We are all aware that the majority of us use one hand more often than the other to write and that one half of our bodies is typically used more frequently. But there is also a dominant eye in the human body. Knowing which eye is your dominant eye can be useful when engaging in certain activities like shooting, taking pictures, or playing sports. There are a few quick tests you can perform to determine which eye is your dominant eye, whether you’re trying to perform better or you’re just curious.
Do We Have A Dominant Eye?
Most of us also have a dominant eye, just like we use one side of our bodies more than the other and have a dominant hand that we use for writing.
One eye may be dominant over the other due to preference rather than necessarily having better vision. Your dominant eye is the one that slightly more accurately transmits information, such as object location, to the visual cortex of your brain.
However, there is no direct connection between eye dominance and handedness, according to research. Right-handed people are more likely to have right-eye dominance, though it is also possible to be right-handed and left-eye dominant.
Individual differences exist in eye dominance. One person may have a strong degree of dominance in one eye, while another person may have an eye with a less pronounced dominance difference from the other eye.
What Does Ocular Dominance Actually Mean?
Anywhere in the body where there are two organs performing the same task, it is likely that one of them can be said to be more dominant than the other. People can be right-handed or left-handed, for example, and when it comes to your eyes, the right eye is typically more dominant than the left, which means it works harder and communicates more visually with the brain.
Does having a dominant right eye correlate with being right-handed?
If you are right-handed and have a dominant right eye, it is just a coincidence because there is no relationship between handedness and ocular dominance.
Does the fact that I can see well with both eyes indicate that I don’t have a dominant one?
Over two thirds of people have a dominant right eye, and only a very small percentage of people have balanced ocular function. When you use both eyes to look into the distance, the dominant eye’s vision automatically makes up for the non-dominant eye’s limitations. The non-dominant eye is given a back seat while the dominant eye handles the majority of the work.
How Can I Determine Which Eye Is Dominant?
Which eye is physically stronger can be determined at home using a very simple test. My dominant hand and dominant eye don’t line up, according to Positive Shooting, unlike 30% of all men (the statistics for women are a little more complicated). I almost exclusively use my right hand for writing, throwing, shooting, and other activities. However, when I perform an eye dominance test, my left eye comes out on top.
How is the dominant eye determined? Hold out your finger and position it in front of something while keeping both eyes open.
- Using the trigger finger motion, extend your hand at arm’s length with both eyes open and the line of vision from your index finger aligned with a clear marker in the background
- Close one eye once you have aimed your gaze directly at the target’s center.
- You are using your dominant eye if the target remains in line with your extended index finger.
- You are employing your non-dominant eye if the marker has moved and is no longer in line with the finger point.
Which Dominance Of The Eyes Is More Prevalent?
As right-handedness is more common, right eye dominance is also more common than left as only a third of the world’s population is left eye dominant. While it is possible to have cross dominant eyes (as was previously mentioned), it is also possible to have no preference in either eye, which would mean that one eye is dominant for some functions while the other is dominant for others. This is called mixed ocular dominance.
Importance Of Eye Dominance
Your performance in some sports and activities, like photography, can be enhanced by knowing which eye is your dominant eye.
Sports
It’s essential in some sports to be able to use your dominant eye to its fullest extent, which necessitates having your head in the right position. Examples of this include baseball and golf.
Every stroke in golf, including drives, putts, and fairway shots, must be aligned correctly by turning your head to look with your dominant eye.
When you’re batting in baseball, you need to turn your head just enough for your dominant eye to see the position, rotation, and speed of the ball coming at you clearly.
Shooting
To shoot and hit moving targets, you need to use your dominant eye. An eye-dominance test can help you if you discover that you have trouble hitting moving targets.
Cross dominance, or having your dominant eye on the side of your dominant hand, can make it challenging to aim for a target. Knowing which eye to fixate with can help you improve your accuracy by allowing you to change your position, technique, and awareness of your cross-dominance.
Photography
When using a camera’s viewfinder, knowing which of your eyes is dominant can help you compose a shot. A more accurate preview of the shot and better alignment can be obtained by using your dominant eye, whereas using your non-dominant eye can result in some details becoming out of focus.
If you are not having vision issues, eye dominance has no medical significance. If you participate in activities like photography, shooting, or particular sports, identifying your dominant eye can be useful.
There are quick tests you can use at home to identify your dominant eye, whether it’s to increase performance or just for pure curiosity.
Is It Possible To Switch Your Dominant Eye?
Wearing an eye patch, which is the primary form of treatment for amblyopia (lazy eye), allows you to train yourself to become more at ease using your non-dominant eye. The reason why wearing an eye patch could help you use your non-dominant eye is because it relaxes the dominant eye, and presents it with an unchanging visual field containing nothing of visual importance. In time, you will become more at ease using your non-dominant eye as a result of the brain’s ability to concentrate solely on the weaker eye. Sadly, this can initially cause annoyance and frustration because it will take some time for your brain to adjust to not being able to use the dominant eye.
Certain sports, like archery, that require accurate shooting are one of the main motivations for wanting to “switch” dominant eyes. Archers who have trouble using their stronger eye may want to practice doing so in order to make the sport easier for themselves.
Conclusion
As long as you are not having any vision issues, knowing which eye is your dominant eye is essentially of no medical significance. Knowing whether you participate in the aforementioned sports and photography or whether you’re just interested in learning can be helpful.
