grip, and testosterone. I rarely shoot handguns, so I don't notice the issue enough to make a conscious effort to address it, but when I do.... I feel like Harry from Dumb and Dumber.


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## wileywapati (Sep 9, 2007)

Add me to the list... I do ok with bow and rifle.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

I'm left eye dominant and right side with everything else. I can't shoot a shotgun with both eyes open or anything else for that matter. I do fine with a scope but am severely hindered on bright days with a shotgun. It takes me several seconds sometimes for my eyes to adjust.


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## BigMac (Feb 12, 2012)

I too am righty but left eye dominant. In fact my family is all cross eye. Dad is same as me right hand but left eye. On the other end my little bro is left hand but right eye. Dad and I shoot lefty and brother shoots righty. I think when I was young dad put the gun on my left shoulder cause that's how he did. And it just feels right now. (Even though my right hand is strong side I can not safely shoot a gun that way) When my brother started on a BB gun we noticed him looking over/across the stock and new he needed to shoot right hand. He switched young enough that he has no issue.
I am a shotgun shooter but I thought you are suppose to shoot a rifle both eyes open as well? What little bit of rifle I do shoot I do leave both eyes open with scope or open site.
The youth shotgun team I coach we see this all the time. As coaches we do recommend and work with them to switch and shoot on the dominant eye side. In my opinion this is the best option. It is easier to switch if you catch it early! If switching just dose not work we put tape or a sticker on thier shooting glasses to blur or block vision to force the eye on the gun side to take over.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Add me to the list. Right handed and left eye dominant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

One of my kids is left eye dominant right handed. I was able to switch her during hunters safety when she first started shooting. Her scores improved dramatically. She now shoots rifle, shotgun, and pistol left handed and it all feels normal to her even though everything else is right handed. No right handed habits to break is the best way to do it if you get to it early. If not, shoot scope with one eye closed and shotgun with both eyes open.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I was left eye dominant bad and right-handed. To compensate I always tried to get close to whatever I was after and shoot with both eyes open. 

Had cataracts removed and new lenses put in. Now I'm good left to right, no dominant eye, but I can't shoot with both eyes open. There's a weird cross-eyed field of view with both eyes open. It's not so bad with a rifle or handgun where I have time to engage the sights or cross hairs but I'm having some trouble with a shotgun at birds on the wing.

Then there's the black floaties and those gray patches that go flashing by every now and then. 

.


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## derekp1999 (Nov 17, 2011)

I'm right handed but left eye dominant... and I'm all messed up.

I swing a baseball bat left handed but swing a golf club right handed. I can't shoot a shotgun worth two pinches of puppy poop, I struggle with handguns and sometimes find myself getting lazy and aiming with my left eye. I do pretty well with scoped rifled because I close my left eye.

I got those stupid floaters like Goob in there, too. They usually don't cause me too much problem though... nothing a couple quick eye blinks haven't been able to solve. And switching from hard to soft contacts in the last couple years has really improved my vision and comfort overall. I'm just glad I wasn't a caveman... natural selection would have had it's way with this blind guy many, many years ago!


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Both my daughters are right handed and left eye dominant. They both shoot left handed but write and throw right handed. One casts a fishing pole right handed, the other casts left handed.

PS.....they both shoot really, really good.------SS


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## sagebrush (Sep 8, 2007)

another one here left eye dominant and right handed shooting been a struggle all through life. probably the reason i always shot to the left some. never thought about it until recently. I have always just moved the the sight to the right on most guns.

i had lasik done noticed my left eye had better vision than the right. started to shoot pistols with the right eye closed, this works out pretty good now.

shotguns were a hit and miss but did alright for the most part. no problems with the long guns. as mentioned just close the left eye and move the sight over.


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

I'm also right handed and left eye dominant. 

But I shoot left handed. 
So, it's a non-issue.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Well I guess I fit into this category, Left eye dominate, right handed. I shoot shotguns and rifles left handed (my dad caught my left eye dominance when I was young and had me learn to shoot left handed), pistols and my bow I shoot right handed. I cast a whipping stick either right or left handed (not sure which hand I actually learned with).

I sure am glad my father caught my eye dominance when I was young and had me learn to shoot left. I have been trying to teach myself off and on to shoot right handed with a scattergun for the last 10 years or so an I do ok but it sure seems much harder to learn as I get older then it was, when I was younger.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I don't know what they call it but I don't have a dominant eye, when I do the tests sometimes it will be my right and sometimes my left that is why I have a tough time shooting with both eyes open even though I can, but I have to really concentrate.

I am right handed so I have trained myself to shoot with the right eye but can shoot left handed just as well but it takes a little more concentration with the left hand trigger press. 

Must have been dropped on my head as a baby:shock:


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## brettb (Aug 23, 2009)

Glad I posted this, I don't feel so alone anymore on the issue. I don't think I could shoot left handed no matter how much practice. I think my 3 year old is the same as me, maybe I should teach him to shoot lefthanded instead of being frustrated and self teaching to correct.


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## bubs (Nov 3, 2015)

My son and I are both cross-eye dominant. I am left handed and right eyed. My son is right handed and left eyed. My dad started me out shooting right handed when I was young and I shoot rifle, shotgun, and bow all right handed. Now I don't think I could shoot left handed.

My son started shooting left handed with a pellet gun as soon as we discovered he was left eyed. He started shooting a lot better and his stance was better since he wasn't trying to shoot right handed and use his left eye. He also feels more comfortable using his left hand now since that is what he has done since he was little.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

My oldest daughter is right handed, left eye dominant. When I was teaching her to shoot at about 6 years old, she kept trying to look through her left eye, but shoot right handed. I switched her over to left handed and she is much more comfortable. 

She does everything else right handed. No issues yet, but she is only 9.


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## twall13 (Aug 2, 2015)

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. I know I'm not as good a shooter because of it so I take a bit more time with my shots and get in closer when possible. It's not as big of an issue with a rifle as I close the left eye and do fine looking through a scope. With shotguns, I tried shooting left handed and simply couldn't do it so I've trained myself to shoot with my left eye closed. As I said before, I'm not as good of a shooter because of this. 

When working with scouts I always hammer this pretty hard as I firmly believe if I had known it when I was first learning to shoot I could have trained myself to shoot left handed but now it's too difficult to change. I've seen several scouts with cross-eye dominance improve scores by shooting shotguns with the correct eye, not dominant hand.


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## stimmie78 (Dec 8, 2007)

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. After getting scope eye from shooting dad's .243 when I was about 12 I started shooting left handed. I enjoy pump actions since they are easily cycled as a lefty. My .270 is a Rem 7600 and my 12ga is a Mossberg 535. I'm ok running a right handed bolt. Yet to have issues shooting a semi auto (mossberg plinkster, sks). My brothers and I borrow each others guns, so purchasing a lefty rifle just doesn't make sense to me. Although a lefty Stag Arms AR would be awesome :mrgreen:


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm in the same boat. I have learned to close both eyes and jerk the trigger. It seems to work.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Loke said:


> I'm in the same boat. I have learned to close both eyes and jerk the trigger. It seems to work.


Especially if you hold just a little high......... oh wait..... that's archery


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

My daughter is also LED but is RH. We tried when she was 9 to get her to shoot lefty but she said it was just to uncomfortable. She now shoots with an eye patch at the range and brings it with her when we go hunting. Hasn't been an issue yet, taking her first elk at 408 yards and her first mule deer at 362 yards with her .308.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm blind in my left eye, so that's that. Plays hell with my ability to judge distance, especially in twilight. But what I'm reading here says that the dominant eye axiom isn't what it's cracked up to be.

FWIW, I've coached a few shooters and from what I see, hands outweigh eyes every time. Right handed is right handed; left handed is left handed. Rarely does eye-dominant preference result in better accuracy. Shoot what feels right. Or left.


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