Vision Question

[nhglyn]

I started shooting USPSA matches this year and have done a bunch of reading in the hopes of getting better. I have always shot with my weak eye closed since I was a kid (rifles/pistols/shotguns) and am pretty accurate that way.

I read conflicting information about whether or not both eyes should be open when shooting. If they should, what are the benefits to doing so. And, are there drills that I can do to get out of my "habit" of closing the weak eye?

Many thanks for your help.

[waktasz]

You definitely need to have both eyes open to compete at a high level in action type shooting events. I'm fairly new to all this stuff as well and the best training aid I ever got was a .22 with a red dot sight on it. I learned to keep both eyes open to use the sight, then transitioned that to handgun sights and went from there.

[Loves2Shoot]

You definitely need to have both eyes open to compete at a high level in action type shooting events. I'm fairly new to all this stuff as well and the best training aid I ever got was a .22 with a red dot sight on it. I learned to keep both eyes open to use the sight, then transitioned that to handgun sights and went from there.

Says who? It isn't possible for some because of vision issue (BE for example uses one eye and he did pretty fair at the top levels.) Please be careful in your advise. I've done ok and I've only ever used one eye because I have no eye dominance. If you can see the sights clearly with both eyes open then do it, if not, don't worry about it, use tape or something (do a search) to block the weak eye, as squinting tends to have side effects. Do what works best for you and gives you the best reading of your sights.

[Al Capizzo]

L2S is correct. There is no "one way", contrary to what many have heard.

I've never shot with both eyes open either, but it wasn't until visisting this forum that I learned of so many others shooting this way.

There doesn't seem to be a clear advantage to either method.

One thing is apparent though, AT LEAST one eye must be used!

Al

[Mistral404]

I really like the answer that there is NO ONE WAY.

I started out with squinting my dominate eye (left) because I shoot right handed. Then I patched it with a little tape.

Finally, I shoot with a reduced power contact in my left eye and shoot with both eyes open.

I seem to prefer the two eyes open method. But I could shoot ok with a squinting left eye and focused right eye.

I took the advice of all here on the forum. I tried it all ways until I settled on what I seem most comfortable with shooting.

Experiment and see for youself

[TriggerT]

It just depends. I used to shoot with one eye closed all of the time, but more and more I find that I have both eyes open unless the shot I am taking needs that extra bit of focus. Basically, it depends on what I need to see to call the shot that I am taking at the time. That should determine things in my opinion.

[DogmaDog]

My left eye really is weaker than my right eye, so keeping my weak eye open doesn't produce any weird "double vision" or distraction issues for me. I shoot with both eyes open.

The advantage is that I have peripheral vision on my left side while I'm shooting that way, so it may help me to acquire targets faster when I go from right to left.

Squinting one eye closed takes effort, and may introduce unnecessary tension into your shooting. Some have suggested just using a piece of semi-transparent scotch tape to cover the focal zone of your weak eye. That way, you still get the benefit of peripheral vision, but your weak eye can relax, and won't focus on anything directly to the front--your strong eye will do all the aiming.

DogmaDog

[bountyhunter]

I really like the answer that there is NO ONE WAY.

Me too. Unfortunately, about 99.9% of people who teach shooting don't agree. They teach newbies the ONLY way to shoot right is the one-eyed squint with your eyeball locked on the front blade. IMO, that is the equivalent of teaching a mechanic that using the 5/8" wrench is the only RIGHT way to turn a bolt.

[Ron Ankeny]

As a general rule, I think a person is better off using both eyes if they can do so comfortably. If not, using one eye isn't the end of the world. I use tape on my left lens. I recall one of the legendary shooters saying something to the efferct of, "Shooting with two eyes is over rated".

[aussieboy]

I am left eye dominate and strong hand right. It most be less than years past as this year I started shooting with both eyes open and it is working for me in open with a C-more. When I use a stock revolver for steel forget it. I can come up on the first target which is usually a larger one and closer and hit it and then look at the next target and can't find a sight alignment and it feels like the gun isn't pointing at the target. I look at the target and bring the revolver to the target when I start off and the sights are there for the first target.

[schmitz]

I use both eyes.

But it's not enough when the years progress. Indoor I have problems with visibility. Outdoor still no problems.

I love shooting outdoor, makes me feel young.

Since I started IPSC-shooting I used both eyes. It works for me, at least. Some top shooters use only one eye, so it's possible to be a winner using this strategy.

It's your choise, do what feels best!

[Jake Di Vita]

I've tried it both ways. Closing one eye (for me) introduces too much extra tension. I just do what is natural for me.

[Eye Cutter]

I started out shooting with one eye closed, but eventually, I learned to align the sights using my dominant eye (cross dominant). For long range shots, I still close one eye

[Skywalker]

I shot for the first 4 years with only my right eye open.

When I spent some 4/5 months in learning to shoot with both eyes open, my average on a long course immediately jumped up from 65/70% to 80/85%.

I feel, besides shooting improvements I may have achieved, shooting with both eyes open gives me the capability to track and acquire next targets faster, as well as moving more efficiently throughout the whole long course.

[eric nielsen]

Everyone is different.

If you have 20/15 vision in both eyes and almost no dominance at all, you likely will find the double target-images and double-sight images will drive you nuts. It is the reason why I shoot iron sites with transparent tape over my left eye. Other people do it because of cross-dominance [which is rare].

However, with a dot sight, I think you need an extreme vision problem to NOT use both eyes open. With a dot you're always focused with both eyes on the target without too much problem.

There's people who need prescription glasses to see & I can't speak to that because I've never had glasses. I just make them. Many of those folks do great with both eyes open and some specific combination of focus correction to each eye.

Bear in mind that what looks pretty while standing still may go "off" when shooting at speed with a moving slide and targets at all different distances.

http://www.crizal.com/

http://www.essilor.com/Products/VisionAndV...ts/LaVision.htm

[Duane Thomas]

It isn't possible for some because of vision issue (BE for example uses one eye...)

Well, yes and no. Brian is cross-dominant (right master hand/left master eye) and to start with he wanted to use his right eye to aim so he blocked his master eye with a piece of tape on his shooting glasses' left lens. However, it's important to realize the entire purpose of the tape was so he could shoot with both eyes open without having his master eye overwhelm the non-dominant eye. Over time the vision in his non-dominant eye deteriorated to the point he wanted to shoot with his left eye - but was so used to using the right eye, for a period of time he had to use the tape to block his right eye. Then eventually he did away with the tape altogether.

I've recently converted to shooting with both eyes open. After years of squinting the non-dominat eye, believe me it's a hard habit to break. What I've found (as have many before me) is that in fast-paced, multiple target work there's an immense advantage to having both eyes open. When dealing with a target array, you can see the next targets with your peripheral vision, which makes it immensely easier to snap your eyes to the next target ahead of the gun. Even on a single target, there's less eye strain, your vision is sharper, and it's immensely easier and faster to pull your eyes back from the target to the front sight with both eyes open. Once you understand the advantages of using binocular instead of monolular vision in shooting, and can do it reliably, the improvement in your performance will be great.

[benos]

It's massively more important to learn what it means to "keep your eyes moving" than whether you shoot with one or both eyes open.

be

[9MX]

from the tips i got from experienced shooters, i started with both eyes open last year. it naturally offers a wider peripheral vision. i guess it is how fast one's sight (either one or both eyes) processes the targets arounds him that counts.