Help needed from one-eyed shooters.

[Adamant]

First of all, this isn't a 'woe is me' post - it's a serious request for help and advice.

Due to an untreatable medical condition, I am progressively losing the sight in my left eye and already have enough 'holes' in my vision to significantly affect my depth perception. While this has had little impact on my aimed rifle shooting as the sight in my right eye is normal with glasses (being right handed and right eye dominant) it is causing havoc with my ability to use a shotgun or shoot running game with a rifle.

Does anyone have any experience of adjusting for binocular to monocular vision and can offer advice - despite being pretty rubbish with a shotgun on birds, I've always been pretty good on ground game like hares and like driven rifle hunting too, so really don't want to lose this element of my sport.

Thanks,

Adam.

 

[Mungo]

I have quite a bad lazy eye, and (bizarrely) am very short sighted in my left eye and very far sighted in my right eye.

This means I have effectively no depth perception. I've had this almost all my life, so don't know any different.

As you've noticed, shooting a rifle isn't a problem.

As for using a shotgun... the bad news is, you're never going to be a top shot. But it's perfectly possible to shoot adequately enough to enjoy yourself - provided you understand the limitations.

The key to it is learning to judge distance based on relative size and speed. This means a lot of practice. There are no tricks or short cuts: just go to a clay range and shoot a lot.

 

[Mungo]

There are certain categories of shot which become exceptionally difficult.

Anything with a substantial distance change in it is hard: going away or coming straight at you. The more lateral movement there is, the easier they become. Straight crossers are pretty easy.

I would also recommend trying to take up or maintain a racket sport. I used to play a lot of squash and fives and that really helped.

You mention ground game: this is actually the easiest to manage, since you have landmarks of known size to refer to (bushes etc). With a lot of practice, you subconsciously start to use them to make your adjustments.

 

[Ray7756]

I had laser eye surgery on my eyes to give me good distance sight, after about 18 months I was fed up using glasses for reading, my optician fitted a contact lens to my left eye and it was fantastic use right eye for distance and left for reading, i then had laser surgery on my left eye so that it is for reading, so effectively left eye is no good for shooting, I have no problem shooting with either rifle or shotgun, just close your left eye to remove the image and you will be surprised how soon you will get used to it, also a friend of mine years ago only had vision in his right eye and he constantly out shot me,,,,,,,really annoying
best of luck
Ray

 

[Adamant]

There are certain categories of shot which become exceptionally difficult.

Anything with a substantial distance change in it is hard: going away or coming straight at you. The more lateral movement there is, the easier they become. Straight crossers are pretty easy.

I would also recommend trying to take up or maintain a racket sport. I used to play a lot of squash and fives and that really helped.

You mention ground game: this is actually the easiest to manage, since you have landmarks of known size to refer to (bushes etc). With a lot of practice, you subconsciously start to use them to make your adjustments.

That's really helpful.

(except for the racquet sports bit - I had no hand-to-eye coordination with both eyes functioning so haven't a hope in hell with just the one!)

 

[Mungo]

That's really helpful.

(except for the racquet sports bit - I had no hand-to-eye coordination with both eyes functioning so haven't a hope in hell with just the one!)

Just get used to bumping into things!

And pouring from a bottle into a glass is close to impossible - just accept defeat and rest the bottle on the rim of the glass.

Door handles can be annoying, and shaking hands is peculiarly difficult: I seem to always get it slightly wrong, so end up clasping just the ends of people's fingers.

Just a few things to look forward to...

 

[enfieldspares]

OK. In shot gun shooting if you are right handed, and shoot off the right shoulder, then your dominant eye will usually be your right eye. So, assuming you are right handed, then you will need no alteration to how your shot gun fits you. Carry on as before.

Thus the issue is one of lead? And not being able to judge distance to apply that lead. There, may, be two solutions.

1) Learn what your quarry looks like at each distance and so adjust you lead to accomodate the distance. Just as a soldier was taught that a standing man at XX yards was the half height of his foresight.

2) Learn to shot by a method other that sustained lead. The method of picking up the bird, swinging through on to it and then firing as the gun passes the bird. This irrespective of distance will give the correct lead. As of course it is based on the same method used by submarines shooting a ship of angle. Or "angle on the bow". Thus your lead will be correct if the birds is fifteen, twenty or thirty yards away.

3) In addition 1) and 2) simply just have a friend stand by you and tell you how far the bird is away from you.

I hope that it helps and I am sorry for your problem.

 

[Alantoo]

What tests have you done to establish your eye dominance, and especially the degree of dominance? It may be that your historic problems stem from a level of middle vision.

This can cause you to increase the lead when targets are crossing left to right and decrease when crossing right to left...or vice versa depending on the orientation and degree of dominance.

Have a look at the Easy Hit site where he explains the difference and describes the two simple tests you can do to establish your situation. Interesting reading even if it does not resolve your problem, you may be able to pass it on to someone else.

http://www.easyhit.co.uk/middle.html

I am left eye dominant, but rifle off my right shoulder. 40 years ago I had my shotgun cast to come off the left shoulder but still found it awkward even though I was on target more consistently. So I am trying an optic sight and it certainly works for dry firing, and when aiming at a static target.

I bought a competing fibre optic to try, a Ruby sight. It was £20, but will get one of the £30 Easy Hit ones for the other gun. Cheap if it solves your problem.

I assumed eye dominance would be a fixed issue but the optic sight does indeed enable me to align the barrel with the non dominant eye with both eyes open.

Alan