Any cross eye dominant shooters out there?

[Steeliedrew]

Hey all,

I’ve been shooting a bow for eight years now. It hasn’t been consistent though. Sometimes taking 6+ months off at a time and then scrambling a few months before season to get dialed in again. I’m working on changing that this year.

Last night I decided I’d try shooting both eyes open to help with low light target visibility. I immediately noticed a big difference in being able to extend my shooting session in the dwindling light. The target appeared much brighter compared to one eye shut, which got me pretty excited about learning to shoot both eyes open.

I’m 34 years old and from the moment I first picked up a BB gun when I was a youngster I always shot right handed and with my left eye shut. Nobody ever told me otherwise. When I picked up a bow eight years ago I naturally got a right handed bow and began shooting with my left eye closed from the get go.

Last night after shooting pretty tight groups at 50 yards with both eyes open I did some reading on the advantages of both eyes open versus one eye shut. Then it dawned on me that I’ve never really checked to see which side my dominant eye is on. So I performed the test where you make a triangle with your hands out in front of you and focus on a target somewhere. Then you close each eye individually to find out when the target stays framed in the triangle with whichever eye opened. For me, when my left eye is open and right eye closed the target stays framed. Thus, I’m left eye dominant. And since I shoot right handed that makes me a cross eye dominant shooter.

Last night while shooting both eyes open I noticed that my pins are fairly blurry but I can still make them out. I shoot a 3 pin slider. The target is clear. I also noticed with both eyes open I can’t focus on my bubble level. Maybe that will change over time if I keep training to shoot both eyes open? I’ve read that some folks have success by placing a piece of scotch tape over the lens of safety glasses on your dominant eye side. The idea is to get your brain to take input from the non dominant eye and over time that eye “can” become the dominant eye for some shooters. Others will change to an opposite handed bow. The latter seems like a daunting and expensive task for me though.

Have any of you successfully trained your non dominant eye to be dominant? Or are any of you cross eye dominant shooters and doing just fine like that? I’m wondering if with both eyes open would my sight picture differ between shooting right or left handed? I’m a decent shot but I’m curious to know what kind of shooter I could become if I were to be shooting with my dominant eye inline with my peep. I’d have to either switch to left a left handed bow or train my right eye to be dominant to accomplish that.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully this is an interesting topic.

Drew

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[jmez]

I'm cross eye dominant. I retrained my eye dominance for shooting, both shotgun and bow.

I started by squinting the left eye just enough for the right to take over. Gradually squint less and you will retrain the eyes. It took me a couple of months.

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[Steeliedrew]

I'm cross eye dominant. I retrained my eye dominance for shooting, both shotgun and bow.

I started by squinting the left eye just enough for the right to take over. Gradually squint less and you will retrain the eyes. It took me a couple of months.

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Glad to hear that worked for you. What does your sight picture look like now that you’re adapted? With both eyes open are your pins blurry at all?

For me with both eyes open my pins are a little blurry and I’m unable to focus on my bubble level. So last night I was anchoring, then closing my left eye for a second to verify the bubble, then opening the left eye for the rest of the shot process.


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[cornfedkiller]

I am cross eye dominant. Pins are a little fuzzy, but I assume that has to do more with focusing on something far away (target) vs your pins and that eye dominance was not what was causing that.

I draw, anchor, look at my level, then focus on the target and hold the blurry pin on the target.

 

[jmez]

My pins are fuzzy but that is because I focus on the target not the pins. If I focus the pins that are clear. You can't have both the target and pins in focus at the same time.

I never focus on my bubble, I check it with my peripheral vision .



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[Steeliedrew]

My pins are fuzzy but that is because I focus on the target not the pins. If I focus the pins that are clear. You can't have both the target and pins in focus at the same time.

I never focus on my bubble, I check it with my peripheral vision .



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Ok right on. This is getting me pumped to shoot tomorrow morning. Thanks for the replies everyone.


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[vermeire]

I'm cross-dominant; right hand/left eye. I was first introduced to shooting right handed. At around age 11 we learned I had a lazy eye and I got glasses and wore a patch for a while. This helped but due to astigmatism my left eye is still much clearer that my right. Because of this I started shooting left handed. At the time I was not shooting any sort of bow or any long guns with open sights. I've gotten to the point that I shoot a scoped rifle either way; that comes in handy in the woods from time to time. 2 years ago I decided that I wanted to bow hunt. I made the decision to get a left-handed bow. I hadn't shot a bow even recreationally enough that I was basically learning a new skill so handedness didn't matter. I'm yet to kill anything but I'm quite happy that I made the decision to go left-handed. I'm completely comfortable and have no feelings that I'm doing it backwards. Since then I've started shooting long guns with open sights left handed too. My trap scores have definitely improved.

I like to share my experience because it might encourage someone to change things up and maybe discover the benefit of being semi-ambidextrous.

 

[Mike 338]

I was cross eyed dominant most of my life. I was a righty and started shooting righty. Couldn't figure out why I couldn't hit a bird on the wing. Eventually figured out I was left eye dominant so I switched to shooting rifles and bows left handed. Slightly awkward at first but because I practiced with my bow alot, it wasn't long before it was totally natural to shoot lefty and I couldn't even draw my bow properly off the right side anymore. In the last 10 years, my eyes changed (not for the better) and now I'm shooting righty again. IMO, your eyes determine which side you shoot off from. With pistol, it doesn't matter which hand you hold it in because you just move it over to the dominant eye.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've never been able to figure out which is dominant. When I do the triangle thing and focus on a target I see two triangles. And when I cover the target the target gets covered with one triangle on each side of the target. So if I move the right triangle over the target, that goes to my left eye. If I move the left triangle over the target that goes to my right eye. Maybe I just don't have a dominant eye.

But having said that, I have always shot everything with my right eye closed (left handed). I tried both eyes open for three months one year and I still had to verify which target I was actually aiming at before shooting every time. So it's easier to just close the right eye.......and more accurate for me.

 

[boom]

I was. Finally bit the bullet and bought a left Handed bow. The changeover was easier than I expected. I did have to drop down to 60 lb limbs. Mt lt eye is stronger anyways. It was a good move.

 

[307]

Don't fight your brain, go lefty.

 

[Steeliedrew]

I like to share my experience because it might encourage someone to change things up and maybe discover the benefit of being semi-ambidextrous.

Right on thanks for the reply! being an ambidextrous shooter could really come in handy! I was just thinking though that I wear a prescription lens on my left eye. Right side just has a clear, non prescription lens. So if I were to switch to left handed shooting I’d most likely have to shoot/hunt with my glasses or get a contact for the left eye.




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[Steeliedrew]

With pistol, it doesn't matter which hand you hold it in because you just move it over to the dominant eye.

That’ll be a fun experiment next time I shoot the pistol. I’m glad I’m learning about this right now as I’ve got three young kids. My oldest who’s almost six has a compound bow now. I’m gonna make sure and check where his dominant eye is at in case we need him to switch to left handed.



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[Steeliedrew]

I was. Finally bit the bullet and bought a left Handed bow. The changeover was easier than I expected. I did have to drop down to 60 lb limbs. Mt lt eye is stronger anyways. It was a good move.

Next time I’m in a bow shop I’ll definitely ask them to let me shoot a lefty but a new bow isn’t in the cards for me this year. Have an out of state elk hunt planned and need all available funds for that. Plus me left eye actually has quite a bit worse vision than my right. Imagine that! Haha. Left eye dominant but my left eye is the one that I wear a prescription for.


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[Steeliedrew]

I've never been able to figure out which is dominant. When I do the triangle thing and focus on a target I see two triangles. And when I cover the target the target gets covered with one triangle on each side of the target. So if I move the right triangle over the target, that goes to my left eye. If I move the left triangle over the target that goes to my right eye. Maybe I just don't have a dominant eye.

But having said that, I have always shot everything with my right eye closed (left handed). I tried both eyes open for three months one year and I still had to verify which target I was actually aiming at before shooting every time. So it's easier to just close the right eye.......and more accurate for me.

Sounds like you may not have a dominant eye. I think what you’re talking about when seeing two targets is the parallax effect but I’m certainly no expert.


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[traviswdalton]

I've never been able to figure out which is dominant. When I do the triangle thing and focus on a target I see two triangles. And when I cover the target the target gets covered with one triangle on each side of the target. So if I move the right triangle over the target, that goes to my left eye. If I move the left triangle over the target that goes to my right eye. Maybe I just don't have a dominant eye.

But having said that, I have always shot everything with my right eye closed (left handed). I tried both eyes open for three months one year and I still had to verify which target I was actually aiming at before shooting every time. So it's easier to just close the right eye.......and more accurate for me.

Another test is to point at something close your left eye if you’re still pointing at it you’re right eye dominant.


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[5MilesBack]

Another test is to point at something close your left eye if you’re still pointing at it you’re right eye dominant.

That's the problem......if I look at the target then I see two fingers when I point.......which one do I put on the target? And if I look at my finger, then I see two targets with the same issue........which target do I put the finger on?

 

[traviswdalton]

That's the problem......if I look at the target then I see two fingers when I point.......which one do I put on the target? And if I look at my finger, then I see two targets with the same issue........which target do I put the finger on?

Usually one will come into focus eventually. I see double for a split second. I guess if it doesn’t focus you don’t have a dominant eye.


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[TripleJ]

I'm a lefty with right eye dominance. I grew up shooting right handed, so it's second nature. I shoot bows and guns righty. My oldest son is the opposite, it was apparent early on when he was younger that he was left eye dominant. I decided not to fight it, he shoots everything left handed.

 

[Moneyball]

I’m all messed up! I am left eye dominant. Shoot a shotgun, rifle, handgun left handed. Shoot a bow right handed. Write left handed, throw right handed, Shoot everything both eyes open.


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