I’m now left eye dominant

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  • Garpo

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    I am right handed and due to a medical condition in my right eye called a macular hole, I can no longer see the target clearly with my dominant right eye. Therefore, I’m now dependent on my left eye to aim at a target. That’s doable with handguns but for me, not with long guns. I have tried to shoot left handed but it feels awkward, uncomfortable and not to mention resulting in piss-poor accuracy. For you right handed folks that are left eye dominant, just how do you shoot long guns? I’m hoping that a recommended operation will help curb further vision loss but heard that my vision will never return to “normal” and corrective lenses do not help all that much with this condition.

    BTW and currently, optics do not help due to the visual distortion of the target.
     

    Mouser

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    Bummer...maybe laser sights will help, though using a laser for hunting in Alabama I think is illegal. I"m noticing that my ability to bring the front sight in focus is much harder now and I think my eyesight is not good for my age...bad near sighted too so some of the "fixes" like reading glasses, reverse bi focal lenses etc aren't likely to help.
     

    FrommerStop

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    Lots of practice. Me i am left handed but right eye dominant. i normally shoot right handed, but found I also can do well left handed and in fact the people I follow advocate ambidextrous shooting for combat purposes due to possibly getting wound in the right hand or the proper way to take yourself around corners.
     

    FNHman

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    I would like to think that just good old practice will help you feel more natural in adapting to your new situation. I'm left eye and left handed but pretty much ambidextrous "from lots of practice". Sure I have preferences in all my activities of what feels natural but my whole life I have tried to use both side equal and while I still throw like little league with my left dominate hand so I use my right. But when throwing frisbee I cant seem to throw right and have to use my left....

    A few years ago I had a situation while hunting deer from a ground blind. I like to shoot left with my dominant eye when possible but trying to move around and position myself in the blind for that position would have surely given the deer my position so I just shot with my right eye and right handed. I have practiced that for several year it didn't seem weird and the the shoot was spot on.

    Now if I could only find a nice compound bow that I can shoot with either hand thats NOT a crossbow.
     

    RackinRay

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    Bummer...maybe laser sights will help, though using a laser for hunting in Alabama I think is illegal. I"m noticing that my ability to bring the front sight in focus is much harder now and I think my eyesight is not good for my age...bad near sighted too so some of the "fixes" like reading glasses, reverse bi focal lenses etc aren't likely to help.

    If near sighted consider getting Lasik surgery for your eyes. The centers where it is done run sales regularly, like the one I used in Metairie LA, and can make it affordable. I had it done in 2000 just as I was ready for tri-focals to get by. Now I need only mild reading glasses since I wanted better distance vision and had both eyes done for that. Requires over-night stay nearby for follow up, but damn worth the money!
     

    DaBreeze

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    I'm right handed but when I picked up my first bb gun as a youngun' it went naturally to my left shoulder. I thought it was natural to shoot as a lefty because the strong hand steadies the gun and the weak hand only pulls the trigger. Made sense to me. Didnt know it was because I was left eye dominate. Was in my 40's when I figured it out. duh!
     

    FelixH

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    I'm in a similar situation, Garpo. I had a detached retina in my right (dominate) eye. Emergency surgery reattached the retina and restored my vision, but it's been 8 years and there's still a significant amount of distortion. I easily transitioned to using my left eye for handguns, but have not been able to make the switch to shooting long guns left-handed.
    With some practice, I've been able work through it to get "good enough" accuracy with my right eye to hunt. I'm comfortable out to about 50 yards with iron sights and 100 to 150 with a scope, depending on scope power and light conditions. I'll never be a sharp-shooter, but at least I can hunt.

    If I had a lot of time to commit to it, maybe I could get better shooting long guns left handed. It's very awkward and unnatural to me. I've tried it a few times with very poor results.
     

    Garpo

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    If I had a lot of time to commit to it, maybe I could get better shooting long guns left handed. It's very awkward and unnatural to me. I've tried it a few times with very poor results.

    I hear you and at my age (pushing 76) I really have a tough time getting motivated learning to shoot left handed. As for the future, looks like shotguns may be my long gun of choice. Better chance of hitting my target at distances required for social work.
     

    RussSurfs

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    I am right handed but lost the vision in my right eye as a kid. When I started shooting a few years ago I just started shooting left handed. Early last year I read an article where the guy said everyone should train to shoot on eithe side. I emailed him and explained that I could not shoot a rifle right handed because of my eye. He explained that he had a friend that was an operator that lost vision in his eye in combat. His friend just raised his scope 5/8 of an inch. I was certain it could not be that easy. It was. I shoot riight handed by sliding my head over enough to see the scope out of my left eye. It is an easy test - buy a riser and give it a try. Like the others said it will take some practice to feel normal.
     

    Snake-Eyes

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    I am right handed but lost the vision in my right eye as a kid. When I started shooting a few years ago I just started shooting left handed. Early last year I read an article where the guy said everyone should train to shoot on eithe side. I emailed him and explained that I could not shoot a rifle right handed because of my eye. He explained that he had a friend that was an operator that lost vision in his eye in combat. His friend just raised his scope 5/8 of an inch. I was certain it could not be that easy. It was. I shoot riight handed by sliding my head over enough to see the scope out of my left eye. It is an easy test - buy a riser and give it a try. Like the others said it will take some practice to feel normal.

    That's interesting. Do you shoot with the rifle canted? Do you still mount the scope with crosshairs level to the gun? Since the turrets move the crosshairs/reticle in an up/down left/right manner, any cant might induce error during adjustments or holdover, especially with a higher over-bore height, right? Perhaps it's a non-issue for hunting at closer ranges...

    Also, do you tend to prefer lower combs and cheek-welds to make for more room to get your head over the stock?

    Interesting adaptation...
     

    Garpo

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    I shoot riight handed by sliding my head over enough to see the scope out of my left eye. It is an easy test - buy a riser and give it a try. Like the others said it will take some practice to feel normal.

    Most likely using this method:

    http://www.accurateshooter.com/guns-of-week/gunweek063/

    I have a few risers lying around so I’ll give this a try. I might also try a 45 degree offset mount in conjuction with a riser.
     

    kidsoncoffee

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    I shoot left handed, but I'm right eye dominant. I have no issues using optics as long as I close my right eye. Takes some time to sight your rifle in and I've found that right handed people aren't as accurate with my rifles as I am. Red dots are kinda useless for me as I still have to treat them like a scope and close one eye. I wear corrective lenses as well so that may help you.
     

    Telum Pisces

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    Everyone in my family, kids and wife, are left eye dominant and are right handed! They shoot both rifles and handguns left handed. Just train, train, and practice, practice left handed. Amazing what the body can learn when it has to. When I had surgery on my right arm, I thought I was done for while in a cast etc... My left hand is useless. But after time of more and more use, it became more and more natural to use my left hand/arm.
     

    Garpo

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    I’ve been practicing bringing my AR and my 10/22 up to my left shoulder and sighting them using my left eye. I’ll have to admit that the more I do it the more comfortable I feel and it is so nice to see the target clearly. My only problem is to curb the natural instinct, when I grab the rifle, to bring it to my right shoulder but as all have said: practice, practice, practice.
     

    Joeinfl

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    I feel your pain. Several years ago I had a stroke that destroyed the vision in my right eye and I am right handed. Several injections, laser treatments and finally surgery to no avail. Still no vision in right eye. Tried shooting rifles left handed, that didn't work at all, sold all the rifles. I can shoot handguns but did have to learn to shoot all over. Hang in there, enjoy the handguns and be happy for the sight you have left. Good luck.
     

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