Shooting with both eyes Open???

[Ksail101]

I know all the stuff about shooting with both eyes open and under extreme stress you sort of do it not even trying or knowing. But I am having a big problem and was wondering if maybe I just cant or wont ever be able to.

If I look down the sights of my handgun I have to squint my left eye or close it. If I dont I cant see my sights or target effectively. my sight are doubled as in the rear  notch looks like there are two of them and the target is doubled as well. It is very pronounce double vision too. I have to and had to under stress, and my body does it naturally, squint my left eye at the very least to see down the sights.

If I try and focus on front sight, rear sight becomes two, and if I bring my focus back which is bad cause my target gets really in wash my front sight goes double. Either way target is doubled.

I dont think training is ever going to fix this. Anyone else have this issue?

[tombogan03884]

How is your vision otherwise. Have you had an eye exam recently.
With hand guns I think the general rule is whatever works best for YOU.

[PegLeg45]

I'm the same way, Ksail. I've tried for years to develop "both eyes open sighting" with a handgun. The only way I can do it is with tape over the lens of my left side of my shooting glasses. I have 20/20 vision and have no problem keeping both eyes open when using a scope. Just can't connect the dots with a handgun.

[Solus]

Had something similar  happen to me recently.  Went for a vision test and I told the Dr. that sometimes, after working (playing) at the computer for some time, the words on the screen got blurry and I thought it might be eye strain.   

She asked me if it was my eyes crossing and I told her I wasn't aware of it if it was. 

Next time it happened, I closed my left eye and it cleared up.  I figure that if your eye muscles are getting strained, you eyes might not be able to hold position and you end up seeing double....that is what I was seeing....so maybe your problem is similar?

[alfsauve]

I have a problem with binoculars and with red-dot sights.

I can never get Binoc's to merge the image.  I always see two no matter how I set them

With red-dots, I see every image on every surface, so I end up seeing the main dot and several smaller ones around it.

No problem with regular open sights or fiber-optic on pistol or rifle.

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

Here is my (worth less than .02) advice.  Take both hands and focus on a corner in the room where the wall meets the ceiling. Make a frame with your hands, both thumbs touching, palms up and out (classic silly directors frame). With both eyes open, center the corner. Now open and close each eye. You will find that with one eye, the dominant, your center will stay the same. With the other, the weak eye, it will shift. Now, pick up a pistol. Aim it at that corner where the wall meets the ceiling with both eyes open. Close your weak eye. Guess where you are pointing? Your eyes automatically tend to compensate. If you closed your dominant eye, you would seem to be aiming several inches left or right, but you aren't. If you fire, you'll find that you hit where the dominant eye pointed. The dominant eye leads where we place our hands and gun. Try that exercise 5 times and you'll see it works. Just my .02.
FQ13

[kmitch200]

It sounds like Ksail may have a cross dominance issue.
It comes up in shotgun game discussions a lot.

[david86440]

It sounds like Ksail may have a cross dominance issue.
It comes up in shotgun game discussions a lot.

I thought that meant ......sometimes your on top, and other times your the bottom.

[Ksail101]

Sorry I got busy at work lastnight and didnt get to reply. I do where glasses for astigmatism. But from what I was told that just means I eyes dont focus correctly do to the the shape of my eyes lens. Ill def try Fights thoughts and see what happens.

It just sucks that I can look down a pistol with both eyes wide open and see anything but double. Maybe over time this will correct. I did not seem to be hampered by this problem at all when I was over seas and its more me focusing on the problem at the range. So I trust myself if something should happen that I can effectively end the problem its just I will either be shooting with one eye open or one squinted.

[mkm]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. It makes things a bit trickier, and I occasionally have a similar problem.  I would check to see how it is like yours, but China made me leave my guns at home.  However, I have practiced and my eyes seem to know to switch when I'm holding a pistol.  Good luck with it; I hope you figure something out.

Here is my (worth less than .02) advice.  Take both hands and focus on a corner in the room where the wall meets the ceiling. Make a frame with your hands, both thumbs touching, palms up and out (classic silly directors frame). With both eyes open, center the corner. Now open and close each eye. You will find that with one eye, the dominant, your center will stay the same. With the other, the weak eye, it will shift. Now, pick up a pistol. Aim it at that corner where the wall meets the ceiling with both eyes open. Close your weak eye. Guess where you are pointing? Your eyes automatically tend to compensate. If you closed your dominant eye, you would seem to be aiming several inches left or right, but you aren't. If you fire, you'll find that you hit where the dominant eye pointed. The dominant eye leads where we place our hands and gun. Try that exercise 5 times and you'll see it works. Just my .02.
FQ13

I would like to add one more technique to that.  Like FQ suggests, find a small object and frame it with both hands extended out in front of your face.  Make the hole in your hands just big enough to focus on the object.  Slowly bring your hands back towards your face while focusing on the object.  The hole will line up with your dominant eye.