Can eye dominance change?

[averageplinker]

Hi,
I have always shot left handed due to having a dominant left eye (but I am right handed)
I think my eye dominance might be changing as I age, possibly due to the vision in my right eye staying in better shape. Can this happen?
Has anyone else had their eye dominance change?
Cheers

[maximus]

I believe it can, yes, though it has not happened to me. It happened to my son when he was young, changing from left to right eye dominant which was lucky as he is right handed.

[ashf9999]

Yes it certainly can. Eye dominance can switch, gradually or fairly quickly, or they can become co-dominant. Worth checking with your optician it’s not just down to worsening vision in one eye causing it to change. Generally more of an issue for shotgun shooters who use both eyes for depth perception, but there are ways around it (dimming one eye, opaque patches, day glow beads, stick-on knobbly things - different things work or don’t work for different people). For rifle shooting it’s usually less of an issue, so as long as the ‘used’ eye has the correct vision you should be ok. There are threads on this site as to how the lens strength should be tweaked different than for general vision for targets, including if using diopter sights.

I am left handed…but shoot right handed…

[gunshop]

Eye dominance can change in a day, you could wake up right eye dominant, by dinner time be central vision and by evening be left eye dominant. It can also be changed if your hungover or you have banged your head. Im right eye dominant but occasionally go central vision.

[Segata]

I can use both as seems Rights got as knackered as the left, noticed restless leg can swap too as my right was the jitterer until it stopped working right and then my left started jttering instead.

[Jacklurcher]

I was heavily left eye dominant, due to an undiagnosed squint as a child, to the extent that the image from the right eye was disregarded by the brain (or so my optician now tells me).

However I'm right handed, (and cack handed), so wasn't particularly good at shooting a rifle left handed. Pistol was fine, just shot isosceles and used the left eye.

Over lockdown I started with air rifles in the garden, and by closing the left eye and lots (and lots) of practice got to the point where I can now keep both eyes open, shoulder the rifle and get a quick, good sight picture. Initially I couldn't even see through the scope without a lot of difficulty.

Unfortunately, I'm now having the odd episode of double vision, so it's back to the optician to see if it can be sorted out somehow. Maybe have to start again shoooting left handed… 🙁

[joffy]

Eye dominance can change due to sugar levels blood pressure etc .....

[averageplinker]

Thanks for the info chaps.