Eye Dominance

Your eyes sit about 3 inches apart, so each one sees the world from a slightly different spot. Your brain blends the two views into one picture, and that is how you judge depth and distance.

While it blends them, your brain leans on one eye a little more than the other. That eye is your dominant eye. It has more connections to the brain, and it quietly takes the lead whenever you point at something or aim.

How strong that lead is differs from person to person. Some people have a clear favorite, some are close to even, and a small number of people have no dominant eye at all.

Why shooters care: when you aim, you want your dominant eye lined up behind the sights, over the barrel. If the other eye is in charge, your sights can look lined up when they are not.

Two quick tests you can do at home. No firearm needed. Do each one a few times to be sure.

Test 1: The Triangle Window

1. Hold your hands out with your palms facing away. Overlap your thumbs and forefingers to make a small triangle opening, about 2 to 3 inches across.
2. Straighten your arms out in front of you.
3. With both eyes open, center something a short distance away in the opening, like a light switch or a doorknob.
4. Close your left eye. Can you still see it in the window? Now open it and close your right eye.
5. The eye that keeps the object in the window is your dominant eye. Still see it with only your right eye open? You are right-eye dominant. Only your left? Left-eye dominant.

There are a few ways to shape the window with your hands. Any of them works, as long as you follow the same steps.

Test 2: Bring the Window to Your Face

1. Make the same triangle window and hold your arms out straight.
2. With both eyes open, center the light switch or doorknob in the opening.
3. Keep your eyes on it through the window and slowly bring your hands back to your face.
4. Your hands will end up at one eye on their own. That is your dominant eye.

This one is hard to fool. If you steer your hands toward the other eye, they will block your view of the target for a moment on the way in.

One more quick check: with both eyes open, point your finger at a small object across the room. Close one eye, then the other. The eye that keeps your finger on the object is your dominant eye.

You have known your strong hand since you were little. Now that you know your dominant eye, put the two together.

Same side (right hand and right eye, or left hand and left eye): you are all set. Shoot from your strong side the usual way. A lefty with a left dominant eye shoots from the left shoulder, and can choose a left-handed firearm.

Opposite sides (right hand and left eye, or left hand and right eye): this is called cross-dominance.

Cross-dominance does not mean you cannot shoot well. Many good shooters are cross-dominant. You just need a way to get your dominant eye behind the sights, and some practice with it. The best way depends on whether you are shooting a handgun or a long gun.

With a handgun, both arms are out in front of you, so it is easy to bring the gun to your eye, or your eye to the gun. Keep the gun in your strong hand and pick one:

Try both, slowly. Keep the one that feels natural and stick with it.

A rifle or shotgun rests against one shoulder with your cheek on the stock, so it is hard to aim with your dominant eye while also using your strong hand. You will need to choose one.

• Test more than once. Repeat the tests on a different day to be sure of your answer.
• No clear winner? Some people have no dominant eye. Try the options above and see which gives you the steadiest sight picture.
• Pick one method and stay with it, so your body learns one way to do it.
• Keep practicing. Patrick Kelley, a champion shooter, is cross-dominant himself: left-handed, with a right dominant eye. His advice is simple. Practice, and you will get good at it.
• Get a second pair of eyes. A good instructor can watch you shoot and help you choose. See our Training guide.
• There is no single right answer. The best method is the one that works for you.