How to Check Eye Dominance

Unlike right and left handedness, it is uncommon for a person to know which eye is his or her dominant eye. Your dominant eye generally processes visual input 14 to 21 milliseconds faster than your non-dominant eye. Though it is not as noticeable as hand dominance, eye dominance plays an important part in our vision; we use our dominant eye when we need visual precision such as while engaging in activities like shooting. The tests for eye dominance are simple to perform.

Instructions

• 1

  Extend your arms in front of you and create a small triangular opening with your hands. Select a small object more than 20 feet away and center it in the opening that you have created with your hands. Close your right eye; if the object stays in view then you are left-eye dominant. If it does not then you are right-eye dominant.

• 2

  Extend your arms in front of you and create an opening similar to the one you made in the last test. Again find a small object and center it in the opening. This time, bring your hands towards your head while keeping the object centered in the opening. The opening will come to rest over your dominant eye.

• 3

  Align a distant object with your forefinger. Alternate closing your eyes. If your finger is still aligned with the object when you close your right eye, you are left-eye dominant; if your finger is still aligned with the object when you close your left eye then you are right-eye dominant.