Advanced Marksmanship Looking for tips for training to keep both eyes open and left eye focus.

[Dthomas3523]

So, when I attempt to keep my left eye open (right handed right eye dominant), my brain won’t cancel out the image from my left eye.

I basically see the turret superimposed inside the reticle. My brain also seems to swap back and for on which one it wants to focus on, the left image or the right.

If I wear and eye patch over my left eye, I have no problems at all.

I’d like to train myself to shoot with both eyes open, but seem to be failing at it.

Also, when shooting weak side, I can’t get a very focused view of the reticle. I’m assuming my left eye diopter setting is different from right eye.

So, @lowlight or anyone else, what tips, tricks, or suggestions do you have?

 

[MarinePMI]

Just put a small piece of scotch tape over the center of your left lens of your glasses (IIRC, you wear glasses). You will still be able to see around the edges of the tape, but with the center obscured (or where ever you look through the lens when aiming), you'll train your brain to ignore the left eye.

 

[Lowlight]

Clear tape to limit information on the left side,

what I used to do, I am left eye dominant, was close the left for a second, let the right eye focus then open up my left.

It sounds like your situation may have changed with age and what I found is, if I wear my prescription glasses to shoot, my eye dominance is less of an issue, vs just wearing safety glasses. The prescriptions one balance out my vision better so I can then force my right eye to work correctly.

Our eyes are controlled by muscles, and you can teach our muscles to work a certain way, it's just finding that balance to get them too.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Just put a small piece of scotch tape over the center of your left lens of your glasses (IIRC, you wear glasses). You will still be able to see around the edges of the tape, but with the center obscured (or where ever you look through the lens when aiming), you'll train your brain to ignore the left eye.

I normally don’t wear glasses.

 

[MarinePMI]

I normally don’t wear glasses.

Ahh, I see (no pun intended). Perhaps like Frank recommended then? Or wear shooting glasses with tape like mentioned (I know, I hate shooting a rifle with shooting glasses too). It might work to hang a data card off your rifle in the path of your left eye...

 

[Dthomas3523]

Ahh, I see (no pun intended). Perhaps like Frank recommended then? Or wear shooting glasses with tape like mentioned (I know, I hate shooting a rifle with shooting glasses too). It might work to hang a data card off your rifle in the path of your left eye...

If I wouldn’t get made fun of until the end of time, I’d wear a pirate patch. Best of both worlds. Comfort of eyes open and only one image.

I think Frank is right as well. The left eye reticle fuzzy is relatively new. Might be time to go to eye doc.

 

[47guy]

It just takes time...took me a month or so....try laying on the floor at night or when you can and try focusing on the reticle....and like frank said close the none scope eye then open when you have a good picture and repeat.

 

[Steel head]

It just takes time...took me a month or so....try laying on the floor at night or when you can and try focusing on the reticle....and like frank said close the none scope eye then open when you have a good picture and repeat.

Similar experience for me as well.

 

[_Windrider_]

 

[_Windrider_]

You also have to say I am the greatest before every shot.

 

[Rocketmandb]

I've never had an issue with both eyes open... unless I shoot off hand, in which case I have to close my right eye. I just can't get it to work with both open.

 

[seansmd]

@Dthomas3523 I actually have a single contact in my left eye for reading at 53 I can't go without readers. A friend suggested contact, and the eye doctor was able to make this work and it works for many to have it in my left eye only. The side benefit is for longer ranges the left eye is a little blurry, but combined the two eyes work great near and far, no more readers. The ancillary benefit is when on the gun, my right eye is strong and clean for long distance through the optic, and the left is clear to see turrets, dope card holder, etc,. When both eyes are open my brain lets the right eye do its thing while still having both open, relaxed, and aware.

 

[clcustom1911]

Do you shoot much pistol? If so, do you close one eye?

Focusing on the reticle in the scope is like focusing on the front sight when shooting other disciplines. I found when I started shooting a lot of pistol with both eyes open, it allowed me to be able to use that same neuro-pathway with other platforms.

For scopes, I found it really really helps me to have a perfectly tuned diopter and parallax so everything is in focus at the same time that way your eye isn't trying to shift focus between the image plane of the target and the plane if the reticle.

 

[Rocketmandb]

For scopes, I found it really really helps me to have a perfectly tuned diopter and parallax so everything is in focus at the same time that way your eye isn't trying to shift focus between the image plane of the target and the plane if the reticle.

I'm curious, how often do you adjust your diopter? And I'm assuming you shoot uncorrected?

 

[seansmd]

Do you shoot much pistol? If so, do you close one eye?

Focusing on the reticle in the scope is like focusing on the front sight when shooting other disciplines. I found when I started shooting a lot of pistol with both eyes open, it allowed me to be able to use that same neuro-pathway with other platforms.

For scopes, I found it really really helps me to have a perfectly tuned diopter and parallax so everything is in focus at the same time that way your eye isn't trying to shift focus between the image plane of the target and the plane if the reticle.

For pistol i slightly turn my head to favor my dominant right eye any still shoot my dominant left hand.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Do you shoot much pistol? If so, do you close one eye?

Focusing on the reticle in the scope is like focusing on the front sight when shooting other disciplines. I found when I started shooting a lot of pistol with both eyes open, it allowed me to be able to use that same neuro-pathway with other platforms.

For scopes, I found it really really helps me to have a perfectly tuned diopter and parallax so everything is in focus at the same time that way your eye isn't trying to shift focus between the image plane of the target and the plane if the reticle.

For pistol, I use both eyes at 15yd and in. Once I start stretching out distance, I’ll close one eye.

My philosophy on that is same with rifle. Time and opportunity.

In a gunfight, I probably wouldn’t take a 25yd pistol shot unless I wasn’t the primary target of my target and couldn’t get any closer. I’d probably also try to find something to touch rest pistol against.

Closer, I need my peripheral to see things (put a badge on your buddy’s belt and have him stand 7 or so yds away. Close your non dominant eye, and his badge will disappear)

But, I’m not looking through a tube like a rifle scope. So my non dominant eye doesn’t see the side with a pistol like it does rifle.

I’m using the tricks listed above and working on training my eyes.

 

[clcustom1911]

I'm curious, how often do you adjust your diopter? And I'm assuming you shoot uncorrected?

I shoot with my Rx glasses on, both my standard glasses and Rx sunglasses. I only touch my diopter maybe once every few months to see if I can sharpen things up a hair. I discovered this little trick maybe a year ago. I had originally set my diopter like what the sticky says in the scope thread, but I found I had a sharp reticle and an ever so slightly out of focus target.

So, I decided to try to get both sharp as possible. I set my target at 200 and set my parallax at 200, I focus intensely on the reticle and played with the diopter and it only took a little of fine-tuning to get both crisp and clear. Good times.


My Rx gets me to 20/15 vision and pretty much everyone who looks through my scops comment on how clear everything looks, so I think I'm onto something.

Btw, I only have, as of now, one Leupold Mark AR Mod1 1.5-4x and one Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 3-15x44. Both are impressive for their clarity at their price point. The other optics I have are red dots or other reflex sights.

 

[clcustom1911]

For pistol i slightly turn my head to favor my dominant right eye any still shoot my dominant left hand.

I'm a lefty as well, but not cross-eye dominant.

 

[MarinePMI]

 

[pmclaine]

I learned on pistol first and never had an issue when I moved to rifle.

Super weird when I first started doing it because my brain image flipped side to side trying to focus. It was almost like a strobe effect.

Just kept at it until my brain said "This is ridiculous" and chose my dominant eye.

I did it in the mornings before work while dry firing 10 or so trigger pulls, within a week, couple of sessions of live fire it was mastered.

 

[pmclaine]

Please no selfies..............

 

[Rocketmandb]

I shoot with my Rx glasses on, both my standard glasses and Rx sunglasses. I only touch my diopter maybe once every few months to see if I can sharpen things up a hair. I discovered this little trick maybe a year ago. I had originally set my diopter like what the sticky says in the scope thread, but I found I had a sharp reticle and an ever so slightly out of focus target.

So, I decided to try to get both sharp as possible. I set my target at 200 and set my parallax at 200, I focus intensely on the reticle and played with the diopter and it only took a little of fine-tuning to get both crisp and clear. Good times.


My Rx gets me to 20/15 vision and pretty much everyone who looks through my scops comment on how clear everything looks, so I think I'm onto something.

Btw, I only have, as of now, one Leupold Mark AR Mod1 1.5-4x and one Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 3-15x44. Both are impressive for their clarity at their price point. The other optics I have are red dots or other reflex sights.

I might have to try your method. I never had a problem until relatively recently, when my eyes decided to go to shit. I've been playing around with different things, and my target and reticle appear basically crisp, but I'm getting eye strain a lot quicker than I used to.

 

[clcustom1911]

I might have to try your method. I never had a problem until relatively recently, when my eyes decided to go to shit. I've been playing around with different things, and my target and reticle appear basically crisp, but I'm getting eye strain a lot quicker than I used to.

Go for it. Might help, might not. Like Frank said above, our eyes are controlled by muscles. Both he globe and lens have muscles acting on the constantly. I see it as the less work you can get everything to do, the longer you'll be able to do it without eye strain, etc.

 

[Lapuapalooza]

Instead of trying to keep both eyes completely open, have you tried squinting your other eye down enough to “shut off” some of the input that your left eye is feeding your brain? I’m right handed, but am left eye dominant. I’ll squint my left eye while I’m behind a pistol or AR. If I transition to my weak side I still need to squint my right eye to keep so much information from going to my brain. This works for me behind a scope as well.

 

[striped1]

Have you tried to shift the scope back slightly? I had that same "sight picture" issue with a 1x6 razor on my 3 gun rifle. Shifted it back and it alleviated it.

 

[spife7980]

You dont need to train, you need to buy my new new shooters eye training gear.