Eye Training

[The Nothing]

@RicInOR made a post Proficiency that really had me thinking about my biggest weakness. My Eyes.
Aside from a minor astigmatism, my eyes are in pretty decent shape. I'm right eye dominant and right handed.
But I can't shoot both eyes open. I've tried. I get frustrated, and go back to single eye.
At only 10 feet, with both eyes open, focusing on the front sight, things shift and I get all mixed up. Objects 10" right of center get shifted ontop of the bullseye and I start having a hard time.

Does anyone have some suggestions on how I can train to overcome this eye shift?

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[druiseeker]

I used to have a similar problem. I tried a trick I found online for left eye dominant people that worked for me. It required putting a piece of clear office tape horizontally over the glass over my left eye that sees the front sight tip. It helps that I wear glasses...

 

[eightyeight mag]

Get an rmr

 

[The Nothing]

Get an rmr

If you're buying, then I'll have my carry gun milled...

 

[erudne]

If a woman wants to train my eyes she'll have to relocate her eye-balls 10" lower.
As for keeping two eyes open (when shootin) I have shrapnel in one eye, and as a result my other eye is carrying that load.
I am Left eye dominant but due to my parents belief that LH PPL were sons of Satan I was forced to be RH, as in left hand tied to belt. As an unintended result I am Polyamorus, wait, no, well yes, but that's off topic. I shoot both L and R handed in certain circumstances.
The way to learn a skill, as in 2 eyes open, is to practice that skill, ALOT!
Put your firearm in condition SAFE and feel free to practice anywhere PPL will not see you and Freak-Out! it's just like sex, practice makes perfect (right honey? OMG she left years ago)

 

[Member 5605]

Front sight focus, keep at it. Train your eyes, practice in the closet if need be. It will click suddenly and then all will be right.

I too have an astigmatism, I have odd cases of vertigo when walking down steps so focusing and refocusing can be issues. I feel your pain.

 

[Joe13]

I would suggest looking past your gun at the target. Then try and refocus your right eye to line the sights up.

Relax. You might be trying to hard like with those 3D pictures that are a pattern until your eyes adjust.

It can be different to have one eye focus a yard out while the other is focused 100 yards out or whatever.

Maybe add a cheap red dot for a short time to help with the different focus lengths.

 

[groth]

I always had a problem with keeping both eyes open while shooting from the time I was a kid. I'm Rt. handed, and I thought I was right eye dominant, but I realized just recently while trying very hard to shoot with both eyes open and getting frustrated that I am actually left eye dominant. I am able to keep both eyes open, but I have to close my left eye first, then focus with my right eye, then open my left again slowly, and I really have concentrate with my right eye to keep my focus on the front sight. This also causes me to sort of flinch a bit with my left eye lid to keep the focus with my right. This process makes keeping both eyes open a liability in a defensive situation, so in short I just can't keep both eyes open when shooting. Perhaps you share some of the same symptoms while shooting, and you could also be left eye dominant?

Have you tried testing yourself for eye dominance recently? You could be left eye dominant after all, and just don't realize it?

Good luck.

 

[mcfoto]

I am right handed, left eye dominant. I've taken to a modified Weaver stance with my body canted to the right.

I would suggest looking past your gun at the target. Then try and refocus your right eye to line the sights up.

This has been my training technique for shooting competition. A bit of a challenge for an older guy with major astigmatism who wears progressive lenses but it works.

 

[Joe13]

I am right handed, left eye dominant. I've taken to a modified Weaver stance with my body canted to the right.

Gotta do what works best for you for sure. I got a bit of razzing about my grip and stance last time out shooting. I went ahead and switched eyes and hands and kept shooting so that ended the "let me help you out lecture" thankfully lol.

Being mostly ambidextrous makes it a little hard to empathize but yall have my greatest sympathies and respect for finding a way that works for you that allows you to keep slinging lead downrange.

I already use my very light prescription glasses to shoot - I am not looking forward to the targets getting harder to see without magnification.

 

[RicInOR]

I use glasses to read. This has been getting worse, that is needing more correction, over the years.
For my shooting I have been using lenses with a corrective sections - readers -
like those, but with the reader portion on top. Works good on the range.
During my last classification I found that to fail in certain circumstances - notably when low and shooting up. I ended up point shooting which is not good.

If I had to use my carry gun for its intended purpose, would I have time to fish out my glasses and put them on?

My plan is to try my drills with standard safety glasses.


I am also one who has astigmatism. I asked, and the Optometrist says no to Lasic.


The readers I have are ANSI Z87.1
I do see shooters with standard readers - like you buy at Walgreens.

Even with targets at 40 yards and my Shield I can with the readers focus the front sight and see the target well enough to aim center. Well enough to hit a 14in round.

Could I do bulls-eye?




@The Nothing see these: https://goo.gl/nTywVv




As to the comment to get an RMR.... I got a Vortex for my house pistol (and a laser)
I am thinking this is the future for me.

 

[etrain16]

I use glasses to read. This has been getting worse, that is needing more correction, over the years.
For my shooting I have been using lenses with a corrective sections - readers -
like those, but with the reader portion on top. Works good on the range.
During my last classification I found that to fail in certain circumstances - notably when low and shooting up. I ended up point shooting which is not good.

If I had to use my carry gun for its intended purpose, would I have time to fish out my glasses and put them on?

My plan is to try my drills with standard safety glasses.


I am also one who has astigmatism. I asked, and the Optometrist says no to Lasic.


The readers I have are ANSI Z87.1
I do see shooters with standard readers - like you buy at Walgreens.

Even with targets at 40 yards and my Shield I can with the readers focus the front sight and see the target well enough to aim center. Well enough to hit a 14in round.

Could I do bulls-eye?




@The Nothing see these: https://goo.gl/nTywVv




As to the comment to get an RMR.... I got a Vortex for my house pistol (and a laser)
I am thinking this is the future for me.

Astigmatism here too. I have prescription shooting glasses that help a bit, but it does complicate things a bit more. 5 years ago, I had perfect vision. Sucks getting older.

 

[BlackRyder]

I went through this about 6 months ago when I picked up my first handgun. I did a lot of Google searches for things like "how to aim with both eyes open". After doing some research, and figuring out which eye is my dominant eye (which it sounds like you already know) here is the method I used to train myself to shoot with them both open (I shoot right handed and am right eye dominant).
1. Close left eye, bring pistol up and get my sight picture, keep focusing on the front sight
2. Open left eye, keep focusing on the front sight!
3. Squint left eye until the double sight picture resolves itself, focus on the inner set of pistol sights and aim at the outer target (as I'm seeing 2 of everything)
4. Relax left eye once everything comes into focus, and try to maintain the same sight alignment picture that I had when my left eye was squinting.
5. Lower pistol, repeat as many times as I can, until my brain gets tired!
If you are left eye dominant or cross dominant then you'll have to adjust accordingly, but the procedure should be the same. Also, it goes without saying That I check my gun to make sure it is unloaded before I start this practice.
It's pretty easy to train your eyes, it took me less than a week of daily practice before I could bring my pistol up and get everything focused without having to squint. Every now and then my ability backslides, if I bring the gun up and am having trouble focusing I'll just do a quick squint/wink with my left eye and everything will snap into focus.
I also found this video to be helpful..

As well as some of the videos on the well armed woman website.
Good luck! If I can do it with my stupid/stubborn brain then anyone can! It just takes a few days of repetition.

 

[The Nothing]

Thanks, @BlackRyder. I found the same video, as well as this one

Looks like I just need to keep at it.

 

[BlackRyder]

I really like Chris sajnog's stuff, I've found it to be really helpful! I even ordered a copy of one of his books, incorporating some of his techniques into my dry fire practice has been super beneficial. Good luck- you'll definitely get it with practice!

 

[Ura-Ki]

I have short sighted vision, I cant see things up close with out glasses. I still have good depth perception, but I have trouble making out my pistol sights. I went to just a trit front sight and a plain rear and found I do just fine. Try putting black tape over your rear sights to block the lamps and see if this helps. I found that I could see the front sight better if I didn't have the rear "confusing" my eyes! If you don't have trit or fiber lit sights, try painting your front sight a bright color and see if this helps. Lots of practice will help train your hands and eyes!

 

[Medic!]

Bad eyes?

I shoot in braille!

 

[Member 5605]

Focus focus focus....

My patterns are cut in half after I started training my eyes:
10 yards. Before this was a dream.

Keep working on it, your body will submit to your mind.

 

[Pops1911]

Hey Gang. Old boy here with bi-lateral cataract surgeries and lens replacements in my 50's. At age 66 I have retrained my eyes so that I shoot right handed with my left eye now dominant. Got there through lotsa practice wearing scotch tape over the right lens of my shooting glasses and plenty of dry fire. Its not perfect but it's a far shot better than before. Due to the surgeries I cannot focus at all on the front sight with my right eye. It is always blurry! Too close for my vision. Right eye still works great for long gun shooting. Yep getting older is a challenge especially if one wants to stay active in shooting sports.

 

[Stomper]

Just shoot with cross-eyes!