Dasniper Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 I was wondering who else out there shoots with both eyes open but is cross eye dominant. I just started trying to shoot with both eyes open. I’m left handed but am right eye dominant. I turn my head slightly to my left shoulder and can pick up the front sight right away. I’m thinking about adding an optic to my x5 so I figured shooting with both eyes open would be better. I still tend to close my right eye on distant shots and use my left eye. I’ve been shooting one eye for about 30 years so it’s going to take a lot of training to get used to both eyes. Any suggestions and or what other techniques do you feel works for you. Or should I stay with one eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2000red Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 (edited) My daughter is right handed but left eye dominant. She has only shot optics and shoots with both eyes open. What I noticed is that she simply puts the gun in front of her dominant eye. She stands facing the targets like normal but when she draws, the gun comes up in front of her left eye. One thing that will be different with optics is where you focus. Don't focus on the dot like you would the front sight. Focus more on the target and let the dot appear there. Edited September 12, 2018 by s2000red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeyxbat Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 Im also crossed eye dominant but right handed and been shooting for about 2 years. I've trained to keep both eyes open shooting pistol from the beginning. I also do the same turn of the head but on the other direction. About 8 months ago I started shooting carry optic and continued to shoot the same way. At first it was hard to find the the red dot. After couple of months, I gotten used of it. Now, I'm shooting pcc with both eyes open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvDog Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 I’m cross eye dominant too. Grew up closing my dominant eye and shooting one eyed. As I got in to college, I trained myself to shoot both eyes open, but it’s getting hard since my near vision is going down hill fast so I’ve been switching to optics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliteGuard Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 I have the same problem. I shoot with both eyes open, but as I draw my gun I hold it in front of my left eye, which people not knowing I was cross eye dominant have told me was a waste of time. I use to shoot with my head turned, but I have managed to train myself out of it. This is shooting with iron sights. I have yet to shoot a pistol with optics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeyxbat Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 I have astigmatism and the dot kinda looks funny to me. I just learned to ignore how it looks and just kept shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklab Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 I gave up on shooting with 2 eyes. I'm lefthanded but back in the 70's it was common for teachers and parents to encourage their kids to do everything righthanded, so all my life I've been shooting righthanded with left eye dominant. I don't see a huge advantage shooting with both eyes. There's a guy on here that goes by tony the tiger and if you watch his YouTube videos he shoots rifle and shotgun righthanded and his pistol lefthanded all with one eye closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterB Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 We used to use a small piece of scotch tape on the weak side lens (left eye foe right handed shooter) of shooting glasses and leave both eyes open for guns with iron sights. You automatically use the uncovered eye for sighting, but no loss of peripheral vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stick Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 I am also left handed and right eye dominant. When I first started out years ago, I would close my dominant eye (right eye) and shoot with my left eye open because the gun would be in line with my eye and the sights were easier to line up. shooting with one eye closed wasn't optimal for USPSA since it hindered my peripheral vision. I decided to make the switch to shooting with my dominant eye and both eyes open. I took an old pair of shooting glasses and used sandpaper to rough up the left lens. I made it opaque so light would pass through, but I couldn't focus on anything with my left eye. I wore the glasses around the house and while watching TV. I was training my right eye to be dominant again. After a while, I was able to shrink the size of the spot covering my left eye. I had to do it gradually over time. Simply putting tape over my pupil would screw me up. my left eye would "see" too much. It's going to take a while for you to be able to shoot with both eyes open. I would suggest you do what I did. blur out one lens and wear them as much as you can around the house, dry firing, during live fire, training and at matches. I wouldn't expect miracles overnight and I wouldn't be surprised if you have some eye issues at a match or two. The key is to wear the glasses as much as you can doing routine daily activities. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcfoto Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 Right handed, left eye-dominant here. I started just turning my head so my left eye was at the sights (I'm a photographer by trade and this is my natural motion when bringing a camera up to my face.) Then I tried the scotch tape trick but it gave me a head ache. What's working for me lately is a lot of "sight training" where I air gun with an empty water bottle. This helps my eyes go from target to sights. I'm just now getting to the point where I don't have to close my left eye to start. My eyes are "learning" to shift focus and make one image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rnlinebacker Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 I'm cross eye dominant. just turn my head slightly to the right and my left eye takes over the work but both stay open. Going target focused has really helped my accuracy. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianhansen Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 Once I learned to keep both eyes open, I struggled with eye dominance and double vision. I tried tape and it worked well but I was determined to have both eyes open and no tape. After a lot of effort, I was able to tune out the image that I didn't want to see but it took a lot of work and if I didn't maintain that skill, the double vision came back. Last year I gave up and switched back to tape. I'm shooting a lot better now and don't worry if I will see double during a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chase214 Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 One thing you can do is on your dominant eye put a little swipe of chapstick on your shooting glasses it will be enough for your weak eye to take over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorfish Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmmsec Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 I'm left eye dominant and shoot right handed. My pistol coach has me giving the pistol a slight angle to the left. Seems to work ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mauk517 Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 I am left handed and right eye dominant. Just move your gun slightly towards your dominant eye and it will work just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mauk517 Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 the more you dry fire , the more it will feel natural Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mauk517 Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 remember to not move your head but the gun instead keeping head steady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorfish Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 remember to not move your head but the gun instead keeping head steady I’m left eye dominate, right handed. I used to keep my head steady but now I do the opposite, I move my head and keep my “triangle” (shoulders, arms and hands) steady. Seems to work better for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 I’m left eye dominate, right handed. I used to keep my head steady but now I do the opposite, I move my head and keep my “triangle” (shoulders, arms and hands) steady. Seems to work better for me. Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkThis is what I do. If you are squared up to a target, who cares which eye you bring to the sights. I think this topic gets way overthought. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronicTwitch Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 I'm left eye dominant, right handed. I also have "lazy eye" BUT can voluntarily switch dominance between my eyes which pushes the "lazy" to the other eye. I've had Lasik too. I'm a case study for opthalmologists. The ONLY time I've had to think about my eye dominance during a COF is when doing hard leans around walls/barrels. Leaning right: my right eye sees the target first but I have to wait for my dominant left eye (to which the sights are aligned) to clear the visual barrier. I have popped a couple into barrels when I'm not patient. Embarrassing to have two mikes on 5 yard hoser targets. It actually took me a few times of doing that to realize what was happening. Beyond that, don't over think it. Just have visual patience and shoot your sights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mauk517 Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 Great advices. Experiment on what works for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dons Posted September 28, 2018 Share Posted September 28, 2018 (edited) Right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot mostly open. I shot right-handed and used my left eye. I used a stance which brought my right bicep more toward my chin with my left foot forward. Shot with both eyes open. Worked great for about 25 years. Then I developed a cataract in my left (dominant) eye, and I couldn't get a clear focus on anything. Surgery to correct is risky because had a radial keretotomy many years ago. So I changed my stance to use my right eye 5 years ago. I closed my left eye at first, but gradually got used to keeping both eyes open. At first my left eye would try to take over: shooting around the left side of a barricade I would lose the dot, or even worse sometimes I found myself looking at the left side of my pistol instead of the cmore. That hasn't happened in a while. Just sharing my experience. YMMV Edited September 28, 2018 by dons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberTwo Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 So Rob said tilt your head and not move your gun a bit. Odd...but I trust his advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPan Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 I am a right handed shooter with left eye dominance, still shoot 2 eyes open with irons and optic. I still use my right eye to shoot and favor that side when i draw so my left eye cant take over on the sights. Optics definitely will help with cross eye dominance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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