“Scott, I’m right-handed, but I am left-eye dominant. Instructors tell me to shoot with both eyes open, but the front sight is blurry when I try this. What do I do?”

I get this question a lot as an Instructor-

 

The good news is there are a lot of folks who are right-handed but left-eye dominant or vice-versa.

 

As mentioned in the question above, if you try to do this, the sights are blurry, and you can’t see anything.

You cannot keep both eyes open when shooting, as it makes yourself and those around you unsafe. 

 

 So, here’s your solution.

 

Close your right eye when you shoot.

 

And turn your head slightly to the right so your left eye can align your sights.

 

It’s really that simple.

 

And no, it won’t affect your accuracy.

 

Some Instructors say you can’t be a good shot if you don’t keep both eyes open.

 

That’s nonsense.

 

You can still be a good shooter, even if you must close one of your eyes when shooting.

 

The first time you do this, I recommend practicing with an empty gun in front of the mirror (mirror-image training), so you can see how you turn your head just a few inches to line up the sights.

 

In a gunfight, the only thing that matters are accurate hits.

 

So, if you only shoot with one eye open-

 

But you can still hit your target- then you are fine.

 

After all, if you force yourself to shoot with two eyes open but can’t hit the target- Why not throw the weapon at your assailant.

 

Please pass this information on to anyone struggling with “eye dominance” because I know this affects many shooters.

Remember to look left and right after you shoot, even while working on your mirror image training, as criminals usually travel in packs, not as individuals, and tactically it’s common sense to look for other threats after a self-defence incident. 

Or as Shakespeare put it – When sorrows come, they not single spies, but in battalions.