Front sight focus=double vision on target?

[swampcrawler]

Am I the only one having this issue? I'm working on Un - learning many of the bad habits I picked up learning to shoot when I was young and trying to figure it out myself. Now I understand that intent front sight focus will result in a blurry rear sight and target, but for me it results in seeing two totally different targets 10 feet apart, and also, to a lesser degree, two rear sights. Closing or heavily squinting the left eye does away with this, but I'm just curious if anyone else experiences this, why it's happening and what to do about it?

 

[1911 guy]

Check for cross-dominance first. Even if you are cross-dominant, it's an easy fix with handgunning.

 

[earlthegoat2]

This happens to me. I close my non-dominant eye. I just do. It is the only thing that really works. My dominant eye is so dominant that in certain situations such as this my weak eye actually hinders my dominant eye.

Ive had stereopsis problems since birth so it is nothing new. For all intents and purposes I am only using one eye and my other eye only aids in peripheral vision. I have normal depth perception because my brain has adapted to monocular vision.

I may not be destined to be a champion shooter but I still enjoy myself greatly.

 

[g.willikers]

Yeah, you're not alone.
To deal with it, try squinting the non-dominant eye just enough to eliminate the double vision and still be able to see with both eyes.
It might not take all that much of a squint to cure the problem.

 

[1911 guy]

It might be a technique issue, it might be a vision issue, it might be a number of other things. But it probably is an eye dominance issue. Whatever route you choose to deal with it (assuming for a moment it is dominance related) DO NOT SQUINT to "deal with it". All you're doing then is further compromising already compromised vision.

The easiest, best, etc. fix, and one used by everybody from HSLD types to Grand Master shooters to Barney Fife to you and me at the back yard range, is to simply tilt/turn your head slightly toward the non-dominant eye. This puts the dominant eye behind the handgun sights regardless of what hand you are shooting dominant.

Now before you take it a gospel that it really is an eye dominance issue, confirm it or rule it out. No sense in fighting a "dominance issue" if you really need glasses. Or simply need some one-on-one to fix a technique issue. Or whatever.

 

[swampcrawler]

All the tests iv seen deffinitly indicate right eye dominance... and I'm right handed. In one of Coopers books he mentions this could be a result of your dominant eye being not heavily dominant... meaning I guess that ypu rely on both of them pretty close to equally. Don't know if that makes any sense.

 

[JohnKSa]

Agree that this can be evidence of cross-eye-dominance, or weak dominance. I have trouble with it because my eye dominance is pretty weak. Under certain circumstances, my eyes "fight" for dominance and I can get the effect you describe.

When it's bothering me, I either close my weak side eye, or if it's really a problem, I'll put a strip or two of scotch tape over the weak side eye lens of my shooting glasses.

 

[Trent]

swampcrawler; I periodically have eye dominance shift, and suffer that same phenomenon if I don't squint my off eye when it happens.

(The dominance shift generally happens when I'm due for a prescription change on my eyeglasses, or just have had a change done. My right eye has progressively worsened over time, and when the prescription gets off enough, the left eye starts taking over. When I get an updated prescription, it takes some time for the right eye to take back over again.)

ETA:

Over the last two years I have learned to shoot rifle and shotgun ambidextrous and equally well, even in High Power across the course with iron sights. With a scoped rifle I shoot universally right handed, but with irons on a rifle or shotgun I do an eye dominance check before shooting and shoot the hand that fits the eye for that day. I have found that I am actually *better* most of the time left handed in some shooting positions than I am right handed (which is my natural side), notably, standing and sitting. Prone I'm better right handed.

 

[swampcrawler]

The left eye tape cures the problem.

Will training with the left eye tape trick train the right eye to take control eventually reducing the need for it or is it just a cheat for the range?

 

[g.willikers]

It depends.
It's been my experience that blocking vision in the offending eye works for slow fire precision shooting.
For action type shooting, it causes the shooter to stumble around half blind and is very disagreeable.

 

[Ankeny]

I have a similar problem and it has nothing to do with eye dominance. I have prisms in both the left and right lens of my eyeglasses to correct for double vision. I also have a real fuzzy front sight. I tried one lens set for distance and the other set for the distance to the front sight. I tried tape too. Now I just shoot with fuzzy front sight and when I have a long or tough shot I close the non-dominant eye. An experienced shooter can do well in action shooting games like USPSA with fuzzy sights.

As far as cross dominant issues, leave the head upright and bring the pistol over to the dominant eye. The head remains as errect as possible. I just posted this pic in another thread a couple of days ago:

 

[anothernewb]

I found a solution by placing scotch tape on the opposite eye, it blurs everything enough to where I can see the target clearly

 

[Beentown]

It depends.
It's been my experience that blocking vision in the offending eye works for slow fire precision shooting.
For action type shooting, it causes the shooter to stumble around half blind and is very disagreeable.

Agreed. I tried the tape on a sporting clays course and it was a dismal failure.

 

[Trent]

The left eye tape cures the problem.

Will training with the left eye tape trick train the right eye to take control eventually reducing the need for it or is it just a cheat for the range?

If you enjoy reading books, spend 20-30 minutes a night reading with only your dominant eye open. (or the eye you want to be fully dominant).

Following a "switch" of eye dominance or in those phases where I don't clearly have one eye truly dominant over the other (e.g. changing day to day), I've found that is handy to coerce the brain to switch back to the eye you want dominant.

 

[anothernewb]

If you enjoy reading books, spend 20-30 minutes a night reading with only your dominant eye open. (or the eye you want to be fully dominant).

Following a "switch" of eye dominance or in those phases where I don't clearly have one eye truly dominant over the other (e.g. changing day to day), I've found that is handy to coerce the brain to switch back to the eye you want dominant.

interesting idea. ill give it a try. being a left handed individual in a right handed world sucks. I've been trying to teach myself to be ambidexterous I will add this to the list.

 

[Ankeny]

FWIW, it just occured to me this is S&T, not competition. I tried all of the gimmicks (for lack of a better term) in competition. When I shoot my carry guns I wear my regular street glasses and it is what it is... Blurry sights, slight double vision, etc. That's where having a lot of time on the trigger and a well defined upper body index really pays off.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Then squint or close one eye. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. It's only a fraction of a second anyway. I have heard Loui Awerbuck and Scottie Reitz rant a fair bit about current obsession of two eyes open and dominate eye issues. With the physiological changes during the fight you will have very narrow vision anyway. Don't believe me? As you are relaxed, observe your field of view. Probably on the order of 180 degrees. Now, examine your field of view when driving. You will find it is like 60 degree field of view and that is something you are comfortable with and do ever day. Life and death fighting I'm told narrowest filed of view down to like six degrees.

I am a strong believer we should practice shooting a great deal off of both sides of our body and worry more about that. In in a shotgun class we shot some off of the non strong side. It was awkward. In March when regular trap league starts up I am going to shoot it exclusively off the non-dominate to get comfortable. My scores will suffer at first but my skill set will go up.