What You Need to Know About Ocular Dominance

Most people use one side of their body more than the other, unconsciously. Many also have a dominant eye, just as they can be either left or right-handed. However, this does not necessarily mean that your right eye sees better than your left or vice versa. It’s only because of your preference that one eye is leading the other. 

Understand ocular dominance better with the help of an eye specialist.

Why You Have a Dominant Eye

Your dominant eye can provide a greater degree of input to the brain’s visual center. It also delivers information about the location of an object more precisely. Usually, experts use the term “dominant eye” when explaining a normal visual condition where both eyes function together cohesively and have the same visual acuity. 

Studies found a link between eye dominance and handedness despite the two not being directly related. This means that if you are right-handed, you are also likely a right-eye dominant. Still, it is possible for you to be right-eye dominant even if you are left-handed. 

There are three main types of eye dominance. Sighting dominance occurs when a person prefers one eye over the other when looking at a target. Motor dominance pertains to the eye that is more likely to stay fixated at the near point of convergence. Sensory dominance occurs when one eye has stronger vision than the other. 

How Do You Know Which Is Your Dominant Eye?

During your visit to your eye clinic, you can ask your eye doctor for assistance in determining which eye is dominant. You can use various tests to find out whether you are right or left eye dominant. Do keep in mind that the outcome of the tests can vary depending on which method you are using and the distance. 

Hole-in-the-Card-Test

For the hold-in-the-card test, you’ll have to look at a distant object through a card with a tiny hole in it. First, get a rectangular card, preferably the size of a playing card or a small piece of paper. Cut a hole in the middle of the card with a diameter of around 1.25 inches or 3cm. Select an object that you will use as a target. 

Hold the card in front of you at arm’s length and look at your target. Close each eye alternately, or you can have someone palace their hand over your eye as you fixate on the target with the other. Your dominant eye is the one that sees the target through the hole. 

Point or Targeting Test

In a targeting or point test, you will need to point at a target with your index finger until you determine which your dominant eye is. Select a target at a distance like wall art or a table centerpiece. With your index fingers intertwined together, point at your target. Close each eye alternatively while looking at the target. The eye that lines up with the target is the dominant one. 

Thumb Test

Doing the thumb test is one of the easiest ways to find out which your dominant eye is. All you need to do is to fixate on a target with your thumb in front of it. Stretch your arm out in front of you and make sure your thumb is upright. Focus both of your eyes on a distant object. Move your arm, placing your thumb in the center of your view of the target. Close each eye one at a time. Your dominant eye is the one that allows you to see your thumb directly in front of the object. 

Is It Possible to Not Have a Dominant Eye?

You likely have mixed ocular dominance if it appears that you don’t notice a strong degree of dominance after performing dominant eye tests. If a person has mixed ocular dominance, it means that their eye dominance changes depending on the task or function. 

What’s the Significance of Eye Dominance?

Hitting Moving Targets and Shooting

Is shooting your hobby? Eye dominance plays a significant role in hitting and shooting moving targets. It may be easier for you to hit your targets if you know which your dominant eye is. Testing for eye dominance may be the solution for you if you are having difficulty hitting moving objects. 

People with a dominant eye on the opposite side of their dominant hand may experience difficulty shooting at a target. This phenomenon is called cross dominance, and being aware of it can help you determine which position and technique can give you better accuracy. 

Taking Photographs

Photographers can also benefit from knowing which their dominant eye is. It can help you when setting up a shot as you look through a camera’s viewfinder. You will get a better preview and alignment when you use your dominant eye for focusing your shot. On the other hand, your photos may look more imbalanced if you use your non-dominant eye. 

Playing Sports

Eye dominance can be crucial if you play sports like golf and baseball. Turning your head to utilize your dominant eye when playing golf is essential in proper stroke alignment. This includes fairway shots, putts and drives. To hit a baseball squarely, you need to sufficiently turn your head to allow your dominant eye to see its position, speed and rotation.  

What Role Does It Play in Vision Correction?

Your eye doctor can determine whether you need vision correction during an eyeglass or contact eye exam. Specialists can make better clinical decisions when correcting some vision problems like amblyopia, an eye condition that develops from birth and is the leading cause of decreased visual ability in children. 

In a patient with amblyopia, the weaker eye usually wanders outward or inward. Early detection and treatment of this condition are essential in preventing long-term issues with a child’s vision. The common treatment options for amblyopia are eyeglasses and contact lenses. 

Eye doctors may also factor in eye dominance when diagnosing and treating strabismus. With this eye condition, the eyes do not align in the same direction. The muscle of the eyes do not work together to focus on the same subject. As a result, two different images are delivered to the brain, which confuses it. In the long run, this can cause the brain to suppress or ignore the image from the weaker eye. 

While eyeglasses are a possible treatment for strabismus, they don’t always work in all people. If glasses can’t correct this eye problem, surgery may be recommended. Some procedures may help treat the affected eye. Specialists may also patch the strong eye, allowing the weaker one to keep up with the other to make both eyes even. 

Further, eye dominance plays a role in treating patients with different vision correction need in each eye. During the planning stages of cataract and vision surgeries, specialists also consider eye dominance. When setting distance during surgery, the dominant eye is typically the preferred eye.