gwv610 Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 I recently lost eyesight in my dominant eye (left) and have had to switch to my right side. This has not been a problem, but my question is- will I ever be able to shotgun (instinctively shoot) accurately with only one eye? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hattles Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 I recently lost eyesight in my dominant eye (left) and have had to switch to my right side. This has not been a problem, but my question is- will I ever be able to shotgun (instinctively shoot) accurately with only one eye? I'm certainly no doctor but I would think that over time your body and mind will allow the natural transformation to again become an instinctive shooter. This very thing happened to a guy at our skeet club and it took him less than six months to make the switch. He's now hunting and shooting skeet and five stand like he used to...we've nicknamed him "dead eye", not because of his loss but because of his ability. Best of luck and good shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckcop Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 My father lost an eye in the military in the 40's. It never kept him from shooting just fine. He's 80 now but when I was growing up, we hunted ducks and doves and we never came home empty handed. More recently, he still does well shooting skeet. You should have no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cootcommander Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 My grandfather lost eye sight in his dominant eye(right) and was forced to learn to shoot left handed. It really took no time at all for him to get in the swing of things. I feel certain with practice you will do the same. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel333 Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 The human body is extremely resilient so you should easily adjust to the change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike100 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 First of all please accept my sincere empathy for your loss. Loss of vision is horrible, but you certainly have a healthy attitude when asking about solutions. You state losing vision in your dominant left eye, and that “ have had to switch to my right side.”, but did not mention if you are right of left handed shooter. If you were a right-handed shooter with a left dominant eye that you lose, you may find that you actually shoot better now. Alignment is far more significant than depth perception when shooting targets (stationary or moving). Cross-dominance (“cross-sighting’) is a big problem when the dominant eye is different from the handedness (i.e., right handedness with left ocular dominance, or vice versa). A much larger obstacle is switching to right-handed shooting if you were a left-handed shooter with a left dominant eye that you lose. Of course the same scenario applies to the opposite side shooter forced to change sides. --Spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterlate111 Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 I wouldn't be surprised to hear later that you actually have an advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomjb Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Have a good friend that also lost one to an accident in his case, he shoots quicker and better than I do now. Best to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kyle58962 Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 The human body is extremely resilient so you should easily adjust to the change. I agree. As time past everything will be ok for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kyle58962 Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 I wouldn't be surprised to hear later that you actually have an advantage. i certainly agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethonl Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 The human body is extremely resilient so you should easily adjust to the change. I agree.. With healthy optimism, I'm certain you'll overcome your situation, gwv610. My experience comes from home.. my sister has lost both her central and most of her peripherial vision.. I am continually amazed at how well she has coped and adapted. Take care.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepydoc Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 The loss of sight from one eye will diminish stereoscopic ie 3D capability, cant change the physics, however the learned behavior of tracking a target will only be affected slightly as you brain compensates for this loss by reading the size of the object you are tracking. It gets smaller , it's farther away. The trick here would be to compensate for the loss of three dimensions by removing the need for that information. Might I suggest learning trap or skeet style shooting with a firm cheeklock on the comb and tracking the target. Now you have the ability to track well, line up the firearm and judge distance to some degree. Just remember to take care of the good eye with quality protective optics. By the by, it's a medical opinion though not a consult by any means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwv610 Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 Thanks for all the support and positive feedback. At least if nothing else, I'll have an excuse for not hitting any birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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