There are several reasons why it is worth knowing which eye is your dominant eye. Not only is this an interesting detail, but it is also useful in some activities where only one eye is used, such as studying under a microscope, astronomical observation or photography with a camera without a digital display. The ophthalmologist also needs to identify your dominant eye to undergo certain treatments. This is something you can easily do at home, but remember that the results can vary based on the distance you test.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Evaluate the Dominant Eye
Step 1. Try a simple aiming test
With both eyes open, point your finger at a distant object. Close one eye, then switch and close the other eye. The finger should appear to move out or away from the object when one eye is closed. If the finger does not seem to move, then the closed eye is the non-dominant one.
Here is a variation of this test: stretch your arms out in front of you and form a triangle with your fingers. Look through it and point at an object about 10 feet away, keeping both eyes open. Without moving, close one eye first and then the other. It should feel like the object is moving, even outside the triangular window, when you close one eye; if it moves, then you are looking with your non-dominant eye
Step 2. Try the "card with hole" test for distance
This exam allows you to understand which eye you use to stare at objects 3m away and you can easily do it at home.
- Cut a hole with a diameter of about 4 cm in a sheet of paper. Write a single letter about 2.5 cm high on a second sheet.
- Attach this second piece of paper to the wall using a thumbtack or duct tape. Make sure the wall is exactly 3m away from you and that the letter is level with your line of sight.
- Stand 10 feet from the letter on the wall. Grab the punched sheet with both hands while holding it at arm's length. The arms must be parallel to the floor.
- Look at the letter through the hole in the page. When you can see it, ask a friend to cover first one eye and then the other. Don't move and don't change your position. The eye that can see the letter, while the other is covered, is the dominant one. If you can see the letters with both eyes individually, then neither is dominant for this type of exam.
Step 3. Try the "card with hole" test at close range
This exam is very similar to the one described above, but consider which eye you use to fix objects closely. Also in this case you can do it without difficulty with commonly used objects.
- You can use a sewing thimble, shot glass, or other similar object. Write a single letter on a sheet of paper, so that it is about 1.5mm high and wide. Glue the letter to the inside bottom of a shot glass or thimble.
- Cover the container with a sheet of paper or aluminum. Secure the latter with a rubber band or tape and make a hole about 1.5mm wide in the sheet. The hole should be perfectly above the letter to be able to see it when you look through it.
- Place the glass or thimble on the table and lean over it to read the letter. Do not touch the container and do not rest your eye near the opening. The head should be 30-60 cm from the hole.
- Don't move your head while looking at the letter. Ask a friend to cover first one eye and then the other. What does not lose sight of the letter is the dominant eye. If you can see it individually with each eye, then you don't have a dominant eye for this test.
Step 4. Run a convergence test
This allows you to check which eye is dominant at extremely close range. Results may vary from those obtained from previous tests.
- Get a ruler and on a sheet of paper write a letter that should be about 1.5mm high and wide. Finally attach it to the ruler so it doesn't move.
- Hold the ruler in front of you with both hands. The letter should be level with your line of sight. Bring it into focus and slowly bring the ruler towards your nose while keeping your grip with both hands.
- Stop when one eye is no longer able to focus on the letter. This is the eye Not dominant. If both can focus on the letter even when the ruler reaches the nose, then neither eye is dominant for this test.
Method 2 of 2: Using the Information Obtained
Step 1. Improve your skills
If you play a sport or hobby that requires only one eye, then you need to know if you are using the dominant one. However, you need to remember that eye dominance varies by distance, so rely on the test results best suited for the specific conditions. Then use the dominant eye instead of the non-dominant one for your sports performance. Activities that rely on only one eye are:
- Aim with a firearm;
- Archery;
- Focusing an image through a camera without a large digital screen;
- Observation through the microscope or telescope.
Step 2. Review this information with your eye doctor
Knowing your dominant eye is especially important for those who wear contact lenses for monovision. If your doctor prescribes this type of optical correction, then he or she will most likely have to determine the dominance of your eyes. There are two types of monovision techniques:
- Contact lenses for monovision: the patient wears a contact lens to correct distance vision in the dominant eye, while on the other eye he wears a contact lens to balance presbyopia.
- Modified monovision. In this case, a bifocal or progressive lens is used on the non-dominant eye and a monofocal lens for distance vision on the dominant one.
Step 3. Ask your doctor for some information about eye strengthening exercises
If you feel that one of your eyes is weaker, then you can improve its performance with eye exercises. In any case, you must always consult your ophthalmologist before starting a "workout", to avoid excessive fatigue. The ophthalmologist may advise you:
- The convergence exercises. In this case you have to slowly bring a ruler or pen to your nose. When you start seeing double, stop and try to focus on the object until the image becomes single again. You can move the fixation target slightly away, if necessary, and then continue the exercise.
- Train your non-dominant eye to read at close range and then at a distance. Ask your eye doctor how long you need to keep your gaze on objects at different distances. Then close your eyes and relax them for a minute.
