Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDominant Eye TestWhy It MattersHand and Eye DominanceNo Dominant Eye?FAQ
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Dominant Eye Test
Why It Matters
Hand and Eye Dominance
No Dominant Eye?
FAQ
An eye dominance test can tell you which of youreyesis dominant. Your dominant eye is the one that sends slightly more information to your brain.It also tends to be the one you use automatically when looking into a microscope, telescope, or sight.
Also known as ocular dominance, eye dominance can be determined using a self-administered home. This information can be helpful when playing sports, taking photos, and aiming at a target.
This article describes how to test your eye dominance. It also explains why eye dominance matters and when it is useful to know which eye is dominant.
How to Test for Eye Dominance
One common test used is known as theMiles Test. This self-administered test can help you identify your dominant eye. Here’s how to do it:
Other eye dominance tests include:
Why Eye Dominance Matters
Eye dominance has no particular medical significance, and it may make no difference in your life. For most tasks, it doesn’t matter which eye is dominant.Most people instinctively use their dominant eye for things like:
Knowing which eye is dominant is helpful in careers, sports, and hobbies that require accurate aim.Examples include:
Eye dominance is also an important factor to consider withmonovisioncontact lenses. Monovision uses two different contact lens strengths in each eye—one to see distances and the other to see up close. This reduces the need for reading glasses or bifocals.
Dominant Hand, Dominant Eye Connection
In general, eye dominance goes along with handedness. In other words, lefties' left eyes are more likely to be dominant, while righties' right eyes are likely to be dominant. But there are exceptions to this rule.
Research shows 70% to 90% of people have the same dominant hand as eye, while 10% to 30% have cross-dominant hands and eyes.Between 85% and 90% of the population are right-handed.This means the right eye is most commonly dominant.
However, cross-dominance is more common among high-level and professional athletes, including:
At the same time, in sports such as archery and target shooting that require aim, 82% of higher-performing athletes have matching dominant hands and eyes.
Is It Possible to Not Have a Dominant Eye?
Most people have a dominant eye, just as most people have a dominant hand. It is rare for a person to have balanced eyes, meaning neither one is dominant.That means the person can use either eye when performing tasks in which most people use the dominant one.
It is much more common, though, to have a variation in how dominant your dominant eye is. For example, some people may have one eye that is only slightly more dominant than the other. Others may have one eye that is much more dominant than the other.
It is also possible to have mixed ocular dominance, which means one eye may be more dominant for certain tasks while the other is preferred for other tasks.
Summary
Your dominant eye is the one that sends the most information to your brain. Some people have one eye that is much more dominant than the other, while others have an eye that is only slightly more dominant.You can find out which of your eyes is the dominant one using a simple at-home test.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which eye is dominant, but for certain sports and professions, you may want to find out which eye you naturally favor. Using your dominant eye to aim or look through a viewfinder can improve your accuracy.
Frequently Asked QuestionsNot necessarily. Your dominant eye may have better vision, but that is not always the case.It is more common to have a dominant right eye than a dominant left eye, but left-eye dominance isn’t considered rare. It is estimated that about one-third of the population is left-eye dominant.If the object doesn’t remain in the center of the hole when you close the left or right eye, it may mean you don’t have a dominant eye, or you have mixed dominance. This is uncommon but possible.It is possible to change eye dominance through the use of patches and other techniques, but it is difficult and takes time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. Your dominant eye may have better vision, but that is not always the case.
It is more common to have a dominant right eye than a dominant left eye, but left-eye dominance isn’t considered rare. It is estimated that about one-third of the population is left-eye dominant.
If the object doesn’t remain in the center of the hole when you close the left or right eye, it may mean you don’t have a dominant eye, or you have mixed dominance. This is uncommon but possible.
It is possible to change eye dominance through the use of patches and other techniques, but it is difficult and takes time.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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