Monovision (but w/ tape over cross-dominant eye)

[sherpa]

I searched but couldn't find a post of someone having this same dilemma as I have. I've found many on monovision, but none compounded with having cross-dominance and using the 'Tape' trick.

As a background, I am right-handed and left eye dominant and found the 'Translucent Tape' trick (on my dominant left eye) to be very effective. Basically, my non-dominant, right eye was used for aiming, and for distance as well, assisted by my partially-covered dominant, left eye.

I've been using the tape for 2 years now, and recently, I've had the need to wear reading glasses (just around +0.75 to +1) for very close objects. I searched for solutions regarding this setup and found most recommendations pointing to having clear front sights rather than distance. So I decided to have a lens insert for my right (aiming) eye only, but only at +0.5 (so as to minimize limiting the range of clear vision (since higher grades result to this). What I realized later was that with the prescription lens on my right eye, I'm now compromising my vision for distance with this eye, and would have to rely mostly on my left, dominant eye for distance. But since I have the tape over my left eye, this gets to be difficult, particularly when having to run to another location. Although the tape is only around 1/2 inch wide and high (just enough to cover the area between my left eye and the front sight), it still blocks some part of my vision. I believe the dimensions of my tape is already the minimum I could manage to not have the sights seen by my left eye.

Is this how I should set it up? How do you manage running to new positions? Is it just a matter of getting used to? I was excited with the new realization of the clearer front sights but got dismayed when I tried it out in the range when having to move/run to other positions. I hope to find a setup that would eventually work.

Thanks a lot.

[pjb45]

I am cross dominant with mono vision. I wear contacts instead of glasses.

For quite a few years, I would change the contact lens in my dominant eye to focus on the front sight. This works fairly well. My distance vision was in the toilet. I made B pretty easily shooting this way since most classifiers are about draws and reloads.

About two years ago, I starting just closing my dominant eye (the one for distance) and used my non-dominant eye. A recent eye exam, lowered the power of my non-dominant eye which really brings the front sight into sharp focus. I shoot just as well if not better this way.

I have friends that use the tape method. It works for them. You might try different geometries of the tape to get the shape that inhibits shooting with that eye but allows for you to see otherwise. For me the tape needed to not quite in the center and needed to cover the area from the center to the nose, otherwise I was tilting my head to see around the tape.

Browning made some "magic dots" for shotgunners with our problem. They were circles of different shades, including clear. They worked about as well as tape for me. Personally, I find it very easy just to close the eye when shooting and open it when moving.

The only part that gets strange is that most of the time when I shoot weak hand I use my dominant eye, the sights are fuzzy but weak hand stuff is usually pretty close anyway. I just make sure I push the gun out farther than I usually do. I also try really hard not to cant my gun. I practice on 4 inch round plates with my .22. --alot!

In summary, I just learned to close the dominant eye.