shoot differently with each eye

[RiverRat]

I was at the range today to practice for my CHL renewal course pistol shooting test on the "real" targets and found a really interesting anomaly that was very obvious at 15 yards. My eyes must sight differently. Sighting with my right eye (through glasses) puts my shots about three to five inches due left....sighting with my left eye (through glasses) and I'm dead on. Wonder if it's the astigmatism corrections in the prescription sunglasses that I was wearing. I have astigmatism in both eyes, hence corrections in both lenses. Now the hard part...I have to remember which eye to use for the test .

I don't have any issue with open sights on rifles. I keep both eyes open. Most of the rifles and shotguns I shot as a kid had useless sites, so I learned to barrel sight with some Permian Basin (never been to Kentucky) windage.

The other crazy part is that I never realized I changed sighting eye on a pistol. It seemed dependent on my stance. I went back and forth between right and left eye almost with every magazine change???

[GWE Chally]

Sounds like you are left-eye dominant.



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[AEA]

Did you try with both eyes open? If not give it a try with both eyes open and sighting with the right and then the left.

You should really practice this way for the instance when you are actually defending yourself. By closing one eye you loose a lot of the field of vision you need to be paying attention to.

[RiverRat]

I haven't figured out a way to be comfortable when target sighting on paper with both eyes open. With the progressive lenses, I can't see anything well pistol shooting, nothing is in focus with both eyes open. Pistol is not intuitive to me like a long gun, especially these little carry pistols. Shooting cans at the ranch (real life shooting) is a totally different thing, I never have any aim hesitation to even think about it. I know Charles recommended some add on lenses that stick on.....might have to break down and try them for shooting paper.

An interesting thing happened when I had to go to the DPS to renew my license last year. I passed the eye test and they removed my corrective lens restriction.......I've worn glasses since the second grade when the teacher told me that the letters of the alphabet were running along printed in a green border just under the ceiling..........I just thought it was a green border....

Obviously, my eyes are changing faster than my slowly evolving shooting practice habits. To complicate things, with ammo shortages, then increase in prices, have all served to limit my practice. Dry fire doesn't cut it for me. Firing a .22 target is not the same as a short barrel .45ACP (in theory maybe, but not in practice).

The hard part about getting older is that you know all this stuff you can't seem to do anything about......PS I'm even older than LONGTOOTH.. ...I will play with the double eye aim on the pistol more...after I get this shooting test passed.

[WildBill]

You can shoot/aim anyway you want - as long as you are consistant you will get acceptable results.

[Commander Cody]

PS I'm even older than LONGTOOTH..

I thought we were all older than Mr. LT

[AEA]

With the progressive lenses, I can't see anything well pistol shooting, nothing is in focus with both eyes open.

I too wear progressives and having the same problem as you with regard to trying to get anything in focus especially the sights on a pistol and on a rifle. Forget about the target....just a blur when I crank my head up to try and get in the lower part of my glasses for the best picture of the sights (which is still not very good, and hard on the neck).

So I have ordered a set of full frame reading glasses (which is the lower portion of my Progressives). I expect to use these for shooting (range work) and they will at least be easier on my neck. I expect to see the sights fairly well with this, but the target will still be a blur. I expect to be able to do well anyway....as long as I can see the blurry black spot!

[longtooth]

PS I'm even older than LONGTOOTH..

I thought we were all older than Mr. LT

Not by much RiverRat. Nope Commander Cody, LT is oldern dirt & dumbern a rock.
If you dont believe it ask a Liberal.
specially the comender in chief of all libs. (and no I did not mis-spell it)
LT

[cbunt1]

PS I'm even older than LONGTOOTH..

I thought we were all older than Mr. LT

Not by much RiverRat. Nope Commander Cody, LT is oldern dirt & dumbern a rock.
If you dont believe it ask a Liberal.
specially the comender in chief of all libs. (and no I did not mis-spell it)
LT

Now come on, LT, you may be a bit more "seasoned" than some of us, but hardly dumbern a rock....

And the only thing I EVER ask a liberal is why he's still talking

[couzin]

I also have (had) a cross dominance issue (left eye/right handed). Bad nearsighted (6.50 and 6.75). Had the E assist Lasix yesterday at 2:30 in the monovision framework and am 20-20 in right eye and 20-40 in my left when I went for my appointment at 11:30 this morning. The monovision thing is working perfectly and causing no problems. A little blurryness and dry eye but still dang good. Be a little while before I get back to shooting but I believe I will be fine.

[RiverRat]

Ended up ok. I did a 245 on the renewel shooting test using the left eye with the little 4" 1911 that I carry. Still had a zinger in the seven and the eight. If it had been a snake with an attitude, I wouldn't be here shooting like that. Hope it was bad ammo .

Now that LT has his own range, I doubt any of us can keep up with his shooting anymore. I know I don't get much practice with .45 running $0.39 a round.

[03Lightningrocks]

I am having some of the same issues with my eyes mentioned in this thread. My eye dr said he could set me up with a prescription for glasses to use at the shooting range. It sounds good but I was wondering if this would be a bad idea. I don't do competitive shooting so my practice is meant for self defense. I was thinking I would be in trouble if I were to practice with glasses I would not likely be wearing if I were in a self defense situation. Any thoughts about this?

[Jumping Frog]

I am having some of the same issues with my eyes mentioned in this thread. My eye dr said he could set me up with a prescription for glasses to use at the shooting range. It sounds good but I was wondering if this would be a bad idea. I don't do competitive shooting so my practice is meant for self defense. I was thinking I would be in trouble if I were to practice with glasses I would not likely be wearing if I were in a self defense situation. Any thoughts about this?

I shoot with my progressives now (mid-50's) and my front sight is a blur when using the distance correction . If I tilt my head back to search for the right spot in my progressives, I can see the front sight but then the target is a blur.

I just ordered a set of prescription shooting glasses that will be lined bifocals. One correction is set for distance, the other is optimized for 26" (distance to front sight). Using a lined bifocal instead of a progressive should let me shift from near to far quickly and easily -- with minimal head movement -- instead of losing time searching for the "sweet spot" in a progressive.

MY thought process on your self defense concern is this. First, I already know from shooting this way in IDPA that I can consistently hit the "A" zone out to about 7 yards using blurry sights from the distance correction on my progressives. When I am shooting in the 15 yard range, I need to lose time by moving my head to get the front sight clear if I am going to consistently hit my target.

I do not think practicing with the lined bifocals will materially affect how I shoot in a self defense situation because I still am dealing with the same issue of being able to see either near or far, but not both. Hopefully, if it is a self defense situation it will be at 7 yards or closer where I can still be as fast and accurate as when I was young (although with blurry front sight).

But if it is at a greater distance, I can still make the shot. I am just substantially slower than when I was young because I lose time fishing around for my vision.

[03Lightningrocks]

I am having some of the same issues with my eyes mentioned in this thread. My eye dr said he could set me up with a prescription for glasses to use at the shooting range. It sounds good but I was wondering if this would be a bad idea. I don't do competitive shooting so my practice is meant for self defense. I was thinking I would be in trouble if I were to practice with glasses I would not likely be wearing if I were in a self defense situation. Any thoughts about this?

I shoot with my progressives now (mid-50's) and my front sight is a blur when using the distance correction . If I tilt my head back to search for the right spot in my progressives, I can see the front sight but then the target is a blur.

I just ordered a set of prescription shooting glasses that will be lined bifocals. One correction is set for distance, the other is optimized for 26" (distance to front sight). Using a lined bifocal instead of a progressive should let me shift from near to far quickly and easily -- with minimal head movement -- instead of losing time searching for the "sweet spot" in a progressive.

MY thought process on your self defense concern is this. First, I already know from shooting this way in IDPA that I can consistently hit the "A" zone out to about 7 yards using blurry sights from the distance correction on my progressives. When I am shooting in the 15 yard range, I need to lose time by moving my head to get the front sight clear if I am going to consistently hit my target.

I do not think practicing with the lined bifocals will materially affect how I shoot in a self defense situation because I still am dealing with the same issue of being able to see either near or far, but not both. Hopefully, if it is a self defense situation it will be at 7 yards or closer where I can still be as fast and accurate as when I was young (although with blurry front sight).

But if it is at a greater distance, I can still make the shot. I am just substantially slower than when I was young because I lose time fishing around for my vision.

Some very good food for thought. Thanks for the response. I have a new prescription that has more corrections than I could keep count of. Just picked them up a few days ago. I have almost fallen down the stairs twice already. My left eye has stigmatism(sp?). On top of that I have trifocals with different strengths in each eye...LOL. They are progressive lenses, so to look at them, one would never know my eyes are all over the place. I am worried about what is going to happen the next time I go to the range. It should be entertaining.