Target focus, blind in one eye

[Bakerjd]

Is using target focus shooting possible if you are blind in one eye? Everything I've seen says you are basicly looking at the target with one eye and then the other eye sees the dot over the target and when they align you fire. I'm getting my CO gun ready and want to know if this is possible?

[lgh]

I have diplopia (double vision). In day-to-day life, I can normally fuse the images to make them one, albeit a bit fuzzy. However, when using binoculars I only see through one tube. I think that is what I do when I use RDS. i.e. I just use my dominant left eye. In a practical sense, it doesn't really matter that I'm not using my right eye. Target focus, dot on target, bang. You might want to go to your local gun shop and look through some of the RDS to see how they work for you. I'm guessing they will be fine.

[a_whole_lot_of_freedom]

To answer your question straight forward yes. Essentially what is happening when you use both eyes is they your mind merges what it sees in the 2 images and superimposed one over the other. Which is why if you put a piece of tape over the optic window you can still see the target and the dot. What will happen with you because you only have 1 working eye is that your mind will skip the process of merging the 2 images. Target focused shooting isn't a thing you need both eyes for as it's more of a mindset. You have to look through the window at the target and not focus on the dot. Which you should be able to so just fine as the optic has a window on it.

[Bakerjd]

Thanks for the explanations guys! I'm excited to get going in CO. 

[C-Money]

On 4/15/2021 at 2:56 AM, Bakerjd said:

Is using target focus shooting possible if you are blind in one eye? Everything I've seen says you are basicly looking at the target with one eye and then the other eye sees the dot over the target and when they align you fire. I'm getting my CO gun ready and want to know if this is possible?

 

I also have monocular vision, to some extent. I've been struggling with trying to target focus both with irons and recently learning to use a dot. I can tell you sometimes it works, and I hope it will become easier over time. When it does work I see a very fuzzy picture of the sights or the dot and a highly sharp image of the target. What seems to work on an almost instinctual level is aligning the entire window with the dot serving to show me the center, onto the target. I try to do the same with irons, but the dot makes it so much more obvious and straightforward.

 

Good luck and I hope you keep us updated.

[Bakerjd]

2 hours ago, Twinkie said:

 

I also have monocular vision, to some extent. I've been struggling with trying to target focus both with irons and recently learning to use a dot. I can tell you sometimes it works, and I hope it will become easier over time. When it does work I see a very fuzzy picture of the sights or the dot and a highly sharp image of the target. What seems to work on an almost instinctual level is aligning the entire window with the dot serving to show me the center, onto the target. I try to do the same with irons, but the dot makes it so much more obvious and straightforward.

 

Good luck and I hope you keep us updated.

This is almost exactly what I get with iron sights. People always ask me how I got so good at keeping both eyes open when shooting and after 2013, when I lost sight in my one eye, I just tell them it's because  blind in one eye. I actually never noticed a difference shooting though. And I shot a fair ammount while on active duty and after the Navy. I was Security Forces on a ship for about a year and half and when in port we shot about every other week. Doing scenario based drills, clearing "the ship", a building that was made to be part of a ship ect... I didnt even notice, or physically realize I had no depth perception until I was getting out and doing my medical out screening and had to look at a little box with pillars in it. The doc asked me multiple times if I seen any difference in the pillars and all i seen was they were each a different width. She couldn't belive it. Turned the box sideways a bit and that's when i seen they were at different depths. Do you have this issue? I find the only time it screws with me is if targets are not close to something else and are at a different depth from the back stop. Usually I have to walk along the side of a stage to notice small things like that. 

[lgh]

With only one eye, our depth perception is not good. In many situations, we just learn to adapt by using other clues in the environment. But during eye exams we do not have those other clues. I've been through this stuff for over 50 yrs. and can't tell you how many eye exams I've had. I learned how to game them. Use one eye and then the other is one trick. Then you can figure out what you missed with just one eye.  You obviously can't do that.

 

What is your vision ? Is it 20/20? That can further complicate things. As we age, our ability to focus on things at different distances decreases. So if you need glasses, you have to pick glasses based on whether you want to see the front sight or the target. Or get bifocals and move your head around to get the clearest image. (Bad solution. Too slow.) A bunch of us have different glasses for different situations. One set for RDS and another for irons.

 

I wouldn't get discouraged. Practice will take care of a lot of things. And shooting practice is fun.

[IHAVEGAS]

A very good friend is an open GM, he was born blind in 1 eye. 

[Bakerjd]

@lgh vision in good eye is 20/20. But you are correct. I do use clues and other things to help

[Farmer]

Lost my non dominant eye at around 12 yo. Judging distance is a pain and trying to catch things people toss to you is interesting. I quickly learned to triangulate with other  objects to figure distances, like pulling an implement around power poles. That didn’t help on my first drivers license eye test though. Couldn’t tell them where the line intersected the box. My vision went from 20/20 before the accident to 20/15 but is back to 20/20 now. When I was younger I didn’t have a problem focusing on rear, front sight and target together but now it’s either front or target. With irons, a fiber optic front helps immensely. Focus on target and line up the fuzzy ball. With a dot I pretty much just focus on the target and the dot appears on it.  It’s amazing how your body will compensate for a loss with increases in other senses and awareness. 
 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Farmer

[MikeBurgess]

On 4/14/2021 at 11:56 PM, Bakerjd said:

Is using target focus shooting possible if you are blind in one eye? Everything I've seen says you are basicly looking at the target with one eye and then the other eye sees the dot over the target and when they align you fire. I'm getting my CO gun ready and want to know if this is possible?

I would say no to the idea that target focus is one eye focused on the sights and one on the target, its BOTH (or in your case one) eye focused on the target and nothing but blurry unfocused sights. you will be amazed how accurate you can be with blurry sights. For me for faster shooting I really like having a fiber front sight, it lets me just put the bright blurry red ball in the dark blurry notch at speed. I will warn that 100% target focused needs a good index, if you get a bad draw and are used to basically using the fiber like a red dot sight but the front sight is to the side of the rear you can end up will bullets landing in odd places.

[Bakerjd]

I'm still working on doing this and it's going ok so far. I decided to continue with SS this season and get to A class.

[smoothdraw]

I've been closing or squinting my right eye for shooting.  I found out that I was focusing at looking at my sights (rear and front) that is why I'm getting double vision when I open both of my eyes.  Then I try to look at target instead and do not look at my sights.  I put the gun in front of me and viola!, I can now open both my eyes and only see single vision.  Try it!

[Racinready300ex]

This is kind of a old thread but I'll chime in anyway. I'm in the blind in one eye camp too. If it makes you feel any better I've made GM in two divisions and M in a few others. When I shot irons I target focused basically anything but shots I felt were difficult. So front sight focus on most partials or long shots. I wouldn't move my focus back and forth between the target and the sight, I'd just stay focused at the sight distance if that makes sense. So after taking a shot I'd look to the next target, it would remain blurry and I'd bring the gun to the target and the sight would arrive in focus. Kinda weird, I don't think many people do that. 

 

I moved to CO almost two years ago now and haven't shot irons since. I found the dot to be a struggle. I think it's because you're essentially forced to only look through the window when shooting. You don't have that second eye looking past the optic making it easier to get tunnel vision. But for what ever reason the dot really likes to pull my eye to it. I think this is something everyone has to deal with to some extent when shooting dots, I don't know if my vision really makes it any harder or not since I'll never get to shoot with two eye's lol. 

 

We can't do the tape of the lens trick to force target focus, so I dryfire a lot with my dot turned up kind of bright and try not to focus on  it. In matches I tend to turn the dot down as much as I can so it's less likely to pull my eye to it.  I've recently started shooting PCC, and I think trying to do hold overs on close stuff make it even harder to not focus on the dot. The bottom of the 64 moa circle is pretty close to spot on at closer distances, but if I look at the bottom of the circle...well I'm looking at the bottom of the circle and not the target. I look at harder as better, because I need to either figure out or keep sucking. 

[lgh]

Mike - Great post for those of us who shoot one-eyed for one reason or another.