Can't shoot with both eyes open

F

fprintf

Inactive
I have been shooting for the past year by squinting or closing my left eye. I have been reading the forums here and it seems that shooting with both eyes open is the thing to do. I have confirmed I am right handed and right eye dominant. However when I try it with both eyes open I can focus on the sights but the target is more than blurry - it looks almost like it has doubled.

I am assuming more practice and training is necessary to get used to shooting with both eyes open. Is it just a matter of time and rounds downrange, or are there specific exercises I can practice to help myself along?
 
My unscientific theory is in some people, the dominate eye is not as dominate as it is in other people.

I have the same problem as you. I started putting a piece of electrical tape over my left eye on my shooting glasses. It is better now (not great) even without the tape.

I think you can teach your dominate eye to be more dominant...

But I am not a Doctor, an optometrist, or even that smart - so take my opinion at your own risk!
 
I have fantastic vision - 20/10 in each eye. However I do all my shooting with my left eye closed as well. Even in IDPA matches. I don't even know I'm doing it it's so natural. I don't know how you can shoot as accurately with both eyes open - Practice is the answer I know, but it just doesn't look right to me.
 
Start with both eyes open, both focused on the target. Then bring the gun up into alignment with the target--here you should see two guns. Since you're right handed and right eyed, concentrate on the gun on the left--that's the image that your right eye is sending to your brain, and that's the one you want to align the sights with the target. If I'm practicing defensive shooting, that is the technique I use.

If I'm shooting Bullseye/Conventional Pistol, I line up the sight with my right eye and let my left eye slide out of focus (left eye pointing at something other than what my right eye is pointing at; it's an eye-muscle laziness of some sort; my optometrist could tell you better than I can). Then I concentrate on the image coming from my right eye and ignore the one coming from my left (since they're not both focusing on the same thing, and since I've been doing this since I can remember, it's pretty easy for me to do).

It feels very strange for me to close either eye to shoot...

Off topic, but are you a computer programmer? fprintf() for the win!
 
I learned to shoot Bullseye with the non shooting eye closed. I'm sure the more educated among us can give a better explanation but I find-for lack of a
better term-a problem of parallax. Like an older camera where there's a difference between what you see through the viewfinder versus what the lens
sees. I personally find trying to shoot with both eyes open uncomfortable and it just seems unnatural. My $.02.
 
Tape works...

I have the same problem as you. I started putting a piece of electrical tape over my left eye on my shooting glasses. It is better now (not great) even without the tape.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing for the first two years that I shot a pistol. After about two years I started shooting more and more without the glasses. If it's been awhile I will shoot the first twenty or so rounds with them and then I'm good to go.
 
I put a piece of tape to block the sight picture in my non-dominant eye. So for me, being right handed, that means tape on my weak (left) side. Just enough to cover where the sights are, not block the whole lens. I use masking tape or target pasters, but some use transparent tape, the theory being that all you have to do is blur the image some, not completely block it, and your brain figures it out.

This is legal in most competitions (like, USPSA and highpower), maybe IDPA with limitations. IDPA and USPSA do not require maximum accuracy, but you are moving and shooting targets at different distances so not tripping over stuff is good and a small piece of tape allows that.

The tape can be used as a training tool, with the goal of training your brain which of the double visions to look at, then quit using the tape. Or.....just leave it on when you shoot.

Lee
 
My opinion is it's best to shoot with both eyes open. However, what works best for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

I do recommend trying techniques to train your dominant eye to be even more dominant. If you're seeing double, both eyes are trying to take over the other. The said suggestions are what I'd tell you to try first.

Squinting one eye causes fatigue for me. I must disclose that I have long range sessions. Also, you lose peripheral vision on the entire side you close. I see this as a serious disadvantage when keeping tabs on your surroundings. Lastly, having one closed jacks up your depth perception. All of these items are of great importance to have if you find the need to fire your gun, IMHO.
 
I am a new handgun owner and shooter. I got the gun for self protection. Now I go to the range just to know that I can shoot. I have had the gun for a couple of weeks. I began shooting with one eye closed. I thought that that was how you shoot a gun. Then I began to read that people shot with both eyes open. I thought that in the "real world", if you have to stop and close your eye and aim,that that might present a time problem as far as self protection.

This is what I did. I am not going to say that I am as accurate at distances yet, but I am getting better.

Get some snap caps. Find a room in the house. (Never forget your rules of safety. Make sure that your weapon is unloaded). Have a seat. Pick a stationary object in the room and close the eye that you would ordinarily close. Aim the gun. Remember that your eyes should not be focusing on the target, but rather on your front sight.(I got the aim idea from a YouTube video with Todd Jarrett).d The target should be a blur. Get used to this sight and picture. Next open both eyes and focus on your front sight. You must get the same picture that you did with one eye close. If you must, keep opening and closing you eye until you recognize what it is that you are recognizing with two eyes that you do with one. It is what you are supposed to be picturing. Keep practicing this way. Lower the gun, raise the gun. Keep focusing on the front sight. Eventually you will realize that you can do it with both eyes open.

This is how I learned. I am not a great shot yet, but I've only just begun.
 
Practice Point Shooting,not only will it be of immense help in a SD situation,it doesn't matter how many eyes you have open...
 
Make sure you're wearing eye protection. That gives you added psychological assurance that flinching isn't necessary. Focus on keeping your eyes open. It's not that hard.
 
I am crosseye dominate. 1 day its the left another its the right. It is damn near impossible for me to shoot with both eyes open. It is something the Army tried to fix in BRM and ARM. When my left is is the stronger of the 2 I must look down the sights with my head slightly turned towards the right. For some silly reason when shooting with my left I can't close my right eye. I just obsure the target with the bridge of my nose. :confused:
 
If you are shooting with open eyes, it's normal that you can't see both sights and target in focus.
I'm shooting with both eyes open, focused on the front sight. I watch it moving as I shoot and try to keep it on target and align it with the target all the time.
Now I did some experiment to actually find what I'm doing exactly.
The first funny fact is, that I seem to focus differently when using a gun and for example a raised finger. Looks like if you are looking along something, the eyes focus differently.
With a pistol I can see the target slightly blurred but not doubled.
But even if I see the target doubled, as if trying to aim at it with a raised finger, I always instinctively know which one is the right one. Seems to me that the brain always knows wih eye is dominant.

Concerning self defence, I have read somewhere that people mostly tend to shoot without aiming when confronted at close distance which seems to be a very typical scenario. So it makes sense to practice to "stick" your pistol barrel "into" the target, so the weapon is properly aligned even before you actually look at the sights. For example in Israeli shooting system they do practice this a lot. You just look at the target, raise the weapon as if you wanted to stab or punch the target with the end of the barrel and the pistol should already point at it when it's on your eyes level.

But as a general rule it's best to do exactly what makes you hit the target. You just hear people saying what they do and experiment with it, and find what's good for you and what is not. It's the hole in the alpha zone what counts. The form is secondary, unlike the easter martial arts.:) And I'm happy for that.
 
When I shoot I see two guns and when I am firing I just disregard the one on the right. When I fire weak handed only I have tried using the ghost gun with good results.
 
I have a similar situation with kle, muscle thing. My eyes do not align straight to the same point of convergence. Out past 3 feet or so, the brain somehow manages to do a decent job of making up for it and I don't suffer from depth perception problems, but closer in (pistol sights, etc.) the brain will "pick" one eye or the other to use and if I try to force looking out of both eyes I get double vision. Anyway, I doubt this is your problem, as you'd likely notice other things as well, but it does help me to close my left eye in slow fire to guarantee that I'm seeing things from the right eye only.
 
I've been shooting a little over a year too so I understand what you are going through. at the basic handgun course I was taught that shooting with one eye closed is not recommended because it shortens your field of vision and you don't want that, especially in a self defense situation where you need to be visually in tune with your total surroundings. but for about a week I did close one eye until I got accustomed to using both eyes. heck at that first lesson I wasn't even sure my left eye was dominant. it's all second nature now. what has helped me, and I still practice this from time to time, is to extend your shooting hand with thumb up and use the thumb as your front sight and practice sighting in on various objects whenever you get the chance. your thumb is of course thicker than the real sight so easier to see. as you get better you can increase speed. also was taught that you always sight in with the front sight first, then line up the rear, so thumb only helps with that habit also. try that and see what happens.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top