TargetTalk

Just wondering how many of you use an eye shield and how many shoot without it

I have used an eye shield over my non-shooting eye for over 25 years.

I started doing so in the hope that it would stop my (sadly deceased) coach from seeing that I was closing my eye. Fat chance of that; the whiley old begger new exactly what I was doing ;-)

As someone who is very near sighted I do actually find that it is easier to relax between shots (when both eyes are open) with a blinder. The alternative would be another lens over my non-shooting eye to keep things in balance.

I shoot with a blinder but have been giving some thought to shooting without the blinder but keeping both eyes open to ensure maximum light

Muffo wrote:I shoot with a blinder...

translucent or opaque?

Spencer

translucent

Translucent, it allows approximately the same amount of light into both eyes.

I would strongly suggest continuing to use a blinder. If your goal is to allow the exact same amount of light into both eyes, then without a blinder, your left eye will get more light than the right without a blinder since the sight blocks much of the ambient light. A blinder made out of a milk jug lets plenty of light in.

This also helps block out some of what you see with your left eye that is not relevant to your sight picture. It will also keep you from seeing 2 front sights, which annoys the hell out of me.

I can unfocus my right eye so i dont get 2 sight pictures. I was watchying a video of a final of a world cup and a couple of shooters were shooting without the blinder so i got to thinking is there any advantage

A good number of international level shooters are using a blinder that either hangs off their shooting glasses or hat. I've started usign the MEC blinder since it doesn't block your field of view on the blinder side of the gun.

My advice would be to keep using a blinder, but if you happen to have success without one, it's what works for you in the end.

Good Luck.

Muffo wrote:I was watchying a video of a final of a world cup and a couple of shooters were shooting without the blinder so i got to thinking is there any advantage

You're right, I've noticed that too - mainly the Chinese shooters, but other nationalities too. I suspect they'll be keeping both eyes open but I don't know the thinkings behind, why they think that's a better option. It undoubtedly works OK for them though.

Rob.

I know Artur Aivazian shoots without and blinder and left eye open but it is far more common to use a blinder, I don't really know how he does it honestly. Sergey Belyayev also shoots without a blinder but closes his eye.

I can do it fine as i shoot left hand right eye as my left eye doesnt see very well, I thought maybe they do it as more light may be better but most people cant unfocus the other eye enough to have only one image

This is one of those (welcome) very rare threads where nobody has said "this is the correct way".

Everybody is different, use what you are most comfortable with.

Whenever I want to really look at something in detail, whether whilst shooting or in "normal" life, I find it easier to concentrate if my non-dominant eye is shut.

gee if i shut my non dominant eye even tho it hasnt got a lot of vision i loose a lot of clarity in my dominant eye. when i started shooting i didnt use glasses. when i got them i went instantly from constant 520s to constant 540s

I have always shot with a translucent blinder. Just one less thing to think about.

Muffo,

That is not a surprising result. Your eye like to work in pairs along with taking the route of least resistance. So when you closed your non-dominant eye, your other eye wanted to do the same. Also, your eye is a muscle. So over the course of a long match, your eyes can get tired and lose clarity. Just think about studying for a long period of time and how the words get blurry around the time you give up.

I stopped using an eye shield for several months as a result of a thread on this subject on this forum a while back. What I found was that it forced me to focus on the dot in my red-dot sight in order to eliminate the double image.

Unfortunately, this only worked in practice. During matches, with an increased arousal level, and particularly with brighter lighting earlier in the day, this didn't work. I not only saw a double image of my own target, but of every other target up and down the line. It was so bad that I was having difficulty distinguishing which image to shoot at.

I've since gone back to the blinder. The theory behind the blinder is that you get a lot of your balance from your peripheral vision, and when you close one eye, it increases your body sway. Also, light colored blinders are better than dark ones, because your pupils tend to contract and dilate sympathetically. A dark blinder will cause your shooting eye to dilate to some extent, thereby decreasing your depth of focus.

Regards,

Al B.

I currently shoot without a blinder, but have been considering if I am missing out. I initially started shooting with my non-dominant eye closed. I swapped relatively easily to shooting with both eyes open, and as Muffo describes, I am able to do so without getting two foresights.

So basically I have the foresight in focus and clear, the rear sight less in focus, and that target a distant out of focus blob.

When looking around in competitions, and at the club, I am one of a minority who are blinderless...

So I would probably tag onto the initial question, if you use a blinder why did you start using it ?


Steve.

For me, i don't see the need for a blinder nor the need to close my left eye.

I have a right master eye, and have no problem with double vision when aiming.

i think the case of chinese shooters not requiring blinders is due to their stringent requirements to enter into sports shooting. as state sponsored sportsman, i think they are filtered out as individuals who are most suited for shooting physically.
Whereas in other countries, people get into shooting base of personal interest, thus we will see a higher proportion of people who are not necessary the best suited for shooting in terms of physical capability. (e.g. left dominant eye, tennis elbow etc.) and therefore the need for blinders.

C'mon... with time, effort and most importantly motivation, there's no doubt that anyone can shoot with both eyes open. That's basic brain training.

The edge it's going to provide is mental, which is everything in this sport. If YOU believe it's possible to shoot better with both eyes open, it's true. If you believe that a blinder is all it takes, there you are.