When you first learn to shoot, more than likely you will learn to shoot right-handed. If you are right eye dominant, then shooting right-handed makes sense; if your left eye is dominant, then you may struggle to hit the target.
Eye dominance, or ocular dominance, is a natural occurrence where the brain favours visual information from one eye over the other, in a similar way to being right or left-handed.
It is not a medical condition and as such is not usually tested by opticians unless there is a sight deficiency. Dominance can be sensory, where the brain prefers signals from one optical nerve or motor dominance, which is when one eye is used more for sighting and aiming.
However, crossed dominance is a factor that military recruiters look at in the selection process. This is because when it comes to shooting and marksmanship, using the opposite eye to the hand causes a horizontal shift when sighting and makes you miss what you were aiming for.
How to test for eye dominance
Unless you shoot, you may not even notice an issue with crossed dominance, but for the curious, you can test for eye dominance at home.
- Choose a focal point such as an object
- Stretch out your arms and make a small triangle shape with your hands, with the object focused in the centre when both eyes are open
- Close your left eye
- If the object is still visible in the triangle, then you are likely to be right eye dominant
- If it disappears, then you are likely to be left eye dominant
Can eye dominance be corrected with shooting glasses?
Of course, sighting targets and being able to aim is vital in shooting sports, but can it be corrected with custom-made prescription shooting glasses?
The good news is that there are ways to temporarily correct crossed dominance, helping you line up the sights and get your shot on target.
Clip-on translucent eye covers can be added to your prescription shooting glasses. These blinders are used to cover your dominant eye that is not used for aiming, and so force the brain to rely on information from your non-dominant eye.
These eye dominance correction kits can be used with a broad range of our clay and game shooting glasses, so that you can always be on target.
