Cross Dominant Eye and Scope Use Query

[Brian Shaffer]

My daughter is cross eye dominant (right handed, left eyed). While she has been shooting on and off for several years, it was with open sights where she can do her weird cheek weld to sight with her cross dom eye. This method does NOT work for her with scopes. We worked out a system, first with a patch and then with just one lens painted over on her shooting glasses to block to the view of her cross dom eye so as to not mess up her sighting with her non dom eye. It works fairly well, but I figure there may be a better method for working with her that some of you more experienced shooters or instructors might know. Does anybody have any suggestions that they think would work better? Is there a method for dealing with this issue?

We also tried shooting dominant eye from the weak side, but that did not go well at all.

So here she is working with .223 and and an ACOG. She really liked the ACOG.

The need for scope use has now come up because she wants to night hunt hogs with me. I took her out last night as the designated shooter with the blacked out lens setup, but it was a terribly slow night and so no shots were made. She had a good time, and will be back to try again, but in the mean time, is there a better way to be working with her regarding cross eye dominance?

 

[Chopperdrvr]

My daughter has the same situation, but I could never come up with a solution. I finally had to teach her how to shoot left handed. She has gotten pretty good at it and just recently found a left handed shotgun. Maybe now she can hit a dove. lol

 

[histopicker]

From my days as a competitive long range shooter; put a piece of cellophane tape on her shooting glasses over her dominate eye's pupil. This blurs the vision enough for the non-dominate eye to take over. Will only cost you some scotch tape Doc. It seems to work better if the vision in the dominate eye is not totally obscured. With a red dot or EOtech sight she would keep both eyes open, eye dominance is a non-issue with these sights.

 

[Hard_ware]

Scotch tape method lowest cost, pvs14 left eye and ir laser on rifle for night shooting left or right hand does not matter as laser is POI.
The pvs14 method will cost much much more then the scotch tape, but if she likes it and keeps hunting with you the price is something small to pay.

In the photo you can see her left eye is the dominant one. Hope you both get this worked out.

 

[Brian Shaffer]

You are right, Hard_ware, you can tell. Well, she shoots alright with her dom eye covered, but it needs to be covered or it messes with her. Sounds like we are at least on the right track for now. Thanks for the feedback, guys!

 

[Arnold Galvan]

My Daughter is the same way, but she is only using a red dot on her 22. I noticed she was left eye dom when I had her look through a scope, debating on teaching her to shoot left handed. If I use the tape on her glasses, will she be able to eventually move away from it after time?

 

[Brian Shaffer]

That is the idea of using a "blinder." Basically, you are training the weak, non-dom eye to do a job that it isn't used to doing. Most people are dominant to one eye like being right or left handed. You can teach yourself (or be taught) to shoot left-handed if you are right-handed and you can teach yourself (or be taught) to shoot with your non-dom eye as well.

So the idea is that you work the non-dom eye at doing a particular task or tasks and it will eventually get stronger doing so. Eventually, you won't need the blinder that is basically just serving as a teaching aid for initial training.

That's the idea. Other folks have used it and it works. I was looking to see if there was a better idea nowadays.

 

[Arnold Galvan]

Good info, thank you.

 

[Shooter]

first I would say she got her good looks from her mom. That picture of you and her together is great but a little scary of you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am the same and have been ever since the Corps. I shoot everything except high power scopes with both eyes open and it is not difficult to master but takes practice. It is also fairly easy to teach her to shoot left handed. Here again=practice.

Not that I expect her to have to shoot in a war but the ability to shoot both eyes open can be very valuable. I do the majority of my long gun and shotgun shooting from my left shoulder.

 

[FrankT]

Shooter, If you look w the wrong eye do you shoot a different guy?

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Thanks shooter. I also shoot with both eyes open and it doesn't bother me, but it bothers her. We will keep working on it and hopefully find a sweet spot somewhere between how she sights and how she holds.

 

[Shooter]

Truly Frank that is the one thing that has always concerned me. That is one reason I am also real big on positive target ID. It also helps to be in what we used to call a target rich enviornment.

Brian, I have found that the easiest sight to shoot with both eyes open and still have great situational awareness is the eotech. The ACOG is great but cuts down on your FOV as it is 4 power. I put a 3X aimpoint magnifier behind my eotech and have it mounted on a Larue swing mount. Close in I use just the aimer and at further distance I use the 3X.