Shooting With Both Eyes Open ?

[manini]

What if you have little to no binocular vision to start with? My right eye cant even read the big "E" off the top of the chart, so everything coming from that side is just vague shapes and colors.

Still both eyes open?

Both eyes open is preferable. Constantly closing the right eye can lead to muscle fatigue. Must you close the right eye? Is your overall image degraded when you look at an object using both eyes? Assuming that not seeing the big "E" occurs while using the best correction possible, if the images seen by each eye are so different that the brain cannot fuse them into one image, you may be already suppressing the vision in the bad right eye. If so, even with both eyes open the right eye could be contributing very little (if anything) to the image you see. If this is the case, even with both eyes open you would be using only the left eye. In your vision comparison, if keeping both eyes open degrades your image, then you will need to close the bad eye or block it ie eyepatch or learn to suppress it.

[teg33]

Both eyes open for handgun but I can't shot rifles accurately with both eyes

[r_seng]

Cross eye dominant here, I switched it, as mentioned before, it just takes practice and more practice.

[Lissauer]

Since my eyes suck it's usually 1 1/2 open otherwise everything goes out of focus. And yes I have the right glasses. In high stress home defensive situation I use the dogs eyes. He save our butts a few years ago during a home invasion. Was on the intruder before the second foot was in the house. After that situation I know my skills and vision are NOT at a level for me to play Rambo.

We can all speculate about how we will react in the situation but for me it was a lesson learned.

[The Bubble]

Shooting with one eye = noob.

Same thing when you drive! Yeah, you can drive with one eye... But depth perception sucks...

Practice makes perfect

[teflondog]

I used to have trouble shooting with both eyes open because I was using a Weaver's stance. Switching to isosceles fixed this issue for me.

[boopiejones]

both eyes open here. it is more difficult for me to shoot both eyes open with some rifles. pistols is easy. just practice drawing an unloaded gun at home in a long hallway. if you are having difficulty picking up the correct sight picture, wink/squint with your off eye and the correct picture will come into focus.

it's all about practice and training your brain. i try to do 5 or 6 draws with each of my pistols every night. it takes longer to brush my teeth.

[DubbleURX]

Shooting with one eye = noob.

Same thing when you drive! Yeah, you can drive with one eye... But depth perception sucks...

Practice makes perfect

WTF? Driving isn't even close to shooting...not sure how you're relating the two. The OP wasn't specific on what type of shooting he has in mind. General range shooting doesn't require peripheral vision or keen depth perception. Accuracy shooting doesn't really require peripheral vision or keen depth perception either. We're not talking CQ SOF training, I don't think.

The military trained me to shoot with one eye...trained and qualified with ease annually, with one eye. That was back in 1986-1996. I've no doubt I could benefit from using both eyes and I'll work on that. I don't view that as noobish, though. People use what works for them...sometimes that's all that matters, no matter what advice is given. YMMV, of course but I tend to not absorb advice that starts the way yours did.

[Lead Waster]

Both eyes closed, that's how good I am!


Actually, this is my only "shooting goal" this year. I have a really really hard time doing it, and I KNOW that practice is the key. I might go buy a very obviously fake airsoft gun (like clear plastic or bright yellow) so I can keep it in my bedroom without my wife freaking out, and just do some practice with it every day. I have a black airsoft with an orange tip, but .. it's black and therefore scary so my wife might not "allow" that. Even a piece of wood with some old Glock sights glued to it might work.

But I THINK the key is practice...

I have a REALLY hard time doing it. Oddly, I found it SLIGHTLY easier when I was using XS BIg Dot sights (on my Shield), probably because the rear sight is not a notch, but a wide V??

[boopiejones]

Both eyes closed, that's how good I am!


Actually, this is my only "shooting goal" this year. I have a really really hard time doing it, and I KNOW that practice is the key. I might go buy a very obviously fake airsoft gun (like clear plastic or bright yellow) so I can keep it in my bedroom without my wife freaking out, and just do some practice with it every day. I have a black airsoft with an orange tip, but .. it's black and therefore scary so my wife might not "allow" that. Even a piece of wood with some old Glock sights glued to it might work.

But I THINK the key is practice...

I have a REALLY hard time doing it. Oddly, I found it SLIGHTLY easier when I was using XS BIg Dot sights (on my Shield), probably because the rear sight is not a notch, but a wide V??

not to get off topic, but it sounds like your wife could benefit from some gun safety training. when i started fondling my guns around the house, i showed my wife how to drop the mags, clear the gun, etc. all the basics - know your target and what's beyond it, finger off trigger until ready to shoot, only aim at what you intend to hit, treat every gun as if loaded, etc...

she feels very comfortable with me using the bedside alarm clock as my target when practicing my draw, as she knows i am following all the rules.

[himurax13]

WTF? Driving isn't even close to shooting...not sure how you're relating the two. The OP wasn't specific on what type of shooting he has in mind. General range shooting doesn't require peripheral vision or keen depth perception. Accuracy shooting doesn't really require peripheral vision or keen depth perception either. We're not talking CQ SOF training, I don't think.

The military trained me to shoot with one eye...trained and qualified with ease annually, with one eye. That was back in 1986-1996. I've no doubt I could benefit from using both eyes and I'll work on that. I don't view that as noobish, though. People use what works for them...sometimes that's all that matters, no matter what advice is given. YMMV, of course but I tend to not absorb advice that starts the way yours did.

The type of shooting does make a difference.

There is no advantage when doing slow, static shooting.

When you are playing certain gun games that require movement, has moving targets, dissapearing targets, and has targets at varying distances, shooting only with one eye is a huge hinderance.

For defensive shooting, shooting with one eye is also a hinderance due to the lack of depth perception and peripheral vision. It would be advantagous to have and use both eyes when training for this type of shooting.

I am cross eye dominant but I learned to be able to switch eyes by practicing shooting offhand often and using the appropriate eye when doing so. It made it much easier to switch eye dominance when needed.

I prefer using my right eye when shooting with both hands so that I don't have to waste time trying to line up my left eye.

[afteractionreport]

Ive tried both eyes open and i see two pistols and four hands.......

How do u guys do it with both eyes open

[DubbleURX]

The type of shooting does make a difference.

There is no advantage when doing slow, static shooting.

When you are playing certain gun games that require movement, has moving targets, dissapearing targets, and has targets at varying distances, shooting only with one eye is a huge hinderance.

For defensive shooting, shooting with one eye is also a hinderance due to the lack of depth perception and peripheral vision. It would be advantagous to have and use both eyes when training for this type of shooting.

I am cross eye dominant but I learned to be able to switch eyes by practicing shooting offhand often and using the appropriate eye when doing so. It made it much easier to switch eye dominance when needed.

I prefer using my right eye when shooting with both hands so that I don't have to waste time trying to line up my left eye.

I'm not sure if you saw where I said this:

The military trained me to shoot with one eye...trained and qualified with ease annually, with one eye. That was back in 1986-1996. I've no doubt I could benefit from using both eyes and I'll work on that.

I acknowledged that it would be beneficial for me to learn, but hey, I know I can shoot...it's just a matter of training myself to use both eyes. Until I've trained myself, the sky shouldn't fall, though.

I was responding to the flippant "noob" response more than anything else.

[jpx0123]

Cross eye dominant here, I switched it, as mentioned before, it just takes practice and more practice.

me too. how did you switch? use one eye now, but have been trying both eyes open, but damn left eye keeps taking over.

[himurax13]

I'm not sure if you saw where I said this:



I acknowledged that it would be beneficial for me to learn, but hey, I know I can shoot...it's just a matter of training myself to use both eyes. Until I've trained myself, the sky shouldn't fall, though.

I was responding to the flippant "noob" response more than anything else.

I am not sure what you were trying to get at. I was totally agreeing with you and simply supporting your statement.

Until I started competing regularly, I did not see the need for shooting with both eyes unless you were using a shotgun or a paintball gun.

It is simply more efficient to use both eyes.