Finding Your Dominant Eye

Unless you’re ambidextrous you probably prefer using one hand to the other. Our eyes work similarly in the sense that one eye is more dominant and stronger than the other. The dominant eye judges speed, range and focus more accurately. In most cases if we are right handed, we are right eye dominant and vice versa, but sometimes our dominant eye doesn’t match our dominant hand. Sometimes this presents a dilemma for people who participate in shooting sports, such as archery, but is not a cause for concern or additional eye care.

To find out which of your eyes is dominant, hold your hands straight out in front of you and make a triangle. If you are inside, look at a small object in front of you, like a light switch, cup, or doorknob. Once you find a suitable object, frame it inside the triangle. Close your left eye, looking at the object with only your right eye. If the object moves, you are left eye dominant. If it doesn’t, you are right eye dominant. This means that when you look at an object with both eyes, your line of sight is with your dominant eye.

Regarding archery, right-handed bows are meant to be sighted with the right eye and left-handed bows are for the left eye. If your dominant hand and eye are on opposite sides this can affect your aim if you don’t properly adjust. The natural reaction is to try to lean over far enough to see the target with the outside eye, but this can create problems with form and affect your aim.

In order to solve this problem, you either have to learn to shoot with a left handed bow so that your dominant eye and hand are lined up, or learn to shoot with both eyes open. If you choose to shoot with both eyes open, be aware that your line of sight is with the dominant eye, so the target is off set with your shooting hand. Although most of us have a dominant eye and may have wondered why objects shift when we look at them with one eye, it is a normal aspect of our vision and does not need corrective surgery or any additional eye care.

If you have any questions about eye dominance or want to speak to an eye care specialist, visit our website at www.eastwesteye.com or call 877-871-1684 for guidance.