– Ed

Even though you think you’re looking at something with both eyes equally, what’s actually happening is, your brain is taking more input from one eye than the other. Everyone has a dominant eye, which is better for aiming (just ask anyone who’s done shooting or archery and they’ll know all about it). The brain favours one eye in telling it how far away something is and where you are in relation to it. So, when you’re identifying your target in sport, this needs to be taken into account. Whilst our eyes are meant to work together as a team, one eye will dominate and more accurately provide information about the location of objects. Having binocular vision (two eyed vision), helps us with locating objects in space and judging distances. In spite of this, one eye will dominate.

This is easily demonstrated by extending your arms out in front of you and create a triangular opening between your thumbs and forefingers by placing your hands together at a forty-five-degree angle (see picture).

With both eyes open, center this triangular opening on a distant object, such as a wall clock or door knob. Close your left eye. If the object stays centered, your right eye (the one that’s open) is your dominant eye. If the object is no longer framed by your hands, your left eye is your dominant eye.

Another way to determine your dominant eye is to point your index finger at a small object with both your eyes open. Now, close each eye in turn and the open eye that keeps the object lined up is your dominant eye.

Extend arms forward and form opening between the hands. Look at distant object through opening. Bring hands to face while looking at object – opening will be aligned with the dominant eye.

Eye dominance and handedness

Though eye dominance and handedness (being right-handed or left-handed) are not directly related, these traits are significantly associated. Population studies show that about ninety percent of people are right-handed and about sixty-seven percent are right-eye dominant. It is impossible to predict eye dominance based on handedness alone.

Is it possible to have no dominant eye?

It is possible not to have a dominant eye, but extremely rare. If a strong degree of dominance is not apparent in a dominant eye test, it’s more likely a person has mixed ocular dominance (also called alternating ocular dominance), where one eye is dominant for certain functions or tasks, and the other eye is dominant at different times.

Eye dominance may be an important factor in some activities and knowing your dominant eye may help you perform better.

Cross Dominance

When your dominant hand is on the opposite side of your dominant eye, you are cross-dominant. This could be problematic in some activities.

Dominant eye in shooting

Being right handed and left eye dominant would create problems with shooting a rifle. This is called cross-dominance. Being aware of this will let you make the correct adjustments to improve your shooting accuracy. For example, if you are a right-handed (and therefore right-shouldered) shooter, but have a dominant left eye, you may find yourself shooting behind a left-to-right moving target and in front of a right-to-left moving target. Another option to compensate for cross-dominance is to keep both eyes open until just before you take your shot. Keeping both eyes open enables you to use 100 percent of your peripheral vision and depth perception to get ready for the shot. Closing your cross-dominant left eye just before the shot lets you make the last-second adjustment to better align the barrel of your rifle with the moving target.

Dominant eye in photography

Knowing which eye is your dominant eye is important when composing a photograph by looking through the viewfinder of a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera or similar film camera. Using your dominant eye will give you an accurate preview of the actual shot. Using your non-dominant eye will cause certain details to be slightly displaced laterally or off-frame.

Dominant eye in sports

If, like most people, you’re right-handed and have a dominant right eye, certain sports will require you to position your head properly to take full advantage of your dominant eye. For example, in baseball or softball, you need to turn your head enough when batting so your dominant right eye can clearly see the rotation, speed and position of the approaching pitch. The same is true for cricket. Another example is golf. Proper alignment of putts (and even fairway shots and drives) requires adequate head turns to fully use your dominant right eye to visualize the shot you’re about to take and accurately position your body and club head to achieve it.

If you are serious about sports and are looking for guidance on how to best use your eyes to enhance sports performance, consider visiting an Eye Care Professional.

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