Overcoming Eye Dominance: A Down-and-Dirty Retraining Guide

Eye dominance can be the bane of new shooters. It’s a challenge we all have to overcome to move past the paper range targets and into the real-world tactical applications of our weapons skills. Not to worry. Eye dominance is an easy issue to correct with a little retraining and practice so you can shoot with your eyes wide open.

Have you ever wondered why people shut one eye when they aim a rifle? Of course if you've been shooting for a while, hopefully you've moved past this practice, but there's a number reasons the brain can't figure out what to focus on when looking through sights.

Maybe Eye Dominance Is Not the Problem

It's a common issue among new shooters. The way the eyes can't figure out what to pay attention to. It may be eye dominance, but maybe it's not.

It may be that they just don't know how to interact with their sights. The quickest way to find out is to have shooters aim downrange by viewing their front sight through (not over the top of) the gun's rear sights.

If they have the sights properly aligned, can see the front sight through the rear sights with both eyes open, and can hit the target without problem, then they just had poor mechanics and sight alignment that needed adjustment. If there's still a problem finding sights using both eyes, then it's time for a little range therapy.

Eye Dominance Diagnosis

Eye dominance is what it sounds like. One eye does a lot of the work when trying to focus on a particular narrow plane of vision. In many cases, it's caused by depth of field disparity. In other words, one eye is dominant close up, and the other at distance.

Eye Dominance Test #1: If you're staring down range through your pistol sights and it all becomes blurry or double with both eyes open, chances are good you need to retrain your eyes. (This is the surest sign of dominance.)

Eye Dominance Test #2: If you are working with a new shooter at the range, take their magazine out and empty the chamber. Have the shooter aim down range, with one eye closed (for the test only), aligning the sights properly with the target. Then simply place a finger over top of the rear sight window. If they can still see the front sight, this means they're aligning appropriately rather than over the top.

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Terrible Ideas for Fixing Eye Dominance

There's a number of solutions to eye dominance, but some of those solutions are going to be a problem down the road. They'll only reinforce bad habits.

Eye Dominance Bad Solution #1: Switch Hands. It's possible an instructor might suggest switching hands in the pistol grip. Maybe this will provide some short-term correction to the issue, but it doesn't address the real issue at hand, which is that the brain can't figure out what you're trying to see. Don't do that.

Eye Dominance Bad Solution #2: Close One Eye. Obviously closing one eye will solve the problem immediately because you're letting the dominant eye win. This also doesn't address the problem and could present worse problems in a defensive situation. 

So, closing one eye is not a good solution. Here's why. Being able to shoot well with both eyes open is a must for any serious defensive shooter. In the time of your life when you need both eyes the most, both sides of your peripheral vision, all of your senses engaged–you don't want to have to close one eye and end up with an attacker from the side you couldn't see.

Losing half your vision when you're adrenaline is pumping and you're staring down a tunnel already–this is no bueno.

The Real Solution for Eye Dominance

Eye dominance is fairly simple to correct for most shooters if you address the issue with the right solution. The one and only solution that I recommend, the only one that actually corrects how your eyes, brain, and body work together, is to begin adjusting your head position to favor the dominant eye.

Step 1: Present Pistol with Both Eyes Down Range. Their vision will be blurry, and that's just what you want.

Step 2: Have Them Turn Their Chin. As the shooter turns their chin toward a shoulder, if the front sight becomes clear through the rear sight, then that's the direction to train for. If not, turn chin toward other shoulder.

Step 3: You Pull the Trigger. When they've obtained front sights and target with the chin turn, have them hold the position with finger outside the well. The instructor then gently squeezes the trigger to fire. 

This prevents anticipation and increases chances that the round will be on target and that their sights are properly aligned (since you can't precisely see what they're seeing this is a sure fire way to tell). Of course this assumes that they've been well instructed on grip and stance.

Step 4: Training and Drilling. This final piece will train the shooter to present their weapon quickly with the right sight alignment and head position. Having them work through repetitions of draw, present, and aim down range will create an instinct for alignment until it becomes automatic.

After this, work in some actual firing so that they're developing full-scope understanding. PRO TIP: Make sure they find their sights each time whether dry-firing drills or live rounds. Good technique and habits every time, no matter what.

Of course this isn't a one and done type of thing, so repeating these alignments, drills, and live fire sessions is critical to building the skill set the right way. Testing and treating eye dominance issues will help rule out the related shooting deficiencies and provide opportunity to work on other elements that might be throwing them off target. It takes time, good training, and repetition to get this right.

Train Hard. Train Smart. Live Free. With Both Eyes Open.